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.
People
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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You know what it means to be left alone
Peoples, peoples, people
You know what it means to be left alone
Yeah
Lord it happened to day
Lord not even a call on my telephone
Understandin'
A little love and understanding baby
It's all in the world I need
Lose of love
A misunderstanding of a no good woman
Lord they've both caused my heart to bleed
All right
Every mornin'
Every mornin' the willows weep among for me
Every mornin' yes the willows weep among for me
The birds sang the love song
My baby's caused my heart to bleed
In Jimi Hendrix's song Bleeding Heart, the lyrics are a reflection on the feelings of loneliness and heartbreak brought on by the loss of love and the absence of understanding from others. The opening lines show that the singer is addressing a group of people, and suggests that they too know what it means to be left alone. The repetition of 'peoples' is a call to attention, highlighting the universality of these emotions. The singer then acknowledges that a lack of love and understanding is what he needs in order to heal, and that the loss of love and a misunderstanding with a woman both caused his heart to bleed. This powerful imagery of the bleeding heart is carried throughout the song, with even the willows weeping for the singer's pain.
It is interesting to note that Bleeding Heart was written by Elmore James, a renowned blues musician, and was covered by many artists before Hendrix recorded it. Hendrix's interpretation stands out for his distinctive guitar riffs and solos, as well as the way he infuses the song with his own unique style. The lyrics of Bleeding Heart have been interpreted in many ways, with some arguing that they reflect the wider social and political issues of the time. However, at the core of the song is a simple and universal message - the need for love and understanding in order to overcome heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Peoples, peoples, peoples
Addressing the public, the singer calls to the masses to listen closely to his message
You know what it means to be left alone
The singer empathizes with those who have felt isolated or abandoned
Peoples, peoples, people
The repetition of the previous line reinforces the singer's emotional appeal to his audience
Yeah
An affirmative interjection to indicate the singer's agreement with his previous statements
Lord it happened to day
The singer laments a recent event that left him feeling neglected or ignored, addressing a higher power for emphasis
Lord not even a call on my telephone
A specific reference to an absence of communication, highlighting the singer's desire for connection
Understandin'
The singer emphasizes the importance of empathy and mutual comprehension in any relationship
Lord a little love in the world is all I need
The singer expresses a simple yet powerful need for affection and human connection
A little love and understanding baby
Repeating the previous line in a more casual tone, the singer appeals to the listener's empathy
It's all in the world I need
Emphasizing the importance of his previous statement, the singer asserts that love and understanding are essential and sufficient for him
Lose of love
The singer acknowledges the negative effects of a lack of love in his life
A misunderstanding of a no good woman
The singer identifies a specific cause of his heartache, referencing a woman who has caused him harm through a miscommunication or disagreement
Lord they've both caused my heart to bleed
The singer repeats his lamentation, pointing out that both a lack of love and a misunderstanding have contributed to his emotional pain
All right
An affirmative interjection, perhaps indicating the singer's hope for a resolution or a brighter future
Every mornin'
The singer describes a recurring experience of sadness or grief, highlighting the ongoing nature of his pain
Every mornin' yes the willows weep among for me
The singer uses vivid imagery to describe the natural world echoing his emotional state, indicating a sense of solitude and melancholy
The birds sang the love song
The singer reflects on happier times, recalling a time when he felt loved and appreciated
My baby's caused my heart to bleed
Returning to the theme of heartbreak caused by a lover, the singer attributes his pain to a personal relationship that has gone awry
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELMORE JAMES, MARSHALL E SEHORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take