Hey Joe

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For other uses, see Hey Joe (disambiguation).

"Hey Joe"
The Leaves - Hey Joe.jpg
The Leaves' third release of "Hey Joe"
Single by the Leaves
B-side
  • "Be With You" (1st pressing)
  • "Girl From The East" (2nd pressing)
  • "Funny Little World" (3rd pressing)
Released
  • November 1965 (1965-11)
  • April 1966
GenreHard rock[1]
Length2:40
LabelMira
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Norm Ratner
The Leaves singles chronology
"Love Minus Zero"
(1965) 		"Hey Joe"
(1965) 		"You Better Move On"
(1965)

"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.[2] The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting his unfaithful wife.[3] In 1962, Billy Roberts registered "Hey Joe" for copyright in the United States.[4]

In late 1965, Los Angeles garage band 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.[5] In October 1966, Jimi Hendrix recorded "Hey Joe" for his first single with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.[6] Their version became a hit in the UK.

Authorship[]

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.[4] 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.[4] 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 (later Miller), which uses a similar chord progression based on the circle of fifths;[7][8] 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.[9] 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 LP Songs of Leaving.[10]

The lyrics to "Little Sadie" often locate the events in Thomasville, North Carolina, and "down in" Jericho, South Carolina (a large rice plantation in the lowlands);[11][12] Roberts was born in South Carolina. Variations of "Little Sadie" have been recorded under various titles (including "Bad Lee Brown", "Penitentiary Blues", "Cocaine Blues", "Whiskey Blues") by many artists, including Clarence Ashley (1930),[13] Johnny Cash (1960 and 1968), Slim Dusty (1961),[14] and Bob Dylan (1970). Some versions change the southbound location from Jericho (South Carolina) to Mexico.

Billy Roberts performed "Hey Joe" regularly in the late 1950s and early 1960s, without copyrighting it, and some other performers including Pete Seeger recognised that it had been developed from Niela Miller's song. In 1962, Roberts registered the song as his composition at the Library of Congress, and recorded a demo tape of it. Niela Miller separately registered some of her songs, including "Baby, Please Don’t Go to Town". Seeger offered to testify on her behalf so she could claim part of the credit for "Hey Joe", but this was not pursued. Roberts also played the song when touring with his friend Dino Valenti. When Valenti moved to California in 1963 he began performing it himself, and copyrighted it in Los Angeles as his own composition.[7]

Roberts later regained the composing credit, but a share of the publishing income was retained by the Los Angeles publishing company.[7] Other sources (including singer Pat Craig) claim that Roberts assigned the rights to the song to his friend Valenti while Valenti was in jail, in order to give him some income upon release.[15] Rights to the song were administered from 1966 into the 2000s by the music publisher Third Story Music (now Third Palm Music); there the author is listed as Billy Roberts.[16]

Singer Tim Rose recorded the song in 1966, and it was credited as a traditional song. No documentary evidence has been forthcoming to support an assertion that "Hey Joe" is a wholly traditional work.[17] Rose later told writer Richie Unterberger that he had learned the song in 1960 from folk singer Vince Martin.[7]

Early recordings (1965–1966)[]

Roberts' song gained fans in the Los Angeles music scene of the mid-1960s, which led to fast-paced recordings in 1965 and 1966 by the Leaves, the Standells, the Surfaris, Love, the Music Machine, and the Byrds, swiftly making the song a garage rock classic.[5] Both Valenti and the Byrds' David Crosby have been reported as helping to popularize the song before it was recorded by the Leaves in December 1965.[18]

The Leaves, who had been introduced to the song while attending performances by the Byrds (who had yet to record their own version of the song) at Ciro's in Los Angeles,[18] recorded and released three versions of "Hey Joe" between 1965 and 1966.[3] Their first version was released in November/December 1965, but sold poorly.[5] The band's third recorded version of the song became a hit in May/June 1966, reaching No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100[5] chart and No. 29 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. The Leaves' version is notable for being the only recording of the song to reach the Top 40 of the Billboard chart.[3]

The Surfaris’ recording of the song, released on the B-side of its "So Get Out" single, is sometimes cited as being the first rock recording of the song,[19] but a number of reliable sources contend that the Surfaris' version dates from 1966, well after the Leaves' original 1965 version.[20][21] There is some dispute over exactly when the Surfaris' recording of the song was released. Some sources list its release date as being late 1965[19] and other sources list it as being June 1966.[22]

Three other Los Angeles bands recorded the song in 1966: the Standells with the title "Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go", included it on their 1966 Dirty Water album;[23] the Music Machine recorded a slow, moody, fuzz-laden version of the song in late 1966;[24] and Love included a version on their debut album, Love, recorded in January 1966 and released on Elektra Records in April.[25] Love's Bryan MacLean was introduced to the song by David Crosby during 1965, while MacLean had been a roadie for the Byrds.[18] Love's lead vocalist, Arthur Lee, claimed in later years that it was Love's version that turned Jimi Hendrix on to the song as well as most of the other Los Angeles acts who covered the song.[26] Love's recording of "Hey Joe" features slightly different lyrics than most versions of the song; for example, the lyric "gun in your hand" became "money in your hand" in Love's version. The Byrds recording of the song also features the same altered lyrics as Love's version. Love guitarist Johnny Echols claims that Love's and the Byrds' lyrics are the authentic ones. According to Echols, the Leaves (with whom they were friends) had heard Love performing the song and asked them for the lyrics. He rewrote them to play the Leaves a "dirty trick", accidentally authoring the version that everybody got to know.[27]

The Byrds version[]

"Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)"
Song by the Byrds
from the album Fifth Dimension
ReleasedJuly 18, 1966 (1966-07-18)
RecordedApril 28, 1966
StudioColumbia, Hollywood
GenreRock
Length2:17
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Roberts
Producer(s)Allen Stanton

The Byrds included a recording of the song, titled "Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)", on their 1966 album, Fifth Dimension.[18] The lead vocalist on the Byrds' version was David Crosby, who was instrumental in bringing the song to the group and in popularizing the song within the larger L.A. music community.[18] Crosby had wanted to record the song almost since the band first formed in 1964 but the other members of the Byrds had been unenthusiastic about the song.[18] By the time of the recording sessions for Fifth Dimension, several other bands had enjoyed success with covers of "Hey Joe", leaving Crosby angered by his bandmates' lack of faith in the song. Byrds' guitarist and band leader Roger McGuinn recalled in an interview that "The reason Crosby did lead (vocal) on 'Hey Joe' was because it was his song. He didn't write it but he was responsible for finding it. He'd wanted to do it for years but we would never let him. Then both Love and the Leaves had a minor hit with it and David got so angry that we had to let him do it."[15]

General consensus within the band and among critics was that the Byrds' version wasn't an entirely successful reading of the song and was inferior to previous recordings of the song by Love and the Leaves.[28] In later years, both McGuinn and the band's manager, Jim Dickson, criticised Crosby's vocal performance on the song for not being powerful enough to carry the aggressive subject matter and expressed regret that the song had been included on Fifth Dimension. Crosby himself later admitted that the recording of the song was an error on his part, stating "It was a mistake, I shouldn't have done it. Everybody makes mistakes."[18]

The song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds' live concert repertoire during 1966 and 1967.[18] The band also included the song in their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, which is included on the 2002 The Complete Monterey Pop Festival DVD box set as well as on the 1992 The Monterey International Pop Festival CD box set.[29]

Tim Rose and Jimi Hendrix (1966)[]

"Hey Joe"
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe.jpg
1967 American picture sleeve
Single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
B-side"Stone Free"
ReleasedDecember 16, 1966 (1966-12-16)
RecordedOctober 23, 1966
StudioDe Lane Lea, London
GenreBlues rock[30]
Length3:30
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Billy Roberts
Producer(s)Chas Chandler
The Jimi Hendrix Experience singles chronology
"Hey Joe"
(1966) 		"Purple Haze"
(1967)

Folk rock singer Tim Rose’s slower version of the song (recorded in 1966 and claimed to be Rose's arrangement of a wholly traditional song)[citation needed] inspired the first single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.[6] The ex-bassist for the Animals, Chas Chandler, who was now focusing on managing other acts, had also seen Rose performing the song at the Cafe Wha? in New York City and was looking for an artist to record a rock version of "Hey Joe".[31][32] Chandler discovered Jimi Hendrix, who had also been playing at the Cafe Wha? in 1966 and performing an arrangement of "Hey Joe" inspired by Rose's rendition.[32] Chandler decided to take Hendrix with him to England in September 1966, where he would subsequently turn the guitarist into a star.[31] Rose re-recorded "Hey Joe" in the 1990s, re-titling it "Blue Steel .44"[33] and again claimed the song as his own arrangement of a traditional song.

Some accounts credit the slower version of the song by the British band the Creation as being the inspiration for Hendrix's version; Chandler and Hendrix saw them perform the song after Hendrix arrived in the UK, although the Creation's version was not released until after Hendrix's.[34] It is unclear if the members of the Creation had heard Tim Rose's version.

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.[35] The single was released in the United States on May 1, 1967 with the B-side "51st Anniversary", but failed to chart. Nevertheless, "Hey Joe" as recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with backing vocals by the Breakaways, remains the best-known version of the song[6] and is listed as No. 201 on Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[36] In 2000, Total Guitar magazine ranked it as the 13th greatest cover version of all time.[37] In 2009, it was named the 22nd greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.[38] "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.[39]

Later recordings / live performances (1967–present)[]

Cher recorded a version of "Hey Joe" on Imperial Records in late 1966, which peaked at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was included on her 1967 album, With Love, Chér. An AllMusic review noted that her version "makes for some fun" but was "not so spectacular" and "clearly the wrong material for this great singer."[40]

French singer Johnny Hallyday covered the song in French in 1966. His version reached No. 2 in Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium).[41]

Marmalade recorded a version of the song in 1968 because they needed a B-side to their single "Lovin' Things" in a hurry, and because they thought it was a traditional song and as such, the band would get the songwriting royalties from it.[42] Marmalade guitarist Junior Campbell stated in interview that "Jimi Hendrix's version had already sold about 200,000 copies and then we sold about 300,000 on the flip of 'Lovin' Thing'. But then the following year, the bloke who'd written the bloody song suddenly turned up out of the woodwork!".[42]

Frank Zappa recorded a parody of the song, titled "Flower Punk", on the Mothers of Invention album We're Only in It for the Money in 1968.[43] The song was one of several on the album that parodied the fashionable hippie lifestyle. Lyrics in Zappa's version included "Hey Punk, where you goin' with that flower in your hand?/Well, I'm goin' up to Frisco to join a psychedelic band."[44][45]

Wilson Pickett released a version of the song that reached No. 59 on the US Hot 100 in August 1969,[46] No. 29 on the US R&B chart, No. 42 on the Canadian RPM magazine chart, and No. 16 on the UK chart. His version featured Duane Allman on guitar.

Patti Smith released a cover of "Hey Joe" as the A-side of her first single, backed with "Piss Factory", in 1974. Her version is unique in that she includes a brief and salacious monologue about fugitive heiress Patty Hearst and her kidnapping and participation with the Symbionese Liberation Army.[47] Smith's version portrays Hearst as Joe with a "gun in her hand".[47]

Willy DeVille recorded a mariachi-style version of the song for his 1992 album Backstreets of Desire, it became a hit for him in Europe, reaching no. 1 in Spain and France.

Charlotte Gainsbourg performed the song on the soundtrack of Lars Von Trier's film Nymphomaniac, in which she starred as a character named Joe.[48]

1,881 guitarists played "Hey Joe" in Wrocław on May 1, 2007, setting what was, at the time, a new Guinness record.

1,572 guitarists played "Hey Joe" simultaneously in the town square of Wrocław, Poland on May 1, 2006, breaking a Guinness record. A new record was set when 1,881 guitarists played "Hey Joe" in Wrocław on May 1, 2007. Then on May 1, 2008, 1,951 guitarists played "Hey Joe" in Wrocław to set a new world record. The record was further broken in Wrocław on May 1, 2009, when 6,346 guitarists played the song in the same venue.[citation needed] A new record was set on May 1, 2012, when 7,273 guitarists turned out in Wrocław.[49]

References[]

  1. ^ Eder, Bruce. "The Leaves: Hey Joe – Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  2. ^ Hicks, Michael (2000). Sixties Rock: Garage, Psychedelic, and Other Satisfactions. University of Illinois Press. p. 55. ISBN 0-252-06915-3.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Hey Joe". Tom Simon's Rock-and-Roll Page. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Webb, Robert (January 24, 2003). "Double Take: 'Hey Joe', Tim Rose/Jimi Hendrix". The Independent. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Stax, Mike (1998). Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 (CD box set liner notes).
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ward, Thomas. "Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hey Joe – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Tom Leonardi, "Folk Music, the Musical Industrial Complex, and “Hey Joe.”, KZFR.org, September 4, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2020
  8. ^ Gene Santoro, ""The Weird, Tangled Story of "Hey Joe"", MusicAficionado.com. Retrieved 16 June 2020
  9. ^ Beissel, Kim (2004). Original Seeds Vol. 2: Songs That Inspired Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (CD liner notes).
  10. ^ Patrick Sullivan, Review of Songs of Leaving, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020
  11. ^ "Little Sadie a.k.a. Bad Lee Brown, East St. Louis Blues, Late One Night, Penitentiary Blues". Mudcat.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
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  13. ^ "Classic Old-Time Music from Smithsonian Folkways". Folkways Records. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  14. ^ "Latest Releases". Slim Dusty Home Page. Archived from the original on October 13, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Rogan, Johnny (1996). Fifth Dimension (CD liner notes). The Byrds.
  16. ^ "Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go legal copyright". BMI. Archived from the original on December 30, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
  17. ^ Tim Rose made a similar claim regarding the authorship of "Morning Dew".
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Hicks, Michael (2000). Sixties Rock: Garage, Psychedelic, and Other Satisfactions. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06915-3.
  20. ^ "The Leaves biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  21. ^ Joynson, Vernon (1997). Fuzz, Acid and Flowers (4th ed.). Borderline Productions. ISBN 1-899855-06-8.
  22. ^ Wipe Out: The Singles Album 1963–67 (LP liner notes)). 1987.
  23. ^ Unterbereger, Richie. "The Standells: Dirty Water – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  24. ^ "(Turn On) The Music Machine – Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  25. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Love – Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  26. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (2001). Arthur Lee: Alone Again Or (Mojo Heroes). MOJO Books. ISBN 1-84195-085-8.
  27. ^ Sandoval, Andrew (2003). Love (CD liner notes)).
  28. ^ Fricke, David (1996). Fifth Dimension (CD liner notes)).
  29. ^ "The Monterey International Pop Festival box set review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  30. ^ Talevski, Nick (2006). Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 266. ISBN 978-1846090912. Dubbed The Jimi Hendrix Experience, the group enjoyed a British hit, a blues-rock cover of the folk standard, 'Hey Joe', which was followed by...
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b "Chas Chandler – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Welch, Chris (July 18, 1996). "Chas Chandler Obituary". The Independent. London. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  33. ^ "Haunted track listing". The Official Tim Rose Website. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  34. ^ "The Creation: We Are Paintermen – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  35. ^ Brown, Tony (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
  36. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (101–200)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  37. ^ "The Best Cover Versions Ever". Total Guitar. Future Publishing. August 2000.
  38. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  39. ^ "Jimi Hendrix – Live at Woodstock review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  40. ^ Viglione, Joe. "Cher: With Love, Cher – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  41. ^ Ultratop.be - Johnny Hallyday - "Hey Joe"
  42. ^ Jump up to: a b Dopson, Roger (2003). I See The Rain: The CBS Years (CD liner notes).
  43. ^ "Flower Punk review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  44. ^ "Flower Punk lyrics". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  45. ^ "Show 42 - The Acid Test: Psychedelics and a sub-culture emerge in San Francisco". Digital.library.unt.edu. July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  46. ^ Billboard, August 9, 1969, p. 102.
  47. ^ Jump up to: a b "Patti Smith – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  48. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (December 13, 2013). "Listen: Charlotte Gainsbourg's Cover of "Hey Joe" for "Nymphomaniac," Produced by Beck". Indywire. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  49. ^ "Jimi Hendrix Tribute Breaks Guinness Record for Largest Guitar Ensemble". guitarworld.com. Retrieved July 4, 2012.

Sources[]

  • Sixties Rock, Michael Hicks, University of Illinois Press, 2000
  • Original Seeds Vol. 2: Songs that inspired Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Kim Beissel, CD liner notes, Rubber Records Australia, 2004

External links[]

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