Hunter memorialized how he left his family during his teenage years when conflict with his family came to a head. 23A Swan Hill is the address of his teenage home in Shrewsbury above a police station where his father was the Station Sergeant. Ian left home at sixteen years old and went to Butlins and the home is behind the Music Hall in Shrewsbury, 23A is till there, including the piano when Hunter visited the current family who lives there, and the Priory School that Ian attended is a ten minute walk away.
In those days policeman got free housing, electricity, and coal while Ian notes in concert that "my Dad was real mean." The theme was reprised in both Ships and No Hard Feelings, and father 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". The family struggled and Hunter makes an analogy of life as a cop's son to the music business since the business plan of Motown and MainMan was to provide just enough support to survive. However, the figure in the song who accused Ian of stealing a poem he had written was not his father but an unsympathetic teacher who did not fancy him. In school the teachers viewed Ian as hostile.
23A Swan Hill is one of the most biographical songs in Ian Hunter's catalog. It was s staple of Ian's live sets while appearing on several records of varying lengths including Strings Attached. It was the idea of Kjetil Bjerkestrand to interject a sample from Norwegian Romantic composer Edvard Grieg. Another version is on Live in the UK 2010.
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Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me
Edvard Hagerup Grieg (/ɡriːɡ/ GREEG, Norwegian: [ˈɛ̀dvɑʈ ˈhɑ̀ːɡərʉp ˈɡrɪɡː]; 15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era
| Originally issued on The Artful Dodger, also on the compilation The Journey. | ||
| 23A Swan Hill (live 29/30th January 2002) | 5:22 | This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) was issued on Strings Attached. |
| 23A Swan Hill (live 19th May 2002) | 6:22 | This live version (recorded Life Cafe, Manchester England) was issued on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 2) (box set only). |
| 23A Swan Hill (live 28th May 2004) | 5:55 | This live version (recorded The Astoria, London England) was released on The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth. Not on the box set. |
| 23A Swan Hill (live October 2010) | 4:49 | This live version (recorded at an unknown UK venue) was released on Live In The UK 2010. |
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