The finished version was released on the album Electric Ladyland in September 1968. Hendrix’s obsessive re-working of the song transformed it from a quiet acoustic ballad to a pyrotechnic display of Hendrix’s guitar virtuosity. The single reached number five in the British charts, and number 20 on the Billboard chart.
Dylan has described his reaction to hearing Hendrix's version: "It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day."
In the booklet accompanying his Biograph album, Dylan said: "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way." Hendrix's version was featured in the movies Withnail and I, Rush, Private Parts, Forrest Gump, A Bronx Tale, Vegas Vacation, Tupac: Resurrection and the 2001 remake of Brian's Song and also in television shows such as The Simpsons, in episodes "Mother Simpson" and "My Mother the Carjacker". The History Channel series Ax Men uses a portion of the song in its opening credits. The song was also mentioned by Fox Mulder in The X-Files season one episode 'Beyond the Sea.' More recently, All Along The Watchtower received an infusion, when composer Bear McCreary adapted the song, for the Sci-Fi Phenom: "Battlestar Galactica" (Hendrix's version also appears, in the series finale!)
This version of the song appears at number 48 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs ever, and in 2000, British magazine Total Guitar named it top of the list of the greatest cover versions ever.
All along The Watchtower
Jimi Hendrix Experience Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Business men, they drink my wine
Plowman dig my earth
None were level on the mind
Hey, hey
No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But, uh, but you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us stop talkin' falsely now
The hour's getting late, hey
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
The lyrics to Jimi Hendrix Experience's song, "All Along The Watchtower," are full of layers and meanings. The opening line, "There must be some kind of way outta here" sets the tone for a song that is about feeling trapped and unable to escape. The joker and the thief represent different parts of the same person – one who is foolish and the other who is deceptive, but both wanting a way out of confusing situations. The next line, "There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief" emphasizes that feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to find peace.
The following stanza is a commentary on social classes and how they interact with each other. The business men drink the joker's wine, and the plowman works the thief's land. Both classes are not level in their minds, but nobody is upholding their word. This emphasizes a sense of dishonesty and a lack of trust between different classes of people.
The third stanza emphasizes that many people see life as a joke, but the joker and the thief realize that their fate is not something to be taken lightly. They've been through difficult situations before, and they know that now is not the time for false words. The hour is getting late, and it's time to be serious.
The final stanza is the most enigmatic of all. It speaks of princes keeping the view from a watchtower while women come and go, and barefoot servants work in the background. In the distance, a wildcat growls, and two riders approach while the wind howls. This stanza is a metaphor for the unpredictability of life and the imminent approach of danger. The watchtower represents a position of power where one can observe everything that's happening around them, but it also symbolizes the inability to act.
Overall, "All Along The Watchtower" is a song that speaks to the human condition – the feeling of being trapped and overwhelmed, the impossibility of trust between different classes of people, and the unpredictability of life.
Lyrics © BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@balakay5092
Hendrix never died. Earth was just part of his tour.
@BoKnowsBrains
watch the watch towers
@fpa417
dont know about anyone else but putting LMAO after a joke ruins it for me. LMAO
@hi-wm7tb
@@fpa417 being a jojo fan ruins any chance at being funny
@kevinheatcoat2190
Coronavirus.
@awhahoo
@@fpa417 I laughed at the joke don't worry about crusty toe he became steelydan 2.0
@samcavanagh7993
If you're ever feeling down remember we live in an age where this song is accessible in a second, for free, forever.
@drkadzijaliburic1093
@@MARSBELLA1 vpn
@Fordham1969
That type of thing is always a double edged sword though. Yes, on balance I agree it's preferable to live in an age where these sort of things that you love can be enjoyed instantly wherever you are. However, there's something about having to wait for things that enhances your appreciation of them. There's no perfection in life.
@JARC1010
@@MARSBELLA1 Considering the government has decided to keep the copyright laws and most labour laws and generally all the other laws exactly the same to avoid confusion, i think you need to take the tin foil hat off.