Hendrix arrived in England in October 1966, and auditions were launched to find him a backing band. Noel Redding was chosen for the bass spot. Even though he had never played bass before auditioning (he was a guitarist), Hendrix liked his look and attitude. Mitch Mitchell was a seasoned London drummer who brought jazz chops and a lead style of playing to the table. He would prove to be Hendrix's most valuable musical partner.
Though initially conceived as Hendrix's backing band, The Experience soon became much more than that. Along with Cream, they were the first group to popularize the "power trio" format, which essentially strips a rock band lineup down to the essentials: bass, guitar and drums. This smaller format also encourages more extrovert playing from the players involved, often at very high volumes. In the case of The Experience, Hendrix mixed lead and rhythm guitar duties into one, while also making use of then-revolutionary guitar effects such as feedback and wah-wah.
Mitchell played hard-hitting jazz-influenced grooves that often served a melodic role as much as they did timekeeping. Redding was the eye of the storm, playing deceptively simple bass lines that helped to anchor the band's sound. Visually, they decked themselves out in matching psychedelic costumes and permed afros.
The lineup first came to prominence during the Monterey Pop Festival, one of the first major music festivals. The band delivered a stellar performance, that ended with Hendrix famously setting his guitar on fire. The moment was immortalized in a photograph which was used as a cover of Rolling Stone[1] magazine. The appearance was also filmed and put into the documentary film Monterey Pop. This brought them to the attention of North American audiences. They were then asked to go on tour with The Monkees as the opening act. They abruptly left the tour after only a few dates. It was later revealed by Chas Chandler as being a publicity stunt.
With the band, Hendrix recorded his three most successful albums, Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland. In June of 1969, he decided to break up the group. Deteriorating relations with Redding had come to a head, and he also felt stilted by the trio format. He used a larger band lineup for his Woodstock concert in August 1969.
Hendrix would revert back to the trio format with Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass and called themselves the Band of Gypsys. A live self-titled album was released in March 1970. This line up only lasted a couple of months. From early 1970 they were back to the original The Jimi Hendrix Experience, except Noel Redding was replaced by Billy Cox on bass.
This line up continued until Jimi Hendrix died in London, England from a drug overdose on the 18th September 1970.
midnight
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the day is, too
There's nothing left here to meet me
But the velvet moon
All my loneliness I have felt today
It's like a little more than enough
To make a man throw himself away
To burn the midnight lamp
Alone
Now the smiling portrait of you
Is still hangin' on my frowning wall
It really doesn't, really doesn't bother me too much at all
It's just the ever falling dust
That makes it so hard for me to see
That forgotten earring layin' on the floor
Facing coldly towards the door
I continue
To burn the midnight lamp
Lord, alone
Loneliness is such a drag
So here I sit to face
That same old fire place
Gettin' ready for the same old explosion
Goin' through my mind
And soon enough time will tell,
About the circus in the wishing well
And someone who will buy and sell for me
Someone to toll my bell
And I continue
To burn this old lamp
Lord, alone
Darlin' can't ya hear me callin' you?
So lonely
Gonna have to blow my mind
Lonely
The lyrics of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's song Burning Of The Midnight Lamp speak of intense feelings of loneliness and despair. The singer talks about how the morning and the day have died and left him alone with the velvet moon, highlighting his loneliness. The first verse speaks of this loneliness that he has felt all day, which is so overwhelming that he feels it is enough to make him throw himself away. In the second verse, the singer draws attention to a portrait of someone smiling and hanging on his frowning wall. He remarks how the ever-falling dust has made it difficult for him to see things clearly, including the forgotten earring lying on the floor, facing coldly towards the door.
The final verse shows the singer preparing himself to face the same old explosion going through his mind. The circus in the wishing well and the idea of someone buying and selling for him highlights his feeling of being alone and unable to find someone to share his life with. The repetition of the phrase “and I continue to burn the midnight lamp, Lord, alone” not only reinforces his loneliness but also indicates his inability to stop his search for a connection with another person. It is a powerful song about a deeply personal struggle with loneliness, and the metaphor of the burning lamp is powerful in this context as the light represents the search for hope, a way out of his loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
The morning is dead
The start of the day feels like it's already over
And the day is, too
The entire day seems lost and not worth living
There's nothing left here to meet me
No one or nothing is waiting for the singer
But the velvet moon
The only thing keeping the singer company is the moon in the sky
All my loneliness I have felt today
The singer has been feeling lonely all day
It's like a little more than enough
The feeling is almost unbearable
To make a man throw himself away
The loneliness is strong enough to make someone want to give up on life
And I continue
Despite the loneliness, the singer keeps going
To burn the midnight lamp
The singer is staying up late, perhaps to keep from feeling alone
Alone
The singer is by themselves, with no one to talk to
Now the smiling portrait of you
A picture of someone the singer cares about is still hanging on the wall
Is still hangin' on my frowning wall
Despite the singer's sadness, the picture remains on display
It really doesn't, really doesn't bother me too much at all
The picture isn't causing much distress, even though the singer is sad
It's just the ever falling dust
The picture is getting dusty and old
That makes it so hard for me to see
The singer can't even see the picture clearly because of the dust
That forgotten earring layin' on the floor
There's an earring on the floor that has been forgotten
Facing coldly towards the door
The earring seems to be pointing towards the exit
Loneliness is such a drag
The feeling of being alone is heavy and difficult to bear
So here I sit to face
The singer is sitting down, perhaps to think or reflect
That same old fire place
The singer is in a familiar setting, but it doesn't bring much comfort
Gettin' ready for the same old explosion
The singer is bracing themselves for an emotional outburst
Goin' through my mind
Thoughts and feelings are swirling in the singer's head
And soon enough time will tell,
Only time will reveal what happens next
About the circus in the wishing well
There's some kind of drama or turmoil going on in the singer's life
And someone who will buy and sell for me
The singer is looking for someone to help them out
Someone to toll my bell
Someone to respond when the singer is in need
Darlin' can't ya hear me callin' you?
The singer is reaching out to someone for help
So lonely
The singer is incredibly alone
Gonna have to blow my mind
The situation is so intense that the singer might lose their mind
Lonely
The singer is still alone
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Written by: Ellas McDaniel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tuxguys
I was a junior in high school when this LP came out... and I loved all of it.
In English Lit, we were reading "Great Expectations," by Dickens, and for some reason, two cuts off this LP made me think of that novel... and this was one of them... perhaps because of the harpsichord.
The other cut was "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)."
Addendum:
"Now the smiling portrait of you
Is still hanging on my frowning wall"
...this is beyond brilliant...
Jay Mirabito
Jimi has yet to disappoint me. Every piece of music he put out is PURE perfection. Nothing could be better than a relaxing afternoon listening to Hendrix. RIP
Keiran Bradley
"All my Lonelyness i have felt today,,,", what beautiful lyricist Jimi was, that gets overlooked in the light of his untouchable Genius, Peace.
Pizzaismykryptonite
Totally agree with this man, some of his lyrics are incredible.
Keiran Bradley
Pizzaismykryptonite Jimi was the whole package, his death to me is the biggest tragedy of modern music, just think of what he would've gone on to accomplish, RIP Jimi, i'll see you in the next world, i'll try not to be late, Thanks, Peace.
bobarabia
Keiran Bradley Totally agree. People focus on his guitar but his lyrics and voice are also amazing!
Keiran Bradley
bobarabia Yeah, I totally agree, Jimi had a beautiful voice, he has a very distinct way with his phrasing, especially on his ballads like Drifting, he was so gifted yet so humble, I don't think we will see his like again,,,,,sadly, thanks, peace.
Keiran Bradley
JonBenait06 Drifting takes you to another place for sure !!, it was written for his Mother who was his Muse, it just goes to show how much variation he had, a true Genius, Peace.
Andrew Gill
Electric Ladyland really was a masterpiece
Porfle Popnecker
One of my all-time Hendrix songs. Just beautiful.
partikelsmusic
it is