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.
May This Be Love
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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Nothing can harm me at all
My worries seem so very small
With my waterfall
I can see my rainbow calling me
Through the misty breeze of my waterfall
For the all the lazy minded fools with nothing else to do
So let them laugh laugh at me
So just as long as I have you to see me through
I have nothing to lose long as I have you
Waterfall
Don't ever change your ways
Fall with we for a million days
Oh my waterfall
The lyrics to Jimi Hendrix Experience's song "May This Be Love" speaks to the beauty and comfort found in nature, specifically through the metaphor of a waterfall. The singer finds solace in the waterfall - a place where nothing can harm him and where his worries seem small. He feels that the waterfall is calling him and promising him a rainbow.
The singer then addresses those who believe day-dreaming is foolish, but he chooses to laugh that off because he has someone who sees him through difficult times. He believes as long as he has this person, he has nothing to lose. The song ends with the singer imploring the waterfall to never change because he wants to fall with it for a million days.
Overall, the song is a sweet tribute to the power of nature and love. It speaks to the human need for solace during difficult times and the importance of having someone by your side. It is a reminder to embrace the beauty of the world around us and to find joy in small things.
Line by Line Meaning
Waterfall
Introducing the subject matter, a waterfall, which is a symbol of tranquility and peace.
Nothing can harm me at all
Being near the waterfall makes the singer feel safe and protected from all harm.
My worries seem so very small
The singer's problems and worries seem insignificant compared to the natural beauty of the waterfall.
With my waterfall
Repeating the central theme of the song, that the waterfall is a source of comfort and peace.
I can see my rainbow calling me
The singer sees a rainbow in the mist of the waterfall and feels a sense of hope and joy.
Through the misty breeze of my waterfall
The singer is describing the sensory experience of standing near a waterfall and feeling the cool mist on their skin.
Some people say day-dreaming is
The singer acknowledges that some people may view their enjoyment of nature as a form of daydreaming or laziness.
For the all the lazy minded fools with nothing else to do
Offering a sarcastic rebuttal to those who dismiss the power of nature as a waste of time.
So let them laugh laugh at me
The singer is comfortable with being laughed at by those who don't understand the beauty of the world around them.
So just as long as I have you to see me through
The singer values having someone in their life who understands and appreciates their love of nature.
I have nothing to lose long as I have you
Reaffirming the importance of having someone by their side who shares their values and beliefs.
Waterfall
Closing the song with a final image of the peaceful, enduring waterfall.
Don't ever change your ways
An appeal to the waterfall to remain unchanged, a symbol of eternal beauty and peace.
Fall with we for a million days
The singer wishes to spend an infinite amount of time near the waterfall, experiencing its beauty and peace.
Oh my waterfall
A final expression of love and gratitude to the waterfall, which has provided the singer with a sense of peace and serenity.
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