Spanish Castle Magic
Encyclopedia
"Spanish Castle Magic" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
. Written by Jimi Hendrix
and produced by Chas Chandler
, it is the third track from their second studio album Axis: Bold as Love
. Since the release of the album, it was a staple on their live shows.
). The Spanish Castle was built in the 1930s outside the city to avoid Seattle's then restrictive nightclub laws. By 1959 it began featuring top local rock groups, such as The Wailers
and occasional touring stars. Events at The Castle were hosted by Seattle's best known DJ of the time, Pat O'Day
. Jimi had the opportunity to play with other musicians at the club on several occasions.
Hendrix would later describe his frustration getting to the club, saying, "(The bass player) in the band had this beat-up car, and it would break down every other block, on the way there and back..." hence the line, "Takes 'bout a half a day to get there..." In the days when Jimi visited the club there was no freeway between Seattle and Des Moines, so the drive was much longer than today. It was not until the mid 1960s that Interstate 5 linked the two towns. The Spanish Castle was demolished in April 1968.
Rock critic Dave Marsh
said about the song “Once you know the legend of the Wailers at the Castle and the facts of Jimi’s attendance there, the lyrics of his ‘Spanish Castle Magic’ seem haunted by homesick nostalgia. ‘It’s very far away, it takes about half a day/to get there/if we travel by...dragonfly,’ he sings, in the voice of a kid stranded a couple continents from home.”
The song has a considerable following.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
. Written by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and produced by Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
, it is the third track from their second studio album Axis: Bold as Love
Axis: Bold as Love
Axis: Bold as Love is the second studio album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Under pressure from their record company to follow-up the successful debut of their May 1967 album Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love was released on Track Records in the UK in December 1967...
. Since the release of the album, it was a staple on their live shows.
Lyrics
The song was inspired by Jimi's high school days (roughly 1958-1961), when he regularly visited a dance hall called The Spanish Castle. The club was south of Seattle in what was then unincorporated King County (now Des Moines, WashingtonDes Moines, Washington
Des Moines is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 29,673 at the 2010 census. Property within the city has been the subject of land buyouts because of noise from aircraft landing or taking off from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport two miles to the north of...
). The Spanish Castle was built in the 1930s outside the city to avoid Seattle's then restrictive nightclub laws. By 1959 it began featuring top local rock groups, such as The Wailers
The Wailers (rock band)
The Wailers, often credited as The Fabulous Wailers, were an American rock band from Tacoma, Washington. They became popular around the United States Pacific Northwest around the late 1950s and the start of the 1960s, performing saxophone-driven R&B and Chuck Berry rock and roll...
and occasional touring stars. Events at The Castle were hosted by Seattle's best known DJ of the time, Pat O'Day
Pat O'Day
Pat O'Day is a Pacific Northwest broadcaster and promoter. He is probably best known as the afternoon drive personality at Seattle's KJR 950 in the 1960s, he would eventually become program director and general manager. He owned KYYX - FM 96.5 Radio in Seattle in the mid seventies and early...
. Jimi had the opportunity to play with other musicians at the club on several occasions.
Hendrix would later describe his frustration getting to the club, saying, "(The bass player) in the band had this beat-up car, and it would break down every other block, on the way there and back..." hence the line, "Takes 'bout a half a day to get there..." In the days when Jimi visited the club there was no freeway between Seattle and Des Moines, so the drive was much longer than today. It was not until the mid 1960s that Interstate 5 linked the two towns. The Spanish Castle was demolished in April 1968.
Rock critic Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
said about the song “Once you know the legend of the Wailers at the Castle and the facts of Jimi’s attendance there, the lyrics of his ‘Spanish Castle Magic’ seem haunted by homesick nostalgia. ‘It’s very far away, it takes about half a day/to get there/if we travel by...dragonfly,’ he sings, in the voice of a kid stranded a couple continents from home.”
The song has a considerable following.
Music
The music alternates between aggressive, thickly textured guitar lines during the intro, choruses, and solos, and a riff played in rhythmic lock step by guitar, drum and bass during the verses.Covers
- Guitarist Carlos SantanaSantana (band)Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
- Finnish band Hay and Stone
- Guitarist Yngwie J. MalmsteenYngwie J. MalmsteenYngwie Johann Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Malmsteen became known for his neo-classical playing approach in heavy metal music which became a new musical style in the early 1980s.- Early life :...
,who performed the song live on his album Trial by Fire - MDCMDC (band)MDC is an American hardcore punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979. The band were subsequently based in San Francisco, California, and are currently based in Portland, Oregon. MDC originally formed as The Stains before changing their name...
recorded a cover of "Spanish Castle Magic" on their album, Millions of Dead Cops/More Dead Cops - Spin DoctorsSpin DoctorsSpin Doctors is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits, "Two Princes," and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #7 & #17 respectively....
covered the song on the 1993 album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi HendrixStone Free: A Tribute to Jimi HendrixStone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 1993 album recorded by various artists in tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The artists were drawn from many genres of popular music. Contributors include his classic rock contemporaries Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, blues man Buddy Guy, classical violinist Nigel...
. - Hiram BullockHiram BullockHiram Law Bullock was an American jazz funk and jazz fusion guitarist.He was born in Osaka, Japan to African American parents serving in the U.S. Military. At the age of two he returned to Baltimore, Maryland with his parents, and quickly showed a prodigious musical talent...
covered the song on his World of Collision album.
Appearances
- Because the Hendrix estate did not want Hendrix's distinct voice to be impersonated, a cover instrumental version is featured in Guitar Hero.
- Master recording is downloadable content for Rock BandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. - It is featured in As Good as It GetsAs Good as It GetsAs Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Laura Ziskin. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The screenplay was...
.
External links
- http://pnwbands.com/spanishcastle.htmlInformation about The Spanish Castle in Des Moines, WashingtonDes Moines, WashingtonDes Moines is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 29,673 at the 2010 census. Property within the city has been the subject of land buyouts because of noise from aircraft landing or taking off from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport two miles to the north of...
, a legendary Seattle area dance hall where Jimi Hendrix gave some of his earliest performances] - More information about The Spanish Castle and Jimi Hendrix's early days