Hunter began his musical career on the bass guitar. An early foray into music was as an entrant in a talent competition at one of Butlin's holiday camps, performing "Blue Moon" as part of a skiffle group with Colen York and Colin Broome.
Hunter memorialized how he left his family in a later song, "23A Swan Hill," the address of his teenage home in Shrewsbury above a police station where his father was the Station Sergeant. He notes in concert that "my Dad was real mean" and did not approve of his son's artistic direction, in contrast to his "grand dad", referenced in "Cleveland Rocks", as "he was a rocker and I am, too".
So Hunter took off for Butlin's and "never looked back". Bandmates York and Broome came from Northampton, and were in a band called The Apex, which Hunter soon joined to play rhythm guitar. In 1963, while living in Northampton, he formed his own band, Hurricane Henry and the Shriekers. With Tony Marriott and guitarist Julian Coulter, the Shriekers worked steadily in Northampton, and by 1965 had picked up Freddie 'Fingers' Lee as a pianist and frontman. In a 2004 DVD interview Hunter volunteers Lee and their gigs in Hamburg as a major turning point, when he first began to "actually think maybe I could do this instead of working in factories".
In 1966 Hunter moved to London, where he joined The Scenery with guitarist Miller Anderson, drummer Dave Dufort, and keyboard player Dante Smith. By 1967 Smith and Dufort had left the band while John Vernon Smith joined on drums. The Scenery recorded some material with Bill Farley at Regent Sound, which was released without the band's knowledge in France and Japan. In early 1968, The Scenery had run its course and Miller Anderson joined Dave Dufort in Paper Blitz Tissue.
Also in 1968 Hunter remained in the band to back up Freddie Lee in the At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show, along with drummer Pete Philips and guitarist Chris Mayfield. The group got a regular booking at The Angel in Edmonton, and drew interest from both Chrysalis and NEMS but the group was never signed by them. Mayfield was soon replaced by the ever traveling Miller Anderson, and the group released a single on CBS called "I Can't Drive." As the short-lived rock and roll revival began to wane, At Last the 1958 Rock and Roll Show changed its name to Charlie Woolfe and released a final single, "Dance, Dance, Dance".
Hunter played sporadically in various other bands throughout the 1960s, including The New Yardbirds, and backed Billy Fury, The Young Idea and David McWilliams. He also worked as a journalist and staff songwriter for the firm Francis, Day & Hunter (no relation). Other jobs he took during these years included road-digging for a local council, and reporting for a local newspaper.
By 1969 Hunter was married and had two children, but was still hoping for a return to making music full time. That year he auditioned for and joined yet another band, Silence. Silence soon renamed themselves after a novel by Willard Manus, published in 1966: Mott The Hoople. By this time Hunter had taken to wearing the sunglasses that have long since become his trademark (photos of him without his "shades" are rare). The band was a live smash in England although their early U.S. tours on the coasts were slow in building a following. Whilst a critical success and despite being renowned for being an excellent live act, Mott the Hoople did not achieve sustained commercial success. After a dreary 1972 concert in a "gas cylinder" in Switzerland, they announced their disbandment.
David Bowie, a longtime fan of the band, was upset and offered them a song he had just written. As Ian recalls in a 2004 DVD interview, "He offered us 'Suffragette City', which I didn't think was good enough. And then he sat down on the floor, Regent Street it was in a publisher's office and plays 'All The Young Dudes' on an acoustic guitar." It shot to No. 3 in the UK singles chart and Mott had new life.
Mott the Hoople then had considerable commercial success with the albums All the Young Dudes (1972, produced by Bowie); Mott (1973) and The Hoople (1974). The band began to score financially with songs such as "Roll Away The Stone," "Golden Age Of Rock ´N´ Roll," "Honaloochie Boogie," "All The Way From Memphis," "Saturday Gigs," and especially "All The Young Dudes." When in 1973 original lead guitarist Mick Ralphs left to form Bad Company, Hunter began to play guitar until a replacement could be found but at the same time he was increasingly pressured to write hits for the band. Luther Grosvenor took over as lead guitarist, Grosvenor, aka Ariel Bender, was briefly replaced by Mick Ronson after the release of a live album following The Hoople. However, Hunter left the band in December 1974. The remaining members carried on under the names Mott and British Lions. Hunter has written a memoir, Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star, detailing a U.S. tour with Mott the Hoople.
In March 1975 Ian Hunter joined forces with Mick Ronson, formerly the leading member of David Bowie's backing band The Spiders from Mars and a member of Mott the Hoople for a brief time. Hunter's first single from his eponymous solo album was the UK Top 40 hit "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Hunter's best selling solo album was You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. It was released in 1979 with Ronson and several members from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Two songs from You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic became successes for other artists. "Cleveland Rocks" was covered by the Presidents of the United States of America, whose version was used as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show. Also, "Ships" became a No. 9 pop hit in the USA in late 1979 for Barry Manilow.
During his solo career Hunter frequently worked with Ronson until the latter's death in 1993, but he has also had musical connections with many other artists, including Queen, Mick Jones (The Clash), Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Jaco Pastorius, Dennis Elliot (Foreigner), and David Bowie.
His album, Rant (2001), received wide critical acclaim and he won Classic Rock Magazine Songwriter's Award in October 2005.
In 2007 his latest album "Shrunken Heads" was released and it clearly shows that Ian Hunter is still very much alive.
You Stepped Into My Dreams
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Transcribed by Colin Ford)
That's it baby, take one last look
We gotta go catch a plane
Then you won't die, and I won't die
But we won't ever be the same
Oh I can feel a mood coming down on me
Such a good thing disappears
I can sense the loss creeping up on us
And it's deeper than any tears I've known
You stepped into my dreams
You opened up the door
You stepped into my dreams
I want you back for more
You stepped into my dreams tonight
In the shadows of the night you're sorry
In the morning we was gone
Won't you blow a kiss to me baby
We both gotta be moving on
Sometimes you see a lover and she's made for love
But you let that lover slip by
You believe and yet she's so hard to get
And you never know the reasons why
She stepped into your dreams
She opened up your door
She stepped into your dreams
You want her so much more
She stepped into your dreams tonight yeah
Oh when you're doing what you're doing
What do you think of me babe
There ain't much else to say
In another time, in another place
Things might have turned out okay
I can feel a darkness I can never conceal
Sometimes I get just a little insane
I can feel emotions like the mighty oceans
They're driving me again, and I know
You stepped into my dreams
You opened up the door
You stepped into my dreams
I want you back for more
You stepped into my dreams
And I don't know what to do
I'm so scared of losing you.
The song “You Stepped Into My Dreams” by Ian Hunter portrays the emotions of a person who is in love with someone who is about to leave them. The song begins with the two planning to catch a plane, which highlights the impermanence of their relationship. The singer expresses his fear that things will never be the same between them again. He feels a sense of loss creeping up on them and that it's deeper than any tears he's ever known. The phrase "You stepped into my dreams" refers to the fact that the person he is in love with has entered his life in a way he never thought possible. She opened up a door of emotions, and he can't imagine life without her.
The lyrics also highlight that sometimes a person lets their love slip away, even though the love was great. Hunter is unsure of what went wrong and why he couldn't keep the love alive. In the end, he reveals his fear of losing the person he loves, highlighting that he will do anything to keep her in his life. The lyrics of this song capture the emotions of a person who is deeply and desperately in love, but also fearful of the uncertainty that the future holds.
Line by Line Meaning
That's it baby, take one last look
The singer tells their lover to take a last look at their surroundings before they leave.
We gotta go catch a plane
The singer and their lover have to catch a plane and leave their current location.
Then you won't die, and I won't die
The singer assures their lover that they won't die during their trip.
But we won't ever be the same
The artist acknowledges that their journey will have an impact on both of them and their relationship.
Oh I can feel a mood coming down on me
The artist senses a change in their emotions.
Such a good thing disappears
The singer laments the loss of something good.
I can sense the loss creeping up on us
The singer becomes aware of the loss they will experience during their upcoming journey.
And it's deeper than any tears I've known
The loss is significant and intense.
You stepped into my dreams
The artist's lover entered their dreams.
You opened up the door
The artist's lover allowed them to explore their innermost thoughts.
I want you back for more
The singer desires to have their lover in their dreams again.
In the shadows of the night you're sorry
The artist's lover regrets something during the night.
In the morning we was gone
By morning, the singer and their lover have left that place.
Won't you blow a kiss to me baby
The singer asks their lover for a farewell kiss.
We both gotta be moving on
The singer acknowledges that they and their lover have to continue their journey.
Sometimes you see a lover and she's made for love
The artist describes how some people are clearly meant to be in a relationship.
But you let that lover slip by
The artist admits to missing an opportunity to be in a relationship with someone who was meant for them.
You believe and yet she's so hard to get
The singer wanted to be with that person, but they were unable to make it happen.
And you never know the reasons why
The singer feels confused about why things didn't work out with that person.
She stepped into your dreams
The artist talks about when that person entered their dreams.
You want her so much more
The artist desires to have that person back in their dreams.
Oh when you're doing what you're doing
The artist wonders what their lover is doing during their journey.
What do you think of me babe
The singer wants to know what their lover thinks about them.
There ain't much else to say
The artist acknowledges that there isn't much else to talk about.
In another time, in another place
The singer suggests that things might have been different if they were in another situation.
Things might have turned out okay
The singer believes that the situation could have had a positive outcome in another time and place.
I can feel a darkness I can never conceal
The singer feels an intense and enduring sense of sadness.
Sometimes I get just a little insane
The artist experiences moments of irrational behavior during their sadness.
I can feel emotions like the mighty oceans
The artist experiences emotions that are vast and powerful, like the ocean.
They're driving me again, and I know
The singer is being overwhelmed by their emotions again.
And I don't know what to do
The singer feels lost and confused about their emotions and their lover's impact on them.
I'm so scared of losing you.
The artist acknowledges that they are afraid of losing their lover.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind