The filthy 1968 song Jimi Hendrix wrote about a one-night stand: “I can see you’ve had your fun”
There aren’t many guitarists who can rival Jimi Hendrix. Widely regarded by almost anyone worth their salt in the guitar world as the greatest player ever to pick up the instrument, what people often forget is that Hendrix was also a brilliant songwriter. Frequently using improvisation to shape and refine his music, Hendrix released one of his most searing tracks on this day in 1968.
‘Crosstown Traffic’ just so happens to be one of Hendrix’s filthiest songs. It’s not just the dirtier than mud licks he introduces, but the song’s sentiment is also rooted in the promiscuity of the growing sexual revolution surrounding him. It’s one of the few moments in the dazzling career of Hendrix that the duality of his soulful turmoil came to fruition. This track, embroiled in the sexual explosion of the 1960s, quickly became an underbelly anthem.
It’s not just music critics adding layers of connotation where they’re not warranted, either. The song is simply drenched in sexual references and is primarily centred on Hendrix trying to get through to his lover from the previous evening with a simple message of “get lost”. Not the most enlightening piece of lyricism Hendrix ever delivered, I’ll admit, but the song possesses something incandescent all the same.
What really elevates ‘Crosstown Traffic’ is how tightly controlled the chaos actually is. The track is built around a clipped, almost percussive riff, with Hendrix muting the strings to create a stop-start groove that mirrors the frustration described in the lyrics. Beneath that, the rhythm section keeps things moving at a brisk pace, while Hendrix peppers the track with bursts of fuzz-drenched lead lines that feel spontaneous but are carefully placed. It’s a masterclass in restraint as much as it is in excess, showing that Hendrix knew exactly when to pull back as well as when to let loose.
Though Chas Chandler and Hendrix had planned out the debut LP for The Experience, by the time they got around to recording the sophomore album, Hendrix was no longer concerned by Chandler’s plans as their relationship deteriorated. “You have the whole planned-out LP, and all of a sudden they’ll make ‘Crosstown Traffic,’ for instance, a single, and that’s coming out of a whole other set,” Hendrix complained about the decision to use ‘Crosstown Traffic’ as a single.
Unusually for the songs on Electric Ladyland, it features all the band members and even has Hendrix using a kazoo-like instrument he constructed with some tissue paper and a comb. But, in honesty, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was never destined to be a great album band.
Speaking as part of a ‘Behind The Scenes’ video on the group’s output, Chas Chandler remembers: “We didn’t actually start out to do an album at any time. We’d just kept on rolling, and as soon as we had enough songs for an album — bop! We’d put one out.” The song ‘Crosstown Traffic’ is one of the final moments of Chandler’s extensive professional relationship with Hendrix. Producer Eddie Kramer said of the single: “It was one of the last tracks that Chas had a tight hand on.” Eventually, Hendrix would break away from the shield of Chandler and venture out on his own.
In that sense, ‘Crosstown Traffic’ also marks a transitional moment in Hendrix’s career. Electric Ladyland was the point where he began to fully take control of his sound, moving away from the more structured approach of his earlier work towards something looser and more exploratory. Tracks like this may be concise compared to the sprawling jams elsewhere on the album, but they still carry that sense of experimentation, hinting at the direction Hendrix would continue to push had his career not been cut short.
Not many of Hendrix’s songs rely on lyrics to carry the emotional weight. More often than not, his guitar did that work, acting as the most delicate brush for expression, and ‘Crosstown Traffic’ is no different. Still, the song includes some witty lines. In the 1960s, artists often had to be indirect when writing about sex or drugs, so metaphor became the safest way to communicate those ideas. Hendrix uses the frustration of being stuck in heavy traffic as a metaphor for dealing with an unwanted lover.
It goes further than thought and even sees Hendrix delicately play with the ideals of sexual liberation, “I’m not the only soul who’s accused of hit and run, tyre tracks all across your back, I can see you’ve had your fun.” It’s one of the few times Hendrix is so playful with his tone, acting as the perfect balance to the powerful and demanding guitar that wreaks havoc throughout the song’s short but oh so sweet run time.
