Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar at the age of 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division; he was granted an honorable discharge the following year. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, and began playing gigs on the Chitlin' Circuit, earning a place in the Isley Brothers' backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965. He then played with Curtis Knight and the Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after being discovered by Linda Keith, who in turn interested bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals in becoming his first manager. Within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and "The Wind Cries Mary". He achieved fame in the U.S. after his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and in 1968 his third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, reached number one in the U.S.; it was Hendrix's most commercially successful release and his first and only number one album. The world's highest-paid performer, he headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, before his accidental death from barbiturate-related asphyxia on September 18, 1970, at the age of 27.
Hendrix was inspired musically by American rock and roll and electric blues. He favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and was instrumental in utilizing the previously undesirable sounds caused by guitar amplifier feedback. He helped to popularize the use of a wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, and was the first artist to use stereophonic phasing effects in music recordings. Holly George-Warren of Rolling Stone commented: "Hendrix pioneered the use of the instrument as an electronic sound source. Players before him had experimented with feedback and distortion, but Hendrix turned those effects and others into a controlled, fluid vocabulary every bit as personal as the blues with which he began."
Hendrix was the recipient of several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1967, readers of Melody Maker voted him the Pop Musician of the Year, and in 1968, Rolling Stone declared him the Performer of the Year. Disc and Music Echo honored him with the World Top Musician of 1969 and in 1970, Guitar Player named him the Rock Guitarist of the Year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked the band's three studio albums, Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, among the 100 greatest albums of all time, and they ranked Hendrix as the greatest guitarist and the sixth greatest artist of all time.
8 Lover Man
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here he comes, here comes your lover man
I see him out your window, baby
Leap out as fast as I can
Reach up, baby those are my runnin' shoes
Reach up, baby, and let me get my runnin' shoes
See your man coming, I've got no time to lose
I wanna love you stronger, stronger but
I wanna love you all night long but
If that's your man, baby, over yonder
The lyrics to Jimi Hendrix's song "Lover Man" speak of a man who is not afraid to fight for love. The singer sees the woman's lover coming and rushes to leave before he gets caught. He asks the woman to hand him his running shoes so he can take off quickly. He wants to love her longer and stronger but acknowledges the limitations of the situation. He cannot stay all night if her man is nearby.
The song is open to interpretation, but one can read it as the singer being in love with a woman who is already committed. He is aware of the risks but still tries to pursue her. The lyrics are suggestive of danger, passion, and moments of intensity.
Overall, "Lover Man" is a classic rock song that captures the essence of Jimi Hendrix's style. The guitar solos, the electrifying sound, and the bluesy undertones make the song an instant classic. It tells a story that is relatable and filled with raw emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Here he comes, baby, here comes your lover man
Your lover is approaching.
Here he comes, here comes your lover man
He is coming towards you.
I see him out your window, baby
I can see him from your window.
Leap out as fast as I can
I need to leave as quickly as possible.
Reach up, baby those are my runnin' shoes
Please hand me my running shoes.
Reach up, baby, and let me get my runnin' shoes
I need to get my running shoes.
See your man coming, I've got no time to lose
I need to leave immediately because your lover is arriving.
I wanna love you longer than even
I want to love you for a very long time.
I wanna love you stronger, stronger but
I want to love you even more intensely.
I wanna love you all night long but
I want to make love to you throughout the night.
If that's your man, baby, over yonder
If that man approaching is your lover.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take