“Purple Haze” by the JImi Hendrix Experience is rightfully viewed as one of the great guitar songs of the rock era. There may not be a more recognizable riff than the one Hendrix plays in the intro of this song from their 1967 debut album Are You Experienced. His guitar work is such an enormous part of what makes the song a rock classic that one can easily overlook Hendrix’s lyrics.
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Yet Hendrix’s mystical lyrics and the psychedelic treatment producer Chas Chandler gave his vocals add to “Purple Haze’s” magical quality. To enjoy the song, we don’t need to know what the lyrics actually mean. Hendrix himself was circumspect about the song’s meaning. That’s OK, because trying to decipher his message just gives us a fun game to play.
So, let’s play and see what we find.
Hendrix’s Explanations
Hendrix offered multiple explanations for what “Purple Haze” actually means. While he was in the process of writing the song, he told an interviewer that it was inspired by a dream he had in which he was walking underwater. After “Purple Haze’s” release, Hendrix had said that it was about a journey through a mythical land.
Hendrix also claimed on another occasion that the song had more of a real-world inspiration, though one that still had a metaphysical angle. He claimed to have based the lyrics on an experience he had in New York in which a woman he liked had put a voodoo spell on him.
Many listeners have just assumed that “Purple Haze” is about a trip on psychedelic drugs. It’s a plausible theory, given some of the lyrics and the overall psychedelic nature of the song’s production. Hendrix never cited this as related to the song’s meaning, and Chandler stated that Hendrix did not trip at any point while writing “Purple Haze.”
Breaking Down the Lyrics
We now have a few theories to consider while reviewing “Purple Haze’s” lyrics for ourselves. Fortunately for us, there aren’t a lot of lyrics to pore over. Though Hendrix said he had written 1,000 words for “Purple Haze,” the final version was shaved down to just 130.
Though neither Hendrix nor Chandler gave credence to the idea of “Purple Haze” being about a psychedelic experience, the first verse certainly suggests this was the topic of the song.
Purple haze all in my brain
Lately, things just don’t seem the same
Acting funny, but I don’t know why
‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky
It’s the ‘scuse me while I kiss the sky that really seals that interpretation. The first three lines would make sense as part of a story about being put under a spell, but the fourth line is a bit of a stretch as a part of that narrative. Let’s see if the second verse can help to clarify things.
Purple haze all around
Don’t know if I’m coming up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
Whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me
Whoa! The voodoo spell story just got a major boost here. Unless, that is, Hendrix is using some creative license with the word “girl” to hide his intention to write a song about a drug experience. At this point, we can probably rule out the underwater scene as the setting for the song, but otherwise, its meaning could still be up for debate. On to the third verse …
Yeah! Purple haze all in my eyes
Don’t know if it’s day or night
You got me blowing, blowing my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time
The themes of disorientation and mind expansion would seem to support that notion that the song is about a psychedelic trip, but it could still be referring to a voodoo spell. Hendrix’s attribution of his mind being blown by “you” suggests that he is either referring to a person or a drug.
It’s difficult to come to a clear conclusion about the meaning of “Purple Haze” based on the lyrics themselves. Perhaps there is some truth in each of Hendrix’s explanations. Or maybe it really is a song about tripping.
A Classic Misheard Lyric
Aside from Hendrix’s opening riff, the most recognizable part of “Purple Haze” is probably the line ‘scuse me while I kiss the sky. While it symbolizes the song’s trippy vibe, it’s also notable for having been frequently misheard as “‘scuse me while I kiss this guy.” “Purple Haze” is so strongly associated with its misheard version that Gavin Edwards named his 1995 book about misconstrued lines from songs ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy: And Other Misheard Lyrics.
Hendrix was apparently in on the joke—or he may have even helped to perpetuate it. In some of his live performances of “Purple Haze,” Hendrix would actually sing “‘scuse me while I kiss this guy,” while pointing at either bassist Noel Redding or drummer Mitch Mitchell.
The Impact of “Purple Haze”
As a single, “Purple Haze” made it to No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was the highest-charting single from Are You Experienced. However, its legacy has more to do with the influence it had on album-oriented rock than as a hit single. The popularity of “Purple Haze” ignited interest in Are You Experienced to the degree that critic Dave Marsh cited it as the “debut single of the Album Rock Era.” Spotify listeners have streamed “Purple Haze” more than 332 million times. Are You Experienced peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Music fans have purchased more than 5 million copies of the album in the U.S.
Hendrix gave us some different ways to think about the meaning of “Purple Haze.” The mystery behind the song’s message adds another dimension to an already-epic listening experience. While it’s impossible to conclude anything definitive about the meaning of its lyrics, we won’t be the ones to stop you from deciding that it’s a song about psychedelics.
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Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
