THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

492-Jimi Hendrix Experience-Hey Joe.

1966-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 1.51. A warning to old ladies everywhere, don’t go messin’ round with another man. You might end up getting shot.

‘Hey Joe’ was originally written and performed by Billy Roberts, who was born William Moses Roberts Jr. on August 16th, 1935, in Greenville, South Carolina, United States, he died on October 7th, 2017, at the age of 81. Roberts recorded ‘Hey Joe’ himself, but never had it officially released, but he did have it copyrighted in 1962. Billy Roberts was a Folk singer, and was a member of the ‘Driftwood Singers’ between 1964-1965, who played on the same bill as artists of the calibre of Johnny Cash, (1932-2003) (see also best songs 857-428-and 199) and Carmen McRae (1920-1994.) In 1975, Roberts released his one studio Album, called ‘Thoughts of California. It is thought that Billy Roberts got his inspiration for writing ‘Hey Joe’ from an earlier work by his then girlfriend Niela Horn, whose song ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go to Town’ uses the same chord progression. Also the 1953 U.S. Country hit ‘Hey Joe’ written by Felice Bordleaux & Diadorius Bryant shares the same title, and ‘questioning’ format. There is also an early 20th Century traditional ballad called ‘Little Sadie’ that tells of a man on the run after he has shot his wife.

‘Hey Joe’ has been recorded in many different styles, and by numerous artists over the years. The probable first commercially released ‘Rock’ version was in 1966 by the ‘Garage’ band the ‘Leaves,’ who reached Number 31 on the American Billboard Hot 100, the highest chart placing the song has reached in America. ‘Hey Joe’ also reached Number 94 for Cher in 1967, and Number 59 for Wilson Pickett (1941-2006) in 1969. The Jimi Hendrix Experience recording failed to chart on Billboard, but it is the only version of the song to chart in the UK. Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) (see also best songs 983) got to know about the song after seeing the Folk singer Tim Rose (1940-2002) perform a slower version. On the advice of Chas Chandler, (1938-1996) (see also best songs 851 and 649) who was then Hendrix’s manager, ‘Hey Joe’ became the first single release of the ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience.’

‘Hey Joe’ was released as a stand alone single in the UK in December 1966, but was later featured on the American only released version of the Jimi Hendrix Experience debut studio Album ‘Are You Experienced,’ from May 1967. ‘Hey Joe’ would later be added to the UK, and international Compact Disc reissues as one of the bonus tracks in 1997. The Jimi Hendrix Experience version of ‘Hey Joe’ was produced by Chas Chandler, with the musicians playing on the song, who were the ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience,’ being Jimi Hendrix, guitars, and vocals, Noel Redding, (1945-2003) bass guitar, and Mitch Mitchell 1946-2008) drums. There are also backing vocals on the track provided by ‘The Breakaways,’ who were an English female vocal group, whose members included Vicki Brown, (1940-1991) who had also been a member of ‘The Vernon Girls, and the first wife of the English musician Joe Brown, and mother of the singer Sam Brown. ‘The Breakaways’ sang backing vocals on many songs in the 1960’s, including ‘Downtown’ for Petula Clark (see also best songs 838.)

The discography of the Jimi Hendrix Experience includes three studio Albums released between 1967-1968, and 14 singles released between 1966-1970, there are also three official live Albums, and two official compilation Albums available. All three studio Albums made the top 10 in America on Billboard, and in the UK, while in America their only charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 is ‘All Along the Watchtower’ which reached Number 20 in 1968, In the UK, six of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Purple Haze’ peaking the highest at Number 3 in 1967. After the death of Jimi Hendrix in 1970, there have been numerous posthumous releases of demos, studio outtakes/alternate takes, and jams, which have made up into a further 13 studio Albums released between 1971-2018, there have also been 19 anthologies, 28 live Albums, and 28 singles issued posthumously. In October 1970, exactly five weeks after the death of Jimi Hendrix, the track ‘Voodoo Chile,’ from the 1968 Album ‘Electric Ladyland’ was issued as a single, with ‘Hey Joe,’ and ‘All Along the Watchtower’ as the ‘B’ sides, the single failed to chart in America, but reached Number 1 in the UK. Two further singles have posthumously charted in the UK, ‘Gypsy Eyes,’ (1971-Number 35) and ‘Johnny B Goode’ (1972-Number 35.)

‘Hey Joe’ is the story of a man who finds out that his woman has been cheating on him, and he takes his revenge by purchasing a gun, and shooting the woman, and her lover. In order to not face trial, and the hangman, he travels down to Mexico. The Hendrix version omits the first verse where ‘Joe’ buys the gun, and he also makes no mention of killing the woman’s lover, which is part of the original version by Billy Roberts.

‘Hey Joe, I said where you goin’ with that gun in your hand. I’m goin’ down to shoot my old lady, you know I caught her messin’ ’round with another man. Yeah, I’m goin’ down to shoot my old lady, you know I caught her messin’ ’round with another man.’