The Wind Cries Mary
| "The Wind Cries Mary" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Jimi Hendrix Experience | ||||
| from the album Are You Experienced | ||||
| B-side | "Highway Chile" | |||
| Released | May 5, 1967 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | January 11, 1967 at De Lane Lea Studios in London, England | |||
| Genre | Rock, psychedelic rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | Track | |||
| Writer(s) | Jimi Hendrix | |||
| Producer | Chas Chandler | |||
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience singles chronology | ||||
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The Wind Cries Mary is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience released as the band's third single, backed with "Highway Chile", on May 5, 1967. It reached no. 6 in the UK Charts.[1] The track is an example of psychedelic blues-rock, as the song is in the key of F major, with a guitar solo primarily involving the F major pentatonic scale. Today, it is #370 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It has been covered by musicians such as Jamie Cullum, John Mayer, Xavier Rudd, Richie Sambora, Sting and Pat Boone.
In the United States, the song was first released as B-side to the song "Purple Haze" in June 1967 and later on the USA compilation version of the album Are You Experienced and along with the other sides of their first three singles, on most later re-releases of Are You Experienced.
The song was recorded at the end of the "Fire" sessions. It is said to have been inspired when Hendrix and his then girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, had an argument over her cooking; after she stormed out of their apartment, Hendrix wrote "The Wind Cries Mary", as Mary was Etchingham's middle name[2]. Another possible inspiration could be the poem 'To Mary' by the English poet John Clare. Kathy has said that many of the Dylanesque lyrics describe the test card that appeared at the end of BBC television transmissions at that time.[3] However, this is probably a mistake on Kathy's part as that particular testcard was not first broadcast until July 1967, while the song had been written long before that. Billy Cox, who was the bassist for the Band of Gypsys and long-time friend of Hendrix has stated Curtis Mayfield's influence on the song.
"'The Wind Cries Mary' was a riff that was influenced by Curtis Mayfield, who was a big influence for Jimi."
"The Wind Cries Mary" and "Highway Chile" were re-released in 1983, on The Singles Album compilation.[4]
[edit] References
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This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (May 2007) |
- ^ The Jimi Hendrix Experience in the UK Charts, The Official Charts.
- ^ 'I was Jimi Hendrix’s Yoko Ono': Kathy Etchingham speaks 40 years on London Evening Standard
- ^ Interview, The 100 Greatest Albums, E4, 2007
- ^ CD Pamphlet notes, The Singles Album, 1983
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