If 6 Was 9
| "If 6 Was 9" | |
|---|---|
the Jimi Hendrix Experience | |
| from the album Axis: Bold as Love | |
| Released |
|
| Recorded | May 4–5, 1967 |
| Studio | Olympic, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 5:32[1] |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | Jimi Hendrix |
| Producer(s) | Chas Chandler |
"If 6 Was 9" is a song written by
Style and instrumentation
The style of the song has been referred to as "acid-fueled
Lyrics
Sara Pendergast described it as an "individualist anthem".[4] The lyrics portray the underlying conflict of the counterculture of the 1960s: the "social and cultural dichotomies" between the hippies and the "white collared conservative" business world of the establishment. Beginning with a blues riff, the lyrics accompany a "spacey" free-form jam, with Hendrix epitomizing the existentialist voice of the youth movement: "I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die/so let me live my life/the way I want to."[5]
Authors Harry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek believe the lyrics, "if the mountains fell into the sea" are a reference to the creation myth of the second world of Hopi mythology.[6] Frank Waters' Book of the Hopi (1963) was known to have influenced Hendrix, and many of his songs contain mythological themes and images related to Native Americans in the United States.[7]
Various
Renditions
In 1991,
Notes
- ^ From US Reprise Records monaural promotional album (original UK Track and US Reprise albums did not list running times)
- ISBN 0-87930-735-8.
- ISBN 0-7935-4042-9.
- St. James Press.
- ISBN 0-312-13499-1.
- ^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1995, p. 225.
- ^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1995, p. 148.
- ISBN 0-7432-4423-0.
- ^ Washburn, Jim (May 5, 1994). "Beautiful People "If 60's Were 90's" / Continuum Records". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- The Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
References
- ISBN 0-312-13062-7.
