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.
Red House
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a red house over yonder,
That's where my baby stays
Lord, there's a red house over yonder
Lord, that's where my baby stays
I ain't been home to see my baby
In ninety nine and one half days
The key won't unlock this door
Wait a minute, something's wrong, lord, have mercy
This key won't unlock this door,
Something's goin' on here
I have a bad bad feeling
That my baby don't live her no more
Well, I might as well go back over yonder,
Way back up on the hill
That's something to do
Lord, I might as well go back over yonder,
Way back yonder cross the hill
'Cause if my baby don't love me no more
I know her sister will
Yeah
The song Red House by Jimi Hendrix is a melancholic blues tune that communicates the pain and heartache of a man who is searching for his lost love. The lyrics begin by introducing the titular red house where the singer's beloved resides but he hasn't been able to see her for over 99 days. The lyrics are filled with a sense of longing and emotional distress as the singer feels a deep attachment to his missing love. The lyrics express his desperation as he tries to find a way back to his red house, which is quickly becoming a distant memory.
The second verse of the song is where the listener realizes that there is something off. The key won't unlock the door, and the singer feels that his love has left him. He feels helpless and lost, and his world crumbles around him. It's a common theme in blues songs, where love fades away, and people are left to deal with the consequences. The song's final verse switches to a more optimistic tone, as the singer decides to move on and search for love elsewhere. He's still brokenhearted at the loss of his love, but he's willing to try again. The song leaves the listener with a sense of hope, even though the story's theme is one of heartbreak and abandonment.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah yeah!
Expression of joy and excitement.
There's a red house over yonder,
Referring to a particular place where his lover lives.
That's where my baby stays
His lover resides in that red house.
Lord, there's a red house over yonder
Emphasizing the presence of the red house.
Lord, that's where my baby stays
Reiterating that his lover lives in the red house.
I ain't been home to see my baby
It's been a long time since he's visited his lover.
In ninety nine and one half days
Providing a specific time frame that he hasn't seen his lover.
Wait a minute, something's wrong here
Realizing that something is strange.
The key won't unlock this door
Cannot gain entry to the red house even though he has a key.
Wait a minute, something's wrong, lord, have mercy
Expressing concern and asking for divine intervention.
Something's goin' on here
There is a suspicious activity happening.
I have a bad bad feeling
Indicating a sense of unease or intuition about the situation.
That my baby don't live her no more
Suggesting that his lover may have left or passed away.
Well, I might as well go back over yonder,
Acknowledging that he has to leave the red house now.
Way back up on the hill
Referring to his previous location.
That's something to do
Stating that he has nowhere else to go.
Lord, I might as well go back over yonder,
Restating his decision to leave the red house.
Way back yonder cross the hill
Referring to a specific location he has in mind.
'Cause if my baby don't love me no more
Implying that he has lost his lover's affection.
I know her sister will
Suggesting that he can seek comfort from her sister if his lover doesn't want him around.
Yeah
Expression of affirmation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take