Red House

Running about 13 minutes depending on the rendition, "Red House" is a scorching blues number where Hendrix sings about returning home to see his girl, who lives in a red house. When he gets there, his key won't work, and he realizes she doesn't live there anymore. Instead of wallowing in his misery, he turns back and decides to pay a visit to her sister.

According to the book Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight, Jimi worked up this song in New York City when he was still a struggling musician. He was staying in a friend's apartment that was decorated almost completely red, which gave him the lyrical inspiration for this song. There have been lots of rumors about the origin. These are the most pervasive: 1) One of his girlfriends in Seattle lived in a house painted red. 2) It comes from a Hopi legend about a mysterious red city.

This is a very intricate song that demonstrates Hendrix' mastery on guitar. It's one that earned him the respect of many musicians, including Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Gibbons says he was "completely turned upside down" when he heard it.