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.
Are You Experianced
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then come on across to me
We'll hold hands an' then we'll watch the sun rise from the bottom of the sea
But first
Are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have
I know, I know
You'll probably scream n' cry
That your little world won't let you go
But who in your measly little world are trying to prove that
You're made out of gold and -a can't be sold
So-er, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have
Ah, let me prove it to you
Trumpets and violins, I can hear in the distance
I think they're calling our names
Maybe now you can't hear them, but you will
If you just take hold of my hand
Ah! But are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Not necessarily stoned, but beautiful...
The lyrics to Jimi Hendrix Experience's song "Are You Experienced?" suggest that the singer is trying to share an experience with someone who has not yet had it. He is asking the listener to "get your mind together," and join him in an adventure in which they will "watch the sun rise from the bottom of the sea." To do this, the singer is trying to convince the listener that they need to be open-minded and willing to experience new things. He asks the listener if they have ever been experienced, suggesting that he has had experiences that have opened his mind and that he can show the listener the same.
The singer seems to be aware that this message will not sit well with everyone. He predicts that the listener will "scream n' cry" and that their "little world won't let them go." He acknowledges that the listener might feel obligated to prove their worth, but suggests that this is a fruitless pursuit. In the conclusion, the singer insists again that the listener needs to be experienced and should take his hand to hear the trumpets and violins he hears in the distance.
Line by Line Meaning
If you can just get your mind together
If you can focus and be present
Then come on across to me
Then connect with me
We'll hold hands an' then we'll watch the sun rise from the bottom of the sea
We'll be together, witness the beauty of nature and feel its magic
But first
Are you experienced?
But first, do you have life experience?
Have you ever been experienced?
Have you ever felt truly alive?
Well, I have
Well, I have and I want to share it with you
I know, I know
You'll probably scream n' cry
I know it might be scary and overwhelming for you
That your little world won't let you go
That your everyday life and routine are holding you back
But who in your measly little world are trying to prove that
You're made out of gold and -a can't be sold
But who are you trying to impress and why? You are unique and valuable.
So-er, are you experienced?
So, do you feel truly alive?
Ah, let me prove it to you
Let me share my experiences with you
Trumpets and violins, I can hear in the distance
I perceive and feel the beauty and depth of life
I think they're calling our names
I think we are meant to embrace life together
Maybe now you can't hear them, but you will
If you just take hold of my hand
Maybe you don't understand it now, but you will if you let me guide you
Ah! But are you experienced?
Ah! But do you truly embrace and celebrate life?
Have you ever been experienced?
Have you ever felt the depth and beauty of life?
Not necessarily stoned, but beautiful...
Not necessarily under the influence of drugs, but aware of the beauty of life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMI HENDRIX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronnie Jones
"You got to tell the children the truth they don't
need a whole lot of lies. Because one of these
days, baby, they'll be running things. So when
you give them love you better give it right" Jimi Hendrix
In a world swimming in a sea of lies they murdered
the body but the spirit and message lives on within
many forever. The most truthful and forbidden
documentary ever published has been taken down
from theirtube countless times since its 2017 release:
"Europa The Last Battle". Watch and share the full
10-part series at archive-dot-org while you still can!
KH Rhivu
If you can just get your mind together
Then come on across to me
We'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sunrise
From the bottom of the sea
But first, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have
I know, I know you probably scream and cry
That your little world won't let you go
But who in your measly little world
Are you trying to prove that
You're made out of gold and, eh, can't be sold
So, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have
Let me prove you...
Trumpets and violins I can hear in distance
I think they're calling our names
Maybe now you can't hear them, but you will
If you just take hold of my hand
Oh, but are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Not necessarily stoned, but beautiful...
katsujinkin60
1968, what a year! I saw Jimi play live 3 times that year. I also met him at The Village Gate nightclub that same year. I will be 70 years old next week, but Jimi will be young forever!
Cosmic Man
...wonderful...what did you talk about ?
katsujinkin60
@Cosmic Man He was sitting across the room with Buddy Miles and The Express. I had just seen them that morning on American Bandstand. They told me that they had been traveling, and had missed it.(This was back before recording TV shows was possible. If you missed a show you just had to wait 40 years to see it on YouTube!). I turned to Jimi and told him how much I loved his music, and that he was teaching me a whole new way to play the guitar. He was very quiet and laid back, but friendly. I shook his hand, and to my 16 year old mind, I had come in contact with divinity! By the way, the show we were all there to see was a sizzling Blues Masterclass with King Curtis, Buddy Guy, and Albert King!!! A good time was had by all!
Johnny Nation
Unfortunately for him (and us) / passing at 27 makes you seem young forever / it's almost as if this World couldn't contain him !!!###
katsujinkin60
@Johnny Nation I often wish I had followed that advice: "Live fast, Die young, Make a pretty corpse"! I certainly tried, but unfortunately I seem to be indestructible. OLD AGE SUCKS!!!
Johnny Nation
@katsujinkin60 Clint Eastwood's advice on aging is "Don't let the Old Man in"
Eric Gold
Jimi is the Greatest but he got a lot of inspiration from Mitch Mitchell, this guy was also one of the best drummers ever.
Moncada N.H. Beltran
Very jazzy player
Merlin
He made Ginger Baker take notice
gary quarty
No he didn't. He didn't even like Mitch. What song did the drummer inspire?