Mulderrig, Blog #4 - Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner"

Like many people my age, I grew up hearing from my father and his brothers about the great rock shows they went to as teenagers coming of age in the 1960s. They boasted that the shows were louder and wilder than ever before. They hold these moments of their childhood in such high regard. However, one specific memory my Uncle Johnny loves to reminisce is his last day at Woodstock when Jimi Hendrix played his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. After getting his friends together, and "borrowing" the neighbors car, they traveled up state to a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. After being at the festival for nearly 72hrs, they began to think about heading home that Monday morning. Luckily, they ended up staying for the sole reason they couldn't miss an opportunity to see Jimi Hendrix play live. The story can (and has :)) go on all night. The point I am trying to make is Hendrix performance of the Star Spangled Banner is something that my uncle will never forget.

At this point in 1969, the Vietnam war was in full swing. Young men across the country were enlisting in the draft, most of whom were praying their number wouldn't be called. The war was widely reported on the evening news, and is considered the first televised war. For the first time in history, the images of death and destruction were being broadcasted straight into living rooms around the United States. People were getting a first-hand look at the horror and brutality of war. This is part of the reason the war was protested so adamantly.

I believe that if anyone else had played the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock they would have been booed off the stage... but not Hendrix. Instead of playing the song we all know, he completely reimagined the song and made it all his own. Hendrix, being a patriot himself, did not believe in the war. However, his love for his country never faded. I believe this was a sentiment many young people felt at the time. While many people did not agree with the Vietnam war efforts, we all had a common love and understanding for this country we call home. We didn't care who won or lost, we simply wanted our brothers and sons back home.

Hendrix performance of the Star Spangled Banner went on to be the anthem of Woodstock. Like any great piece of art, literature, or music, Hendrix's guitar melody inspired deeper thought; perhaps even some self-reflection. His rendition of the Star Spangled Banner should not be listened to as a song, but rather a piece of art that transcends music. It is a social, cultural, and political commentary all wrapped up in one of the greatest guitar solos of all time.

Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgyGJl_xm6o