The last five songs of the Are You Experienced Album have a very different tone than the first 12. They are mellower, less psychedelic, an easy transition to the ending of one crazy album. The change begins with 51st anniversary, as this is the first time that Hendrix even addresses getting old and moving on. He talks about relishing in his youth and saving every last moment he can where he is not tied to any serious commitments. The next song, track number fourteen on the album, discusses the ‘highway chile’, the man who has lived through a crazy childhood, who has been hardened and almost exiled from civilization due to his rebellious actions as a youth. Here Jimi talks about what he possibly sees in his own future, looking beyond the parties, and playing music, ahead to the time where “his old guitar slung across his back, his dusty boots is his Cadillac, Flamin’ hair just a blowin’ in the wind, ain’t seen a bed in so long it’s a sin”. Hendrix states that while a future society may label this man as a tramp, he can see deeper than that, because he can see what he once was. He can see that he is a highway child. This term can be interpreted in two ways. The first is more literal; a highway child is like a motorcycle dude, a man hardened by years of running with no place to call home. The term can also be taken to mean a man who took the high road as a child, who sucked all the pleasure he could out of his youth and now lives in his own post-golden age world.
The next song, Can You See Me, leaves the futuristic tense and goes back to Hendrix not wanting his golden age to end. He says “Can you see me? Begging you on my knees…Baby please don’t leave”. This song not only cries to an era begging it to continue, but it also screams to every listener to really pay attention and to hear what Jimi is saying. As the album comes to a close, this is Jimi’s last beg for all of his fans to listen and try to understand his purpose for the album. It is a funal reminder to “open up your ears …you better come home like you supposed to do”.
Remember is also a song looking back, reminiscing about the good old days. An interesting aspect about these good days is that Hendrix characterizes them as a time when the birds used to sing. This suggests that Hendrix believes that in any good time, music will be playing.
The last song of the album, Red House, is bluesy, and sad, a very soft smooth song that allows the listener to exit the album and their album experience with a nice easy taste in his or her mouth.
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