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.
You Got Me Floatin'
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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Always up, you never let me down
The amazing thing, you turn me on naturally
And I kiss you when I please
You got me floatin' round and round
You got me floatin' never down
You got me floatin' naturally
You got me floatin' across and through
You make me float right on up to you
There's only one thing I need to really get me there
Is to hear you laugh without a care
You got me floatin' round and round
You got me floatin' never down
You got me floatin' naturally
You got me floatin' float to please
You got me floatin' round and round
You got me floatin' never down
You got me floatin' naturally
You got me floatin' float to please
Now your Daddy's cool, and your Mamma's no fool
They both know I'm heads over heels for you
And when the day melts down into a sleepy red glow
That's when my desires start to show
You got me floatin'
in a dream-like state, always feeling elevated and happy. The lyrics convey the idea of being constantly lifted by the person the singer is addressing, who never brings them down. The person in question is able to turn on the singer naturally and with ease, making them feel good without any unnecessary effort.
The line "You make me float right on up to you" suggests that the person is almost irresistible to the singer, as they are able to bring them close without much effort. The only thing the singer really needs to be happy is to hear the person laugh without a care, which seems to have a profound effect on them. The repetition of the line "You got me floatin'" emphasizes the feeling of being lifted and happy, and also the power that the other person has over the singer.
The final verse brings in the idea of the singer's relationship with the other person's family, suggesting that they are all aware of the strong connection between the two. The way the day transitions into a "sleepy red glow" could be interpreted as the end of the day, and the singer's desires becoming more powerful as a result. It seems that the person's laughter and presence have a compelling effect on the singer, leaving them in a dreamy, floaty state.
Line by Line Meaning
You got me floatin' round and round
I feel like I'm floating aimlessly with you, lost and spinning around in circles.
Always up, you never let me down
You always lift me up and never bring me down, making me feel positive and happy.
The amazing thing, you turn me on naturally
It's incredible how easily you ignite my passion and desire for you without any effort on your part.
And I kiss you when I please
I am drawn to kiss you whenever the mood strikes me, as your presence makes me feel adventurous and spontaneous.
You got me floatin' across and through
You make me feel like I am floating effortlessly wherever you want to take me, no matter what the obstacles may be.
You make me float right on up to you
You have the power to lift me up and bring me closer to you, as I am enchanted by your magnetic presence.
There's only one thing I need to really get me there
All I need is to hear your joyous laughter to transport me into a state of pure happiness and contentment.
Is to hear you laugh without a care
Your carefree laughter is like music to my ears, and I eagerly await the chance to hear it and be swept away by it.
Now your Daddy's cool, and your Mamma's no fool
Even your parents recognize how much I am in love with you, as I am head over heels for you and can't hide it.
They both know I'm heads over heels for you
Your parents are aware of the depth of my affection for you, as I am so deeply in love with you that I can't think of anything else.
And when the day melts down into a sleepy red glow
As the day comes to a close and the sun sets, I become more aware of my feelings for you and my desire to be with you.
That's when my desires start to show
At that moment, my passion for you becomes more intense and visible, as I can't suppress my desire any longer.
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