Spanish Castle Magic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Spanish Castle Magic" is a song composed and performed by Jimi Hendrix. It is the third track on Axis: Bold as Love (1967).
[edit] Lyrics
The lyrics describe a place one gets to "by dragonfly" (possibly a pun on "drag and fly"), where one finds fantastical visions (e.g. clouds overflowing with cotton candy) that are "all in your mind." The song finds its origins in Jimi's youthful days, when he played in a club called The Spanish Castle, south of Seattle in what is now Des Moines, WA. Jimi would later describe his frustration, saying, "(The bass player) in the band had this beater car, and it would break down every other block, on the way there and back..." hence the line, "Takes 'bout a half a day to get there..." The music alternates between aggressive, thickly textured guitar lines during the intro, choruses, and solos, and a riff played in rhythmic lock step by guitar, drum and bass during the verses.
[edit] Trivia
The song has recently found a new following among gamers, as a version without the vocals is featured in the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero. The reason why this version of the song lacks the vocals is unknown. It could be possibly due to copyright or legal issues, or due to the difficulty of emulating Hendrix's voice. It has also been speculated that the Hendrix estate was displeased with the vocals recorded for the game and wished for them to be removed. A version of the song with lyrics is available for listening at the Guitar Hero website. The song has a considerable following otherwise, being covered by various artists of several styles.
