Clear Light Breakfast



“Voodoo Chile”

Well, I’m a voodoo chile

Lord I’m a voodoo chile

Well, the night I was born

Lord I swear the moon turned a fire red

The night I was born

I swear the moon turned a fire red

Well my poor mother cried out lord, the gypsy was right!

And I seen her fell down right dead

(have mercy)

Well, mountain lions found me there waitin’

And set me on a eagles back

Well, mountain lions found me there,

And set me on a eagles wing

(it’s the eagles wing, baby, what did I say)

He took me past the outskirts of infinity,

And when he brought me back,

He gave me a venus witchs ring

Hey!

And he said fly on, fly on

Because Im a voodoo chile, baby, voodoo chile

Hey!

Well, I make love to you,

And lord knows you’ll feel no pain

Say, I make love to you in your sleep,

And lord knows you felt no pain

(have mercy)

Cause Im a million miles away

And at the same time Im right here in your picture frame

(yeah! what did I say now)

Cause Im a voodoo chile

Lord knows I’m a voodoo chile

Well my arrows are made of desire

From far away as jupiters sulphur mines

Say my arrows are made of desire, desire

From far away as jupiters sulphur mines

(way down by the methane sea, yeah)

I have a humming bird and it hums so loud,

You think you were losing your mind, hmmm…

Well I float in liquid gardens

And arizona new red sand

(yeah)

I float in liquid gardens

Way down in arizona red sand

Well, I taste the honey from a flower named blue,

Way down in California

And New York drowns as we hold hands

Cause Im a voodoo chile

Lord knows I’m a voodoo chile

Yeah!

“Voodoo Chile” is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience from the album Electric Ladyland. Recorded on May 2, 1968 at the Record Plant Studios in New York City, the recording session included Mitch Mitchell, drummer of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Steve Winwood of Traffic on B3 organ, and Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane on bass duties. The song, basically a 15-minute blues jam, evolved into the final product over the course of an hour.

After many of the late night Electric Ladyland recording sessions, Hendrix and the band went to one of the New York City clubs to jam with whoever was there. One such jam at The Scene Club included Steve Winwood and Jack Casady. Noel Redding was not present as he had stormed out of the Record Plant studio earlier that evening. They spent the night playing “Voodoo Chile”, and when the club closed, Hendrix invited everyone back to the studio. At about 7 a.m. the next morning they began to formally record “Voodoo Chile”. It took only three takes and the final 15 minute version was Hendrix’s longest studio recording. The second take did not come out well, since a string broke. The first and second takes are used in “Voodoo Chile Blues” that is a combination of two takes released on Hendrix leftovers-album called Blues.

While “Voodoo Chile” sounds like a live recording, the crowd noise was actually recorded afterwards. Some twenty people were brought to the studio to record appropriate background noise.

The song evolved over time from a song called “Catfish Blues” which Hendrix also called “Experiencing the Blues”, an homage to Muddy Waters. The song was made up of a medley of verses based on Muddy Waters’ songs, including “Rollin’ Stone”, “Still a Fool”, and “Rollin’ and Tumblin'”.

The song “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” appears on the same album.

–wikipedia

3 comments

    • Edger on November 23, 2008 at 16:57
      Author

    • Robyn on November 23, 2008 at 19:14

    Mr. Blue would have been preferred, but alas…



    She’s Ready to be Free

Comments have been disabled.