The haunting dream that inspired a classic Jimi Hendrix song
The late Jimi Hendrix was a dreamer. Although it might appear a bold statement, without his undoubted talent and clear vision for the future of music, the landscape of popular culture today would be very different. Whether this is in the form of ubiquitous guitar-playing techniques, popular compositional decisions or the fact that he wasn’t afraid to put passion at the forefront of his art, there are many reasons why the Seattle native remains so significant.
Reflecting his position as a perennial dreamer are some of Hendrix’s comments featured in the 2013 work, Starting at Zero: His Own Story, a collection of his interviews. In one of the discussions, Hendrix explained that he was an avid fan of classical music and that he desired to study music properly one day. He said: “I’d like to take a six-month break and go to a school of music. I want to learn to read music, be a model student and study and think.”
Hendrix then outlined his dreams for the configuration of his band, revealing that he wanted a big backing group that he could “conduct and write for”. Detailing further, the guitarist added: “I’m tired of trying to write stuff down and finding I can’t. I want a big band, I don’t mean three harps and 14 violins – I mean a big band full of competent musicians that I can conduct and write for.”
Perhaps most telling of all was the mysterious dreams for his future and music in general. It’s a shame Hendrix never got to pursue them properly, as they promised to be fascinating. “I want to be part of a big new musical expansion,” he expressed. “That’s why I have to find a new outlet for my music.”
Hendrix wasn’t only a dreamer in the waking world. Notably, the dreams he had when he was asleep also made their way into his work. The most famous instance of this came in the form of the 1967’s ‘Purple Haze’, which was inspired by Philip José Farmer’s science-fiction book Night of Light. The synopsis for the novel reads: “Once every seven years, a world in orbit around a binary star is bathed in a bizarre radiance that rearranges physical reality.”
Lost in the tale of a bizarre radiance in space, one night, Hendrix dreamt of being surrounded by thick purple fog in the ocean with no way out. Then, he was saved by Jesus Christ and lifted to safety. Hence the original line, “Purple Haze, Jesus Saves”.
A dream also inspired another fan favourite of Hendrix’s. Although it is not as well-known as ‘Purple Haze’, it had much more personal significance to Hendrix. This is ‘Angel’, a song released on the posthumous record The Cry of Love in 1971. The track is about a dream Hendrix had featuring his mother, Lucille, when he was a child. Tragically, she passed away when he was in his mid-teens, fuelling the emotional vibe of the material. Knowing this, the chorus line, “Fly on my sweet angel / Tomorrow I’m going to be by your side”, takes on a different meaning altogether.
In a December 1967 interview with Meatball Fulton, Hendrix recalled the dream behind ‘Angel’ and explained that its narrative hauntingly preceded his mother’s death. Understandably, he never forgot it, and this account of the dream is close to what he describes in the song. He said: “My mother was bein’ carried away on this camel. And there was a big caravan, she’s sayin’, ‘Well, I’m gonna see you now,’ and she’s goin’ under these trees, you could see the shade, you know, the leaf patterns across her face when she was goin’ under … She’s sayin’, ‘Well, I won’t be seein’ you too much anymore, you know. I’ll see you.’ And then about two years after that, she dies, you know. And I said, ‘Yeah, but where are you goin’?’ and all that, you know. I remember that. I will always remember that. I never did forget … there are some dreams you never forget.”
