A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Ian Hunter, Strings Attached

Instead of doing an obvious cover of Dylan for the release Ian recorded A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square live on the Strings Attached release as a sentimental memory about his mother. Hunter's mum always played the radio and the song was often on during the 1940s and 1950s. It is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin. Ian told Classic Rock: “Another one of those songs that they played on the radio all the time when I was a kid that I just couldn’t get out of my head. This was way before rock ‘n’ roll arrived and changed everything. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square was just a gorgeous song, I actually did a version of it myself for a while.” 

Hunter avoided a Dylan song because that was too obvious. He considered Somewhere from the musical West Side Story that P.J. Proby recorded. In any case, he thought, hey if Elvis Costello can do standards, why not do it Hunter style? This is the result. 

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin.

The song makes reference to the nearby luxurious The Ritz Hotel

Berkeley Square is a large leafy square in Mayfair, a part of London. The Ritz Hotel referred to is just outside Mayfair, adjacent to Green Park.^[1]

The nightingale, a migrant songbird, is celebrated in literature and music for the beauty of its song. It favours rural habitats, and is unlikely to be heard in Central London.^[2]

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square on Strings Attached:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrnj0xz9Chk

That certain night
The night we met
There was magic abroad in the air
There were angels dining at the Ritz
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square

I may be right I may be wrong
But I'm perfectly willing to swear
That when you turned and smiled at me
A nightingale sang in Berkeley square

The moon that lingered over London town
Poor puzzled moon he wore a frown
How could he know we two were so in love
The whole damned world seemed upside down

The streets of town were paved with stars
It was such a romantic affair
And as we kissed and said goodnight
A nightingale sang in Berkeley square

How strange it was
How sweet and strange
There was never a dream to compare
To those hazy crazy nights we met
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square

Ah this heart of mine
Loud and fast
Like a merry-go-round in a fair
We would dance cheek to cheek
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square

The dawn came stealing up
All gold and blue
To interrupt our rendez-vous
I still remember how you smiled and said
Was that a dream or was it true?

Our homeward step was just as light
As the dancing feet of Astaire
And like an echo far away
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square

That night in Berkeley square.

A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (live 29/30th January 2002)

3:59

This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) was originally issued on Strings Attached.

A Little Rock 'n' Roll, Ian Hunter, The Artful Dodger outtake Sampling In Reality (described as a 'pre-Rant outtake') and on Experiments (described as an 'Artful Dodger outtake').

A Little Rock 'n' Roll is an outtake from the Artful Dodger release and it came from a line and will often lead to an entire song. The rockers are the hardest to write according to Hunter. Although it didn't make the studio release it actually led to the Rant deal as a pre-Rant song. Ultimately though, it too was dropped from release and the record label Papillon was disappointed.  

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

A Little Rock 'n' Roll

5:20

This is on Sampling In Reality (described as a 'pre-Rant outtake') and on Experiments - Previously Unreleased Recordings (box set only) (described as an 'Artful Dodger outtake').

Shrunken Heads, Ian Hunter

On the Horse's Mouth, Ian's fan site, he stated the meaning behind the song: "Put it like this – I was one." This is a genuine twist because it sounds like he means society is breaking down and he is writing an analysis of social decay. For example, Ian said on Billboard.com: “The last album [2001’s ‘Rant’] was geared around British politics. This album is more geared around American politics, and it’s a more American sounding record.” However, the key is in the last repeated lines: "Where you're born is the luck of the draw" or our lives would be better depending on where we happen to be placed on the earth and where we are born. 

Shrunken Heads, with lyrics

Concrete steps, never swept
It used to be fear, now they call it respect
Sad old walls fallin' down
On the shattered skulls in the battleground
Absent fathers, weary mums
The old, the sick, the dying
And the isolated ones
Ancient language turns obscene
Between the goal posts of a circular dream

Nothin' matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor get sorer
This house is haunted and the streets are dead
We're all at the mercy of shrunken heads

Bells are ringing of a cleaner time
There ain't no washing hangin' out on the line anymore
Something died and I don't know when
But it's funkier now that it ever was then

Nothin' matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor get sorer
The heart of the city is dilapidated
Who's gonna save us from these shrunken heads

On a windy day where no one smiles
On a pleasureless beach on a go-go-golden mile
In a sad cafe eating day old bread
And I tip the angry actress
With pockets full of shrunken heads

Windows barred, exhausted dull
The smell of decay is miserable
Dangerous streets where the dealers rule
Lie litter strewn around a frozen school

Nothin' matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor get sorer
You took our loyalty and you tore it to shreds
We're all the mercy of shrunken heads
Nothing matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor stay sorer
And the heart of the city is red-carpeted
Freaks of nature, shrunken heads
Shrunken heads decide my fate
It used to be 10, now it's 10:08
We ain't got the answers, it's complicated
I wouldn't bet any money on shrunken heads

Where you're born is the luck of the draw

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Ian Hunter

Shrunken Heads lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Beg A Little Love, (Hunter/McNasty), Ian Hunter, on YUI Orta, 8th LP

Some thought Beg A Little Love was the strongest track on the effort and is co-written by Hunter and R. McNasty, a pseudonym for guitarist Robbie Alter. This is a dramatic and personal tune with galloping drum patterns and twisting Ronson guitar contributions. The song is a profound statement of growing, coming of age, and learning in life. When the harshest experiences in life come at you so you look for that perfect stranger and you beg a little love; even at the end of the song he inverts age with the closing lines, "I'm still a child And I get down on my knees and I beg Beg a little love," brilliant! Hunter has numerous religious allusions even in the most secular of contexts and this one is no different with a "sacrificial lamb"along with a bit of echoing his Mott The Hoople song When My Mind's Gone reprised with:

"When my mind had gone, when both o' my minds had gone

When my minds had gone."

No matter what our age we seem to always want the same things and Hunter says this is a song to himself. The lyrics are among his favorites as the best on the record and a diary of someone floundering in middle life. 

SIGN UP NOW FOR THE PRE-RELEASE OF IAN HUNTER ON TRACK FOR SONICBOND PUBLISHING AT THEDOCTOROFDIGITAL@PM.ME!

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Who is Robbie McNasty?

Robbie Alter 

So much like Schizophrenic this should have been the great comeback LP by Hunter - Ronson but it was not to be. 

Beg a Little Love

(Hunter/McNasty)

Life takes a little piece of you away
Most everyday of your life
Oh learn to get wise, you learn to compromise-
You learn to criticise yourself
I guess we all grow up 'cos one day everything-
seems so further from the truth
And you try to find yourself- in this endless youth
I said you try to find yourself-and you
Beg a little love

Fate takes another stab at your face
And you can never cease to resist
And you take it on the chin-that old sucker punch again
Reminds you what you've missed
When the colors blazed and your jealousy raged
You were so sensitive to every touch
And it ain't to forget in this endless youth
So you find a perfect stranger- and you
Beg a little love

What do you get in the end
Did you really need that friend
Your emotions dulled to save your heart
From failing at the hardest part
But you still get down on your knees
I said you get down n your knees
And you beg

Now there's nothing left to laugh at
Nothing left to say-nothing left do
There's nothing left-so there's nothing left to ask for
But you still get down on your knees- and you beg

These words are my sacrificial lamb
Burnin' a hole down my heart
Dancin' down that river of no return
You know you missed that boat- but you still get
down on your knees

After all o' those years
After all o' those fears
After all o' those dreams
After all o' those screams
After all o' those nights
After all o' those fights

When my mind had gone, when both o' my minds had gone
When my minds had gone

I'm still a child
And I get down on my knees and I beg
Beg a little love

 

Ian Hunter CD: "YUI Orta"

Sleeve and track listing

Lemon CD LEM 6. 

1. American Music (4:12)
2. The Loner (4:47)
3. Women's Intuition (6:31)
4. Tell It Like It Is (4:23)
5. Livin' In a Heart (4:34)
6. Big Time (4:03)
7. Cool (4:30)
8. Beg a Little Love (6:26)
9. Following In Your Footsteps (5:02)
10. Sons 'n' Lovers (4:55)
11. Pain (4:43)
12. How Much More Can I Take (3:48)
13. Sweet Dreamer (6:28)
14. 4th Hour Of My Sleep (3:08)¹
15. Power Of Darkness (3:32)¹

Running time: 71m 11s

¹Bonus tracks on the 2003 CD reissue

Review

Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this album in the middle of 1989. Ian and Mick had toured the USA and Europe in late 1988/early 1989, before the album was even recorded, and the result is a highly polished album - one of their best.

Highlights include the Stonsey Women's Intuition (if only Mick 'n' Keef were still this good!), the full-tilt rocker How Much More Can I Take, Big Time (Ian borrows his own riff from Once Bitten...), Tell It Like It Is (Mick borrowing the Get It On riff) and Mick's guitar showcase Sweet Dreamer which is breathtaking beautiful.

When the album was released, they toured the USA and Europe again to promote it. Intended in some ways as a comeback album for both men, the record company did little to promote it themselves, and it didn't sell in great numbers. They were dropped by the record company, and all plans for a follow-up were put on hold when Mick Ronson was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Unavailable for many years, this CD has finally been reissued on the Lemon label (a planned reissue on NMC having fallen through when NMC went bust). This reissue includes a couple of Ronno bonus tracks from 1971 - great for the completist but somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. The insert includes the lyrics from the original CD, but the sleeve notes are appallingly inaccurate - a shame really that Campbell Devine's notes for the aborted NMC release weren't used.

In 1995, Windsong issued an official release of their 15-Feb-89 concert, which had been recorded by the BBC for radio broadcast. This live album has since been reissued on Strange Fruit.

As is normal these days, there was material left over in the vaults, some of which is circulating amongst fans. This includes (Give Me Back My) Wings, which was demoed but never recorded, Ill Wind (now available on the Once Bitten Twice Shy compilation), More To Love Than Meets The Eye and Look Before You Leap, which IMO would have been a great single and features some beautiful guitar work from Mick Ronson.

The album title is derived from "Why you... I ought to...", a phrase popularised by The Three Stooges.

Technical

The original CD

The reissued CD

Comments

Analysis of the reissued CD shows some compression being used; this has boosted overall loudness slightly (by some 2.2dB) without any noticeable affect on sound quality.

Beg A Little Love

6:26

Originally issued on YUI Orta.

I Hate Hate, Ian Hunter, Defiance Vol. 1

I Hate Hate is a rocker about "man's inhumanity to man." Hate is out of date. It's a great message for troubled times and Ian's line is "Wouldn't it be great if we ran out of hate." And he adds you can wear the slogan on a T-shirt and wear it at a job or church. The tune is a diatribe against social institutions that encourage, enhance, or allow hate to flourish. There are two versions: the main version is piano-led, while the bonus track is guitar-led. 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

And yes, there is a hidden alternate version of this gem after track ten. Which one is better? You decide, you might hate my choice.

On Defiance Part 1 the song "I Hate Hate" says "it's tearing us apart." Ian continues: "I hate hate from the bottom of my heart." The tune is a diatribe against social institutions that encourage, enhance, or allow hate to flourish. It can be against anyone else but Ian says "wouldn't it be great if we ran out of  hate."

I Hate Hate is a great message in our troubled times (Ian says it's one of the best lyrics he's written) and the message "Wouldn't it be great if we ran out of hate" better than anything our leaders can offer. The main version is piano-led, while the bonus track is guitar-led.

Video release with lyrics:

https://youtu.be/3Ju3LSY_TPo

"I Hate Hate"

https://youtu.be/s2nX-eXX7Kc

Alternate Version

https://youtu.be/vMVJl4DM2Ww

Ian Hunter

@IanHunterdotcom

·

3h

We had to put a piano song on the album! My new song “I Hate Hate” featuring

@dennisdibrizzi

is here. Listen to it now and pre-order Defiance Part 1 here: https://sunrecords.lnk.to/IHateHate

3,000 Miles From Here by Ian Hunter, Ian Hunter LP

3,000 Miles From Here was released as both an album track and was also released as a single. The stark, ominous riff and Hunter's vocal were fantastic but Ronson's inspirational guitar adds a great deal to the track. It almost sounds like an unfinished demo but the simplicity works here to highlight Ronson. 

It appears to be about a groupie as Hunter conveys the sadness, guilt, and emotion of spending the night with a woman: "And the sun will rise tomorrow And wash my sins away For I know that I've abused you But I only had a day." It was a holdover from Mott and Ian has said it was a sad song but realistically about how it was in the early days; the groupies can be both sad and romantic. It was partly written already but finished in the studio at the last minute because they were one song short for the solo LP. 

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me! 

Ian Hunter On Track Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

3,000 Miles From Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dn93cXpfos&themeRefresh=1

Fare thee well, gentle maid
I'll see you on your way;
And the sun will rise tomorrow
And wash my sins away
For I know that I've abused you
But I only had a day
And I know that's why you left me
In your own sad little way -
I am gone - disappeared
But I hear a young dove crying
3000 miles from here

Some would say you were a loser
'Cause you play a loser's game
But then if I am a winner
Why then am I so ashamed?
If you hear a young dove crying
You'll know it's me to blame
For I never got her number;
I never knew her name
Now she's gone - disappeared
But I hear a young dove crying
3000 miles from here

3000 Miles From Here

2:48

Originally issued on Ian Hunter;

Standin' In My Light, Ian Hunter, You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic

This could be about anyone who gets in your way or thwarts your efforts and originally released on You're Never Along With a Schizophrenic and long a staple of live shows. 

Standin' In My Light

4:35

Originally issued on You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic

Guidling Light, Ian Hunter, Shrunken Heads

From Shrunken Heads, this tune is one of Ian's several spiritual explorations; in this song, he speaks of spiritual union with his beloved along with a search for the light which can be interpreted as a spiritual quest "swearing on a King James Bible." 

Ripoff, Ian Hunter, Rant

Ripoff is a punchy rocker with a powerful riff. The song was about frustration as Hunter has the perspective from American after having lived in the US for a long time. Ian takes aim at British politics and although the song may seem critical his lyrics often seem to regret England's failings rather than appearing bitter against his homeland. After living in America for some time he has a detached yet nostalgic attachment to his native land. In Sweepstakes Ian has stated that England is about care, vocation, air play, and tradition. If anything, Ian is angry at the ruling English elite and what they have done especially Tony Blair. Hunter didn't care for Thatcher or Heath and Wilson was socialism through the roof. In many ways he is stating the obvious and what others should recognize as well. 

The target is obvious in Ripoff: "I really don't know why England's such a ripoff" he relates, "Some day you might win the lottery/Some day you might win the pools/But that's all you've got to live for" which for an awful lot of people isn't too far from the truth. 

Hunter contrasts the glory that was England with its declining state of affairs. The song includes the famous phrase, "green and pleasant land," from Jerusalem which is England’s unofficial national anthem, like “God Bless America” is in the United States. The song was first performed in 1916, during World War I, as patriotic fight song by Sir Hubert Parry, a famous composer, lyrically arising from the English poet William Blake in the early 19th Century. Ironically, the Englishman Hunter now describes himself an "alien" in contradiction from his stance in All American Alien Boy. Ian is explaining how he would love to live in England though he had not for many years since he embraced America years earlier. He asks rhetorically where are you going to go if the green and pleasant land has degenerated. America is built on making money and opportunity: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Ripoff

(Ian Hunter)

I don't wanna be no traitor to the cause
But England is a luxury - not many can afford
There's people going under - it's getting out of hand
Whatever happened to our - our green and pleasant land?
It turned into a wilderness; it turned into a third world country
Most people ain't getting what they pay for
Some people gettin' more than they should be
I know, I know - I'm an alien - but what are you gonna do
I wanna live in England - but it gets to you
It gets to you, it gets to you, it gets to you
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
It's crazy, but it's true
I really don't know why - England wants to rip off you
England wants to rip off you, England wants to rip off you
What do you do when you find out?
Where do you go if you leave?
There's no place like home - that's what they say
And that's what you always believed
Someday you might win the Lottery
Someday you might win the Pools
But that's all you've got - that's all you've got - to live for, to live for
That's all you've got - that's all you've got - to live for, to live for (yeah)
To be or not to be - that's the question
Oh what's it gonna be?
I'd love to live in England - but it gets to me
it gets to me, it gets to me, yeah it gets to me
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
It's crazy, but it's true
I really don't know why - England wants to rip off you
England wants to rip off you, England wants to rip off you
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
It's crazy, but it's true
Oh I really don't know why - England wants to rip off England wants to rip off , England wants to rip off 

Ian Hunter CD: "Rant"

Sleeve and track listing

Fuel2000/True North TND 235. 

1. Still Love Rock 'n' Roll (4:34)
2. Wash Us Away (3:57)
3. Death of a Nation (5:35)
4. Morons (5:32)
5. Purgatory (4:46)
6. American Spy (4:30)
7. Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) (6:20)
8. Good Samaritan (4:07)
9. Soap & Water (5:18)
10. Ripoff (4:50)
11. Knees Of My Heart (3:35)
12. No One (3:37)

Running time: 56m 47s

Sleeve variations

UK sleeve

Review

Ian's first studio album since The Artful Dodger finds him in a determined mood with a lot to say. Always at his best when he feels he has something to say, Ian is on the warpath with this one, his most politically charged in over 25 years. And boy has he delivered, an album that will stand the test of time mixing belting rockers with poingant ballads.

Opening track Still Love Rock 'n' Roll is a nod to the music that inspired Ian in the first place, a great mid-tempo rocker, Chuck Berry meets Little Richard covering all points in between but with a fresh perspective. I can see this being in the live set for years to come. Wash Us Away is a great slower number that grows on you, you'll soon find yourself humming the tune when you're busy doing something else.

Death Of A Nation is next, some of you may remember it from last year's tour. Almost folkish in places with acoustic guitar, Ian laments the decline of the England that (WW2 leader) Churchill would have known, and has a message for the politicians responsible for it all: "But you've been getting away with it for far too long/Your promises ain't worth the paper they're written on". In terms of pace and delivery it is reminiscent of God (Take 1), I can see it becoming another live favourite.

Morons is an up-tempo rocker, with plenty of piano, reminiscent musically of Marionette and lyrically Crash Street Kidds where Ian positively spits venom at the politicians and media for treating people like... well, morons: "Read moron newspapers, watch moron television... Etonians, Harovians think they're the chosen ones", and later "Look at those morons! They do nothing but whine and they're slow all the time... We can leave 'em behind, while we're dumbing them down we'll be robbing them blind!"

The subject of the high cost of living in England crops up again later, like in American Spy where Ian notes "Always in the red, never in the black/You make a bit of money and they take it all back/This ain't no way to spend the rest of my life" and in the more obvious Ripoff: "I really don't know why England's such a ripoff" and, he notes, "Some day you might win the lottery/Some day you might win the pools/But that's all you've got to live for" which for an awful lot of people isn't to far from the truth.

But it isn't all political, as Ian shows time and again he can write beautiful ballads that hit the emotional nail right on the head, such as Knees Of My Heart ("Slipped the ring on your finger/It's still there to this day" and "Honest and faithful, loyal and true/Where would I be if it were not for you".

Soap 'n' Water is direct and to the point, being directed at someone else entirely: "I can't believe what you did, you know how to hurt/All you do is drag old memories through the dirt".

This is a CD that takes a couple of plays to hit you (Ian never makes it easy for his fans!). But believe me, there is quality and depth here that will reward repeated playing. The (US) CD comes with an insert that folds out to reveal full lyrics and musician credits - I can only assume the UK CD will do likewise. All in all, highly recommended.

Who Do You Love, Ian Hunter, 1st LP

This was recorded on his first LP referencing Detroit and later covered by The Pointer Sisters, Def Leppard, and Down 'n' Outz. There was some speculation that it was about a disc jockey but Ian does not recall what it is about specifically; in any case, it is funky little number featuring harmonica and boogie piano. There is no question mark in Ian's title and bears no resemblance to the well-known Bo Diddley song. British audiences seemed to favor the second single release from Hunter's first LP and it is a road song wondering about his lover back home and who do they love. 

Who Do You Love

(Ian Hunter)

Driving off in the rain and snow
Oh the jets ain't jumping cause the clouds too low
I wanna know
I wanna know
I wanna know
The ice on the window the highway the sea
Who do you love is it him or is it me
Hey hey I wanna know

I called Detroit city on the telephone
The man on the line tell me you ain't home
I wanna know
Who's that voice
What's [...?]
There's a deep red glow in the early morning sky
Who do you love better make up your mind

Don't wanna buy love
Don't wanna try love
I just want your love babe

Hey alright!

Well its five in the morning and the place is dead
I'm gonna rest my body on a empty bed
Who do you love
I gotta know
What's his name baby
What's your game
Make up your mind are you his are you mine
When you get back I ask you one more time
Hey hey!
Hey hey!

Ian Hunter LP/CD: "Ian Hunter"

Sleeve and track listing

Sony/Columbia 519817 2. 

1. Once Bitten Twice Shy
2. Who Do You Love
3. Lounge Lizard
4. Boy
5. 3,000 Miles From Here
6. The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin' But The Truth
7. It Ain't Easy When You Fall/Shades Off
8. I Get So Excited
9. Colwater High¹
10. One Fine Day¹
11. Once Bitten Twice Shy (single edit)¹
12. Who Do You Love (single edit)¹
13. Shades Off (poem)¹
14. Boy (edit)¹

¹Bonus track on 30th Anniversary edition

Sleeve variations

Regular CD/LP

Review

After leaving Mott the Hoople, Ian teamed up with guitarist Mick Ronson to record his first solo album. Mott had booked Air studios in London, but Ian and Mick went in instead. The result is an album that is totally stunning - one of Ian's best.

From the opening "'Ullo!" of Once Bitten Twice Shy to the savage cut-off of original album closer I Get So Excited this is an album packed full of good tracks. I can't pick out highlights because they're all good.

The 30th Anniversary issue now includes two session outtakes (unreleased at the time), together with two single edits. All of the bonus material was previously released on the Once Bitten Twice Shy compilation.

Sound quality is excellent, as are the sleeve notes.

This album has been issued several times on CD. The original Columbia (USA) CD had good (but not exceptional) sound quality, while the UK Sony/Rewind CD had very good sound quality. Neither had bonus tracks.

23A Swan Hill, Ian Hunter, The Artful Dodger, Strings Attached

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.

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

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.