| "Dolly Dagger" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1997 reissue single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single byJimi Hendrix | ||||
| from the albumRainbow Bridge | ||||
| B-side | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | |||
| Released | October 1971 (1971-10) | |||
| Recorded | July–August 1970 | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady, New York City | |||
| Genre | Funk rock | |||
| Length | 4:45 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter | Jimi Hendrix | |||
| Producers |
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| Jimi Hendrix U.S. singles chronology | ||||
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"Dolly Dagger" is a song written and recorded byJimi Hendrix. On October 9, 1971, it was released on the posthumous albumRainbow Bridge, followed by a single on October 23. Backed with a multi-tracked studio solo rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner", the single peaked at number 74 on theBillboard Hot 100, making it the last Hendrix single to appear on the mainBillboard chart.[1]
Biographers consider the song to be written about Hendrix's girlfriend Devon Wilson, with the song's name referencing her "concurrent relationship withMick Jagger".[2] The lyrics "she drinks her blood from a jagged edge" refer to a "party where Mick Jagger cut his finger, Wilson elbowed her way in to suck the blood off as Hendrix watched".[3]
TheRainbow Bridge album was used to fulfill managerMichael Jeffery's obligation to giveReprise Records a soundtrack album for the filmRainbow Bridge. Although labeled "Original Soundtrack", the album did not feature any music performed in the original film.[4] However, most of the tracks on the album were used as incidental music for the film. In 2020, the songs Hendrix performed during the filming were released on the two-CD setLive in Maui, including "Dolly Dagger", which opened the second set.[5]
Between July and September 1970, Hendrix occasionally played "Dolly Dagger" duringThe Cry of Love Tour.[6] A version recorded at theIsle of Wight Festival 1970 was included onBlue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight album and DVD. In a review forAllMusic, Sean Westergaard noted that "much of the new material was under-rehearsed for a live setting, giving some of the newer songs like 'Dolly Dagger' more of a jam feel".[7]
