| "Highway Chile" | |
|---|---|
| Single bythe Jimi Hendrix Experience | |
| A-side | "The Wind Cries Mary" |
| Released | May 5, 1967 (1967-05-05) |
| Recorded | April 3, 1967 |
| Studio | Olympic, London |
| Genre | Blues rock |
| Length | 3:32[1] |
| Label | Track |
| Songwriter(s) | Jimi Hendrix |
| Producer(s) | Chas Chandler |
"Highway Chile" (/tʃaɪl/CHAIL) is a song bythe Jimi Hendrix Experience, issued as theB-side to their 1967 third British single "The Wind Cries Mary". The song was written by vocalist and guitaristJimi Hendrix and titled to reflect his pronunciation of "child" without the "d" (a spelling subsequently used for "Voodoo Chile").
BiographersHarry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek describe it as "a joyful autobiographical stomp" about the pursuit of theAmerican Dream.[2] Matthew Greenwald ofAllmusic feels that the song is autobiographical: "It's easy to see that Hendrix was writing about himself here, and his life as a musician on the road in theR&B/soul 'Chitlin' Circuit', and forming his own unique vision and style."[3] He adds that musically, it is "A funky shuffle ... a great place for Hendrix's mid-tempo, R&B riffing, based on a blues pattern."[3]
The song is also included on several Hendrix compilations, such as the UK edition ofSmash Hits (1968),War Heroes (1972), andExperience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (1997).[4] The single was mixed inmonaural, while a truestereophonic version is included onThe Jimi Hendrix Experience box set (2000).
