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.
Come On Part 1
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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What's in my heart, and why I love you so
I love you baby like a miner loves gold
Come on sugar, let the good times roll, hey!
So many people live in make believe
They keep a lot a going up their sleeves
But my love baby is no kind that folds
(Let the good times roll)
Ah baby, come on and let daddy fill your soul
Baby, let the good times roll
Hey!
A love is nice if it's understood
It's even nicer when you're feelin' good
You got me flippin' like flag on a pole
Come on sugar, let the good times roll
Hey! Yeah! Let the good times roll!
Feel me baby! Come on, good times roll!
Come on and let me fill your soul
Hey, let the good times roll
In Jimi Hendrix's song Come On Part 1, the singer expresses his deep love for his partner while commenting on the lack of comprehension from the people around him. He notes that people talk and speculate about his relationship but they do not know what's in his heart or why he loves his partner so much. The love he feels is genuine and true, just like how a miner loves gold. It is a rare and precious thing that he values above all else. He implores his partner to join him in enjoying life, to let go of any inhibitions or reservations and "let the good times roll."
The singer acknowledges that many people live in make-believe worlds where they pretend to be something they are not. They put on a façade, concealing their true selves from the world around them. But his love for his partner is of a different kind; it is genuine and unwavering. It does not fold or falter. He encourages his partner to join him, to let go of any reservations or inhibitions and enjoy life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
People talkin' but they just don't know
People speculate about my feelings, but they have no idea
What's in my heart, and why I love you so
No one understands the depth of my love for you
I love you baby like a miner loves gold
My love for you is precious and valuable like gold to a miner
Come on sugar, let the good times roll, hey!
Let's enjoy life together, my sweet, and have a good time
So many people live in make believe
People often live in a fantasy world, not facing reality
They keep a lot a going up their sleeves
They hide secrets and tricks up their sleeves
But my love baby is no kind that folds
My love is strong and unwavering, not easily discouraged
Come On Baby, let the good times roll
Let's have fun and enjoy ourselves, darling
Ah baby, come on and let daddy fill your soul
Let me love you completely and enrich your life
Baby, let the good times roll
Let's have a good time together, my love
A love is nice if it's understood
Love is great when both parties truly understand each other
It's even nicer when you're feelin' good
Love is even better when both parties are happy and fulfilled
You got me flippin' like flag on a pole
You make me so excited and happy that I feel like a flag waving in the wind
Come on sugar, let the good times roll
Let's have fun and enjoy ourselves, my sweet
Hey! Yeah! Let the good times roll!
Excitement and joy are in order; let's have a good time!
Feel me baby! Come on, good times roll!
Come feel my passion and energy, and let's have a good time together
Come on and let me fill your soul
Allow me to give you all of myself and enrich your life
Hey, let the good times roll
Let's have a great time together, my love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EARL KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take