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.
GOD
Ian hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All that energy looking for me when I`m sitting here inside you - plain to see
How I built you cell for cell gave you sights to see - gave you tales to tell
Even let you help yourself for a while - to take some weight off this busy child"
I said to God "I found you out - I know what this world is all about!"
God said "Stop - don`t scramble your brain - my opponent`s been messing you around again
See him and me are enemies and we play little games for galaxies
"Oh we made mistakes - too many cards - but making human beings can be hard
A God gets tired of playing so much chess - he wishes his God would get him out of his mess"
I said to God "What`s it like to die" He said "It`s as plain as the sea and sky
Conception was him and me and you - when your batteries fade we all just move on"
I said to God "Who`s winning this game - is the devil in front" He said "Is that his name
You know I`ve been so busy I never asked - I never looked up from this awesome task"
I said to God "What`s good `n bad" He said "It`s just something you`ve got to have
It don`t mean nothing to us up here - but your primitive people - you gotta have fear"
I said to God "Do I think for myself" He said I told you once you just help yourself
Don`t forget you`re composed of three, your thinking comes from him and me"
I said to God "How big are you, is there a religion - is it true
How big`s the universe - is time - the same for you as my life is to mine"
God said "If all the things that made worlds float - were all to part - then you would note
The size of him and the size of me - and that`s how big we both shall be"
He said "The universe is small - just like some fortune-teller`s ball
And we both sit down - and we play the game - when somebody wins it all starts again"
"There`s no religion - you did that - it helps to keep your little leaders fat
Like faith `n superstition stay - to help you pass the time away
But when you talk of time and life - it makes me think of circles, heights
Expansion is the clue - your dreams - are nearer than you`ve ever been"
"You see my little toy to think - is from two bowls of wine to drink
Don`t take too much or you may drown - behave yourself - see you around..."
The song "God" by Ian Hunter seems to be a conversation between God and the singer. The lyrics reveal a contemplative dialogue between the singer and God, with the former raising queries about religion, the universe, life, and death. At the beginning of the song, the singer seems to be reprimanded by God, who threatens to 'kick your ass' because the singer has been looking for him outside, while God has been inside him all along.
The song then delves into the relationship between God, the devil, and humans, implying that humans are mere pawns in their everlasting game for galaxies. The singer seeks answers from God on various topics - religion, good vs evil, the purpose of life, and death, to which God gives in plain terms. The song’s underlying theme seems to be that humans tend to complicate and overthink things, while divinity follows simplicity. This is evident from God’s statement - ‘when somebody wins it all starts again,’ which reflects the circle of life.
Overall, the song presents a thought-provoking interpretation of human existence, the universe, and the role of God in the same.
Line by Line Meaning
God said to me "Gonna kick your ass - `cos all you do is ask ask ask
God scolded the singer for constantly seeking him and asking for help.
All that energy looking for me when I`m sitting here inside you - plain to see
God explained that he is already inside the singer, and the singer doesn't need to look far to find him.
How I built you cell for cell gave you sights to see - gave you tales to tell
God reminded the singer that he created him, gave him his senses, and gave him the ability to tell stories.
Even let you help yourself for a while - to take some weight off this busy child
God explained that he allowed the artist to be independent and take care of himself to lessen God's workload.
I said to God "I found you out - I know what this world is all about!"
The artist proudly told God that he figured out the secrets of the world.
God said "Stop - don`t scramble your brain - my opponent`s been messing you around again
God warned the singer to stop overthinking and blamed the devil for causing confusion.
See him and me are enemies and we play little games for galaxies
God told the singer that he and the devil are enemies and sometimes compete for things on a universal scale.
And he`s inside you - `n I am too - so here we are - just the three of you"
God explained that both he and the devil are inside the artist, and they are all interacting together.
"Oh, we made mistakes - too many cards - but making human beings can be hard
God admitted that while creating humans, he and the devil made mistakes.
A God gets tired of playing so much chess - he wishes his God would get him out of his mess"
God hinted that sometimes he gets tired of his role and wishes that he had someone above him to help him out.
I said to God "What`s it like to die" He said "It`s as plain as the sea and sky
The singer asked God about death, and God gave a simple answer that it's natural, just like the sea and sky.
Conception was him and me and you - when your batteries fade we all just move on"
God explained that he played a role in the artist's conception, and when the artist dies, they will all move on to another form.
I said to God "Who`s winning this game - is the devil in front" He said "Is that his name
The singer asked God who's winning the game between him and the devil, and God poked fun at the devil's name.
You know I`ve been so busy I never asked - I never looked up from this awesome task"
God admitted that he's been too busy to check on the status of their game against the devil.
I said to God "What`s good `n bad" He said "It`s just something you`ve got to have
The singer asked God about good and evil, and God explained that it's necessary for the world to have both.
It don`t mean nothing to us up here - but your primitive people - you gotta have fear"
God explained that good and evil don't really matter to him, but primitive humans need fear to understand what's good and bad.
I said to God "Do I think for myself" He said I told you once you just help yourself
The artist asked if he thinks for himself, and God reminded him that he had already answered that question before.
Don`t forget you`re composed of three, your thinking comes from him and me"
God reminded the singer that his thoughts come from both God and the devil, as well as himself.
I said to God "How big are you, is there a religion - is it true
The singer asked God about his size and religion.
How big`s the universe - is time - the same for you as my life is to mine"
The artist asked God about the size of the universe and whether time passes similarly for God and humans.
God said "If all the things that made worlds float - were all to part - then you would note
God explained that if everything that held up the universe were removed, the true size of both him and the devil would be seen.
The size of him and the size of me - and that`s how big we both shall be"
God replied that the true size of him and the devil would be infinite.
He said "The universe is small - just like some fortune-teller`s ball
God stated that in the grand scheme of things, the universe is insignificant.
And we both sit down - and we play the game - when somebody wins it all starts again"
God explained that he and the devil play a never-ending game in which someone eventually wins, and the cycle starts again.
"There`s no religion - you did that - it helps to keep your little leaders fat
God blamed humans for creating religion to keep their leaders wealthy and powerful.
Like faith `n superstition stay - to help you pass the time away
God acknowledged that humans need faith and superstition to help them cope with life and pass the time.
But when you talk of time and life - it makes me think of circles, heights
God mentioned that when humans talk about time and life, it makes him think of cyclical patterns and the vastness of the universe.
Expansion is the clue - your dreams - are nearer than you`ve ever been"
God encouraged the artist to realize that their dreams are closer than they think, and hinted at the expansion of the universe.
You see my little toy to think - is from two bowls of wine to drink
God revealed that he created humans simply for entertainment purposes, comparing them to a child's toy.
Don`t take too much or you may drown - behave yourself - see you around..."
God warned the singer not to overindulge or go overboard and said goodbye for now.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind