‘Hey Joe’ is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting his unfaithful wife. In 1962, Billy Roberts registered ‘Hey Joe’ for copyright in the United States. In late 1965, Los Angeles-based garage band called The Leaves recorded the earliest known commercial version of ‘Hey Joe’, which was released as a single. They re-recorded the song and released it in 1966 as a follow-up single, which became a hit in the US. In October 1966, Jimi Hendrix recorded ‘Hey Joe’ for his first single with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The authorship of the song has been contested, and different recordings have credited its writing to either Billy Roberts or Dino Valenti, or have listed it as a traditional song. ‘Hey Joe’ was registered for copyright in the US in 1962 by Billy Roberts, a California-based folk musician. Scottish folk singer Len Partridge has claimed that he helped write the song with Roberts when they both performed in clubs in Edinburgh in 1956. Roberts may have drawn inspiration for ‘Hey Joe’ from three earlier works: the song ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go to Town’ written by his girlfriend Niela Horn, which uses a similar chord progression based on the circle of fifths; Carl Smith's 1953 US country hit ‘Hey Joe!’ (written by Boudleaux Bryant), which shared the title and the "questioning" format; and the early 20th century traditional ballad ‘Little Sadie’, which tells of a man on the run after he has shot his wife. Niela Horn Miller's song ‘Baby Don't Go to Town’ was recorded as a demo tape in 1962, but was not released until 2009 when it appeared on her album Songs of Leaving.
When Jimi Hendrix was exploring a more rock-oriented sound in New York City in 1966 with his group Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, ‘Hey Joe’ was one of the first songs he performed regularly. His arrangement used a slower tempo reminiscent of Tim Rose's recent single version, which he had heard on a juke box. Looking for musical acts to produce, Chas Chandler, the ex-bassist for the Animals, checked out Hendrix. By chance, the first song Hendrix performed during Chandler's visit was ‘Hey Joe’, a song Chandler was interested in promoting. As a result, Chandler decided to take Hendrix with him to England in September 1966, where he would subsequently turn the guitarist into a star.
Released in December 1966, Hendrix's version became a hit in the United Kingdom, entering the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in January 1967 and peaking at No. 6. The single was released in the United States on May 1, 1967, with the B-side ‘51st Anniversary’, but failed to chart. Nevertheless, it was listed at No. 201 on Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. In 2000, Total Guitar magazine ranked it as the 13th greatest cover version of all time. In 2009, it was named the 22nd greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. Far Out and American Songwriter both named it Hendrix's third-greatest song. In 2019, the British Phonographic Industry awarded ‘Hey Joe’ its Silver certification, signifying sales of over 200,000. However, it is unknown whether this applies to the original recording or a subsequent live version.
‘Hey Joe’ was the last song Hendrix performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and as such, it was also the final song of the whole festival. The song was performed after the crowd, comprising the 80,000 who had not yet left the festival, cheered for an encore.
Songwriters – Charlie Reid, Craig Reid
Producer – Pete Wingfield
SONG LYRICS
[Instrumental Intro][Verse 1]
Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand?
Hey Joe, I said, where you going with that gun in your hand?
[Verse 2]
I'm going down to shoot my old lady
You know, I caught her messing around with another man
I'm going down to shoot my old lady
You know, I caught her messing around with another man
And that ain't too cool
[Verse 3]
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down
You shot her down, now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your old lady down
You shot her down to the ground
[Verse 4]
Yes I did, I shot her
You know, I caught her messing around, messing around town
Yes I did, I shot her
You know, I caught my old lady messing around town
And I gave her the gun, I shot her!
[Guitar Solo/Bridge]
Hey Joe, alright
Shoot her one more time, baby
[Verse 5]
Hey Joe, where you going to run to now?
Where you going to run to?
Hey Joe, I said, where you going to run to now?
Where you, where you going to go?
Well, dig it
[Verse 6]
I'm going way down south
Way down to Mexico way, alright
I'm going way down south
Way down where I can be free
There's no one going to find me
[Verse 7]
Ain't no hangman going to
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe it right now, I got to go now
[Outro]
Hey Joe, you better run on down
Goodbye everybody, ow!
Hey Joe, run on down