Jimi Hendrix

Please read this. My friend, Paolo, recently took a pop culture course at Brock University and wrote a great essay on Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower". Here is a video with the lyrics. 

The song to which is to be critically analyzed in this essay is one by Jimi Hendrix, entitled “All Along the Watchtower”. The lyrics to the song by Hendrix were originally written by Bob Dylan on one of his country parables from the album “John Wesley Harding”. “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix is an explosive guitar filled piece of psychedelic rock that takes the listener through a conversation in which the end result ends up in chaos.  

The song features many different instruments and instrumentation. There is the lead solo guitar, the rhythm guitar, the bass, tambourine and the drums. It is arranged with an intro and three verses which tell a story. What is very striking in the song is that there is no chorus that has words. Instead, Hendrix uses his solos as a chorus in which the electric lead guitar takes the lead and becomes the primary instrument of focus. The guitar can be seen as the instrument that very much dictates to the audience the mood of the song. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical analysis of Hendrix’s song “All Along the Watchtower” and argue that Hendrix’s version can been seen to use irony within the lyrics, use instrumentation to reflect the mood of the story presented in the lyrics and discuss themes of oppression and rebellion.  

When looking at the lyrics to “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix, it is apparent that the songs lyrics are filled with irony and hierarchal figures. The beginning lyrics tell the audience that they are immersed in a conversation between a joker and a thief. Right at the beginning of the song, the use of irony is presented. The tone of the joker, who is having the conversation, is one that is serious. The joker cannot seem to get any relief from the current situation that he is in. This is ironic because it is the joker’s job (who evidently could be a gesture of some sort) to bring relief to a stressful situation. In the second verse, the audience is presented with more irony. Here, the lyrics state that the thief, the so called rebel in society, is speaking kindly. “The thief he kindly spoke”. 

We also see within the lyrics the use of hierarchal figures, of which, are used in a sense to represent distinct opposites. In the first verse, the audience sees the main distinction between the joker and the thief. Within that verse, we also see a distinction between a businessman who drinks wine and a plowman who digs the earth. The final verse has hierarchal figures that represent opposites as well. In the third verse, the audience is introduced to a Prince and a Barefoot Servant.

As stated earlier, Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” places great emphasis on instrumentation to reflect the situation that the lyrics are presenting. The intro and the chorus’ instrumentation are vastly different than that of the verse. In the verses, the guitar and accompanying instruments are mellow and calm. Aside from Jimi Hendrix’s voice, the rhythm guitar takes center stage strumming and not soloing. This, one believes, it is used to represent the mood and situation that the lyrics are presenting. The situation is that the joker and the thief are having a quiet conversation away from people. This type of instrumentation also occurs in the second verse as well. After the first and second verse is where we see the instrumentation pick-up with great emphasis being placed on the lead guitar. However, it is not until after the third verse that we see the most instrumentation take place. It is after the third verse that the guitar solos are at there highest peak in terms of notation.

One believes that the solo and instrumentation after the end of the third verse is organized that way to illustrate to the listener that chaos has taken place. The last two lines of the third verse state “two riders were approaching, and the wind began to howl”. The two riders were approaching the watchtower where the prince was staying and the use of imagery through the wind starting to stir illustrates, one believes, that chaos has broken out. Therefore, not only do we see chaos breaking out through the use of imagery but also through the instrumentation being played.

Finally, Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along the Watchtower” one believes is a representation of the time in which the song was written in. It is a song written about oppression and revolting or rebelling against certain oppression. The joker and the thief feel trapped. They are being taken advantage of by higher order people in society such as businessmen. Society around the two feel that all life amounts too is a joke and turn a blind eye to the situation. This message of revolt or rebellion becomes evident more so within the third verse. Again Hendrix uses words in a metaphorical sense to illustrate this point. One believes that the watchtower can represent some sort of government building where the prince, no doubt a government official, resides and lives in luxury due in part to all of the servants and women that serve him. The rebellion or revolt is stated in the last two verses whereby two riders are approaching the watchtower (government building) and chaos then ensues.

In conclusion, Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” is a song full of meaningful irony, instrumentation and political messaging. The use of irony is fully evident within the song. The joker is confused and the thief is speaking kindly. Not only do the lyrics thrive on irony but also on using figures that are polar opposite. The joker is the funny gesture while the thief is the serious rebel. The businessman is affluent and drinks wine while the plowmen must dig the ground. There are also polar opposites in the prince and barefoot servant. The lyrics and instrumentation of the song go hand in hand. When the conversation between the joker and the thief was taking place, the instrumentation was clam. There is no great emphasis placed on lead solos. When the discussion between the joker and thief stop, the instrumentation picks up and there is great emphasis placed on the lead solo towards the end of the song. When the lyrics suggest chaos is when the instrumentation is at its loudest and the guitar is playing its highest notation. Finally Jimi Hendrix’s song “All Along the Watchtower” can be seen as, ones believe, a political message where by the oppressed are confronting the government about their situation and causing chaos for everyone involved.

By: Paolo Taraschi