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.
she's so fine
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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So the hippies think she's in with time
Time
Her hair glistens like robins on a deck
Branches attack me from her neck
She's so fine
She's so very very fine
The sun from a cloud sinks into her eyes
The rain from a tree soaks into her mind
Mind
Morning sign sounds just like a lock
All these signs are always a stock
She's so fine
She's so very very fine
When I veer I get so near
But so far far far away
Listen to me, today
We united just beside a leaf
The ground was hard underneath her
Ahhhahhh
She's so fine
Ahhhahhh
The lyrics of Jimi Hendrix's song She's So Fine are metaphorical and poetic in nature, with each line describing how hypnotic and alluring the woman in question is. The line "She walks with a bell-clock round her neck, so the hippies think she's in with time" refers to how the woman wears a necklace that is reminiscent of a clock, which symbolizes how she is in tune with the times and is very much part of the current counterculture. Her hair shining like robins on a deck while branches attack the singer from her neck represents how the woman's beauty stands out in the midst of everyday life, but at the same time, there is a hint of danger or discomfort that he still feels from being close to her.
The following lines "The sun from a cloud sinks into her eyes, the rain from a tree soaks into her mind" describe how the woman embodies both light and dark elements, with the sun and rain representing the good and the bad. The morning sign that sounds like a lock and the various signs that are always a stock demonstrate how the singer is constantly surrounded by visual and auditory cues that remind him of the woman. The repetition of how fine she is reinforces how incredibly attractive and irresistible she is in her eyes.
Line by Line Meaning
She walks with a bell-clock round her neck
She wears a necklace that sounds like a clock, making people think she is punctual and always in time.
So the hippies think she's in with time
The hippies believe that she is in tune with the latest trends.
Time
Time is an important factor in her life, and she values punctuality.
Her hair glistens like robins on a deck
The sunlight reflects off her hair, making it shiny like a robin's feathers.
Branches attack me from her neck
The branches of her necklace seem to reach out and grab the attention of the singer.
She's so fine
She is incredibly beautiful and attractive.
She's so very very fine
Reinforcing the previous line, she is extremely fine.
The sun from a cloud sinks into her eyes
The rays of the sun appear to sink into her eyes, making them glow.
The rain from a tree soaks into her mind
The rain has a calming effect on her, and she is at peace.
Mind
Her mind is open to the beauty around her.
Morning sign sounds just like a lock
The sound of the morning, such as birds singing, is a reminder of the lock on her necklace.
All these signs are always a stock
These signs and sounds are always present, making her feel connected to the world around her.
When I veer I get so near
When he tries to get closer to her, he feels like he is getting nearer.
But so far far far away
Despite feeling closer, he is still far away from her emotionally.
Listen to me, today
The singer is pleading with the audience to pay attention to him and his feelings for the woman.
We united just beside a leaf
They came together near a leaf, perhaps symbolizing the beginning of a romantic relationship.
The ground was hard underneath her
The ground was firm beneath her feet, showing that she is a solid and dependable person.
Ahhhahhh
A wordless expression of the singer's admiration for the woman.
She's so fine
Repeating that she is extremely beautiful and attractive.
Ahhhahhh
Again, an expression of admiration for the woman.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NOEL DAVID REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take