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.
China
Ian hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See you, soon now, the boat moves with the wind
China, China, I can see the harbour lights
Light your, fire, we'll be warm tonight
China, China, the thoughts drift from the sea
I'm dreaming, of you, wear your dress for me
China, China, the oceans on the wheel(?)
China I can feel you by my side
Across the bay, across the Tyne
Can you hear me say
China, China, wear your hair down low
Lady, Lady, you're frozen to the bone
China, China, the catch was good today
The oilskins clinging to my back
And the lantern gently sways
Oh don't you cry, the kids to bed
Didn't mean the things I said
China, China, the years go rolling by
Laughter, sorrow, I will not make you cry
China, China, think before you speak
Always remember the ocean hauls as deep
And if I'm tired of feeling low
Don't let me sleep, you know
China, China, the men are on the quay
Drinking, smoking, talking quietly
The water's calmer now
All my work is done
So China, see ya.
The song "China" by Ian Hunter is a poignant and nostalgic tale of love, distance, and longing. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a man who is far away from his loved one in China, and who yearns for her company and warmth. The song's opening lines, "China, China, the evening's moving in, see you soon now, the boat moves with the wind" perfectly capture the sense of anticipation and longing that the singer feels as he anticipates his reunion with his loved one.
As the song continues, the lyrics become more introspective and emotional. The singer dreams of his loved one and imagines her wearing a dress for him. He urges her to wear her hair down low and promises that he will not make her cry. The song then takes a somber turn as the singer reflects on the passing of time and the inevitability of change. He urges his loved one to think before she speaks and to remember that life is full of highs and lows.
As the song draws to a close, the singer bids his loved one farewell, promising to return to her one day. The song's final lines, "China, China, the men are on the quay, drinking, smoking, talking quietly, the water's calmer now, all my work is done, so China, see ya" perfectly encapsulate the sense of finality and resignation that the singer feels as he prepares to leave.
Overall, "China" is a beautifully written and deeply emotional song that captures the timeless themes of love, longing, and the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
China, China, the evening's moving in
The singer is seeing the evening setting in on their location in China
See you, soon now, the boat moves with the wind
The singer is seeing the boat moving as the wind blows and they are expecting to meet someone soon
China, China, I can see the harbour lights
The singer is acknowledging the visibility of the harbor lights from China
Light your, fire, we'll be warm tonight
The person being addressed should start a fire to get warmth for the night
China, China, the thoughts drift from the sea
The artist's thoughts move away from the sea
I'm dreaming, of you, wear your dress for me
The singer is having some dreams about someone and is asking them to wear a dress for them
China, China, the oceans on the wheel(?),
The singer is possibly referring to the fact that the ocean is vast and constantly moving
The seagulls flying lower now
The artist is observing the seagulls flying lower
China I can feel you by my side
The artist is expressing their feeling of having someone by their side in China
Across the bay, across the Tyne
The artist is referring to locations across the bay and river Tyne
Can you hear me say
The singer is asking if they are being heard
China, China, wear your hair down low
The artist is asking someone to wear their hair down low
Lady, Lady, you're frozen to the bone
The singer is acknowledging that a lady is cold to the bone
China, China, the catch was good today
The singer is acknowledging that the catch for the day was good in China
The oilskins clinging to my back
The singer's back is covered in oilskins
And the lantern gently sways
The lantern is gently swaying
Oh don't you cry, the kids to bed
The artist is asking someone not to cry because the kids have gone to bed
Didn't mean the things I said
The singer is apologizing for any hurtful things they might have said
China, China, the years go rolling by
The singer is observing that the years are rolling by in China
Laughter, sorrow, I will not make you cry
The artist is promising not to make someone cry amidst the laughter and sorrow
China, China, think before you speak
The artist is advising someone to think before speaking in China
Always remember the ocean hauls as deep
The artist is reminding someone that the ocean is deep and can reveal more than expected
And if I'm tired of feeling low
The singer is acknowledging that they might get tired of feeling low
Don't let me sleep, you know
The artist is asking someone not to let them sleep through the situation
China, China, the men are on the quay
The singer is observing some men on the quay in China
Drinking, smoking, talking quietly
The men on the quay are drinking, smoking, and talking quietly
The water's calmer now
The water appears calm now
All my work is done
The artist's work is done
So China, see ya.
The artist is saying goodbye to China
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.