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.
Midnight Lightnin'
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't go home
I'm calling long distance on a public saxophone
My head is achin'
Lord my mind is breakin'
Feel I got run over by Captain Coconut and his dog named Rover
Gotta keep on movin'
Gotta keep on movin'
you gotta keep on groovin' yeah,
Good groovin'
'Cause you got your God and so do I
We gotta keep on lovin'
Good, good, good, lovin'
Make love on my dyin' bed
We gotta stop smokin', stop, stop,
I mean cigarette smokin'
Or else I cough myself to death
And to make love to you baby,
I wouldn't even have the breath
we gotta keep movin'
keep on groovin'
Understand both sides of the sky
Keep on movin'
Keep on movin'
You got your God and so do I.
The song "Midnight Lightnin'" by Jimi Hendrix is an introspective and existential song about the search for a deeper understanding of oneself and the universe. The lyrics depict the singer as being lost and disoriented, unable to return home because of an overwhelming sense of intoxication. He finds himself alone and reaching out for connection, using a public saxophone to make a long-distance call. His head and mind hurt, and he compares the pain to being run over by Captain Coconut and his dog named Rover.
Despite his sense of disorientation, the singer tries to keep moving forward and grooving, seeking to understand both sides of the sky and find meaning in his experiences. He acknowledges that everyone has their own conception of God, and that love is the key to finding purpose and connection.
Throughout the song, Hendrix uses vivid imagery to convey a sense of dislocation and confusion, contrasting it with the possibility of love and connection. The song can be interpreted as a meditation on the human condition, grappling with issues of identity, meaning, and mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
I get stoned
I become intoxicated
I can't go home
I am unable to return to my residence
I'm calling long distance on a public saxophone
I am making a long-distance phone call on a public payphone
My head is achin'
I am experiencing a headache
Lord my mind is breakin'
My mental state is deteriorating
Feel I got run over by Captain Coconut and his dog named Rover
I feel as if I have been hit by Captain Coconut and his canine companion, Rover
Gotta keep on movin'
I must continue moving forward
To understand both sides of the sky you gotta keep on groovin' yeah, Good groovin'
In order to comprehend all aspects of existence, one must continue to live in a positive and harmonious manner
'Cause you got your God and so do I
Everyone has their own beliefs and spirituality
We gotta keep on lovin'
We must continue to love
Good, good, good, lovin'
Positive and altruistic love is necessary
Make love on my dyin' bed
I want to have intimate relations before I die
We gotta stop smokin', stop, stop, I mean cigarette smokin'
We should abstain from smoking tobacco
Or else I cough myself to death
Smoking may lead to respiratory health issues and even death
And to make love to you baby, I wouldn't even have the breath
I value intimate connection so much that I am willing to give up smoking for it
we gotta keep movin' keep on groovin' Understand both sides of the sky
Continue living positively and learning about all aspects of existence
Keep on movin' Keep on movin' You got your God and so do I.
Keep moving forward and respecting everyone's individual beliefs
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take