Are You Experienced?

[Verse 1]

purple haze all in my brain

lately things they don't seem the same

acting funny but I don't know why

'scuse me while I kiss the sky

[Verse 2]

purple haze all around

don't know if I'm coming up or down

am I happy or in misery

whatever it is that girl but a spell on me
Help me! Help me!
Ah no, no

[Verse 3]

yeah purple haze all in my eyes

don't know if it's day or night

you got me blowing, blowing my mind

is it tomorrow, or just the end of time
No, help me
No, yeah purple haze
Oh no, no
Oh, help me
Tell me, tell me
Can't go on like this
You make me blow my mind
No, no, no
No, no, purple haze

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame biography for the Experience states: "Jimi Hendrix was arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music. Hendrix expanded the range and vocabulary of the electric guitar into areas no musician had ever ventured before. His boundless drive, technical ability and creative application of such effects as wah-wah and distortion forever transformed the sound of rock and roll."

Remember Remembering?

 Two songs of the 1960's that force me to remember 

what it was like to be a teenager...

IN - A - GADDA - DA - VIDA 

  by Iron Butterfly

"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was written during Iron Butterfly's early days. According to drummer Ron Bushy, organist-vocalist Doug Ingle wrote the song one evening while drinking an entire gallon of Red Mountain wine. When the inebriated Ingle then played the song for Bushy, who wrote down the lyrics for him, he was slurring his words so badly that what was supposed to be "in the Garden of Eden" was interpreted by Bushy as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".

 ALICE'S RESTAURANT  

by Arlo Guthrie

The song is a deadpan protest against the Vietnam War draft, in the form of a comically exaggerated but essentially true story from Guthrie's own life: he is arrested and convicted of dumping trash illegally, which later leads to him being rejected by the draft board due to his criminal record of littering (and the way he reacted when the induction personnel brought it up). The title refers to a restaurant owned by one of Guthrie's friends, which plays no role in the story aside from being the subject of the chorus.

Back in this turbulent decade (60's), you might expand upon the word "cool" with a word like "boss." That means something is really, really cool.

Among the 1960s hipster contingent, their lingo included phrases to describe superlative experiences:

Something that was wonderful would be "outta sight" (so great or unbelievable, you just couldn't take it all in.)

If something like a musical group was exciting and fantastic, they would be called "fab."

Having the latest and newest of anything, then as now, is of extreme importance to those who are truly hip.

If an event was "righteous," it was fantastic.

If a concert was "groovy," it was both outta sight and cool.

In the dating arena (or "scene" to a teenager in the 1960s):

A pretty girl would be considered "choice."

If she refused your advances, you might be "bummed out" (depressed or upset).

Maybe the problem was with your bread. No, we're not talking whole wheat or rye here, we're talking about "bread" as a 1960s term for money. A lack of bread would be enough to bum anyone out!

Since being cool was of such importance, the worst thing to happen to you (maybe aside from lacking bread) was to be labeled as uncool or "square."