House,” represented something else entirely. “Red House” is a more traditional blues number, written by Jimi Hendrix, which is a perfect example of what Jimi began his musical experimentation with. Jimi showcases his blues guitar playing and singing on “Red House.” The lyrics tell the story of a man who loses his woman but who manages to keep his guitar, and if his woman won’t love him any more, he says “I know her sister will.” With “Red House,” Jimi extended his identity in relation to pop culture to include not only rock star status, but great musician -- both blues and otherwise -- as well. In a 1967 Rolling Stone article titled “Hendrix and Clapton,” Jon Landau states: “He [Jimi Hendrix] is... a great guitarist and a brilliant arranger. On ‘Red House,’ the only straight blues he recorded,... he establishes himself as an absolute master of that musical form” (18). Another Hendrix tune from Are You Experienced? was “Purple Haze,” that Jas Obrecht described as “the band’s break-through single in America” (Obrecht 29). Beyond the surface interpretation of the song referring to drugs (the lines “Purple haze, all in my brain” and “Got no money, don’t know why” are brought to mind), Harry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek in Electric Gypsy suggest that the inspiration may have come from Hendrix’ Native American background and more specifically reading The Book of the Hopi (Fairchild, “Axis: Bold As Love” 7). The Indian interpretation of “Purple Haze” and the traditional blues “Red House” are the two best examples of Hendrix paying homage to his ancestry on Are You Experienced? The structure and lyrics on most of the songs on Are You Experienced? form the basis upon which it is possible to measure the change in the style of Hendrix, both lyrically and...
