Are You Experienced cover art

  Studio Album · No. 1

Are You Experienced

1967 Track / Reprise 11 tracks 39 min

Produced by Chas Chandler  ·  Engineered by Eddie Kramer, Dave Siddle, Mike Ross

Track / Reprise Psychedelic RockHard RockAcid RockBlues
91%
Authorship
Artist

Jimi Hendrix wrote 10 of 11 documented tracks

Authorship Breakdown 10 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Jimi Hendrix carries a lyricist or composer credit.

91%
10 trackswritten by Jimi Hendrix 1 trackoutside writers
Jimi Hendrix's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist91%
Composer91%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

11
Tracks
2
Lyricists
2
Producers
6 million
US Copies Sold
1967
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Library of Congress National Recording Registry (2005, Inducted)
Data Insight

Jimi Hendrix wrote ten of the eleven songs on Are You Experienced, the only exception being 'Hey Joe,' a cover of Billy Roberts's folk-blues standard. He handled both the lyrics and the music throughout, from 'Purple Haze' and 'Foxey Lady' to the gentler 'The Wind Cries Mary,' making the debut almost entirely his own composition. Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell played on the record but contributed no songs, so the authorship sits squarely with Hendrix.

Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in May 1967 on Track Records in the UK and August 1967 on Reprise Records in the US. The album shattered conventions from its opening seconds: 'Purple Haze,' 'Foxey Lady,' and 'Fire' announced a guitarist whose command of feedback, whammy bar, and overdrive had no precedent in rock. Hendrix wrote ten of the album's eleven songs, 'Hey Joe,' a cover of Billy Roberts's folk-blues song, is the sole exception, demonstrating an originality of both vision and execution that stood apart from anything else in the genre. Tracks like 'The Wind Cries Mary' and 'May This Be Love' showed a more melodic and introspective side, while 'Third Stone from the Sun' pointed toward the studio experimentation that would define Electric Ladyland. Produced by Chas Chandler with directness and energy that captures the trio's live intensity, Are You Experienced is consistently ranked among the greatest debut albums ever made.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Purple Haze #3
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
2
Manic Depression
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
3
Hey Joe #6
Billy Roberts Billy Roberts Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
4
Love or Confusion
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
5
May This Be Love
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
6
I Don't Live Today
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
7
The Wind Cries Mary #6
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
8
Fire
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
9
Third Stone from the Sun
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
10
Foxey Lady
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)
11
Are You Experienced?
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix Chas ChandlerJimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (Guitar, Lead Vocals)Noel Redding (Bass)Mitch Mitchell (Drums)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

More from Jimi Hendrix

Frequently Asked Questions Are You Experienced

When did Jimi Hendrix release Are You Experienced?
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released Are You Experienced on May 12, 1967 in the United Kingdom through Track Records, followed by an August 1967 United States release on Reprise Records. The US edition reordered the tracks and added the hit singles 'Purple Haze,' 'Hey Joe,' and 'The Wind Cries Mary.'
Did Jimi Hendrix write Are You Experienced himself?
Yes, Jimi Hendrix wrote ten of the album's eleven songs, both the words and the music. The only track he did not write is 'Hey Joe,' a cover of a folk-blues song credited to Billy Roberts.
Who wrote Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix?
'Purple Haze' was written entirely by Jimi Hendrix. It was one of the Experience's early UK singles, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart, and opens the US edition of Are You Experienced.
Who wrote Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix?
'Hey Joe' was written by Billy Roberts, not by Jimi Hendrix, making it the only song on Are You Experienced that Hendrix did not compose. Hendrix's recording was the Experience's debut single and reached number six on the UK Singles Chart.
Who produced Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix?
Are You Experienced was produced by Chas Chandler, the former Animals bassist who discovered Hendrix and brought him to London. Eddie Kramer, Dave Siddle, and Mike Ross worked as engineers on the sessions.
How many copies did Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix sell?
Are You Experienced sold more than one million copies within seven months of its US release and is certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA in the United States. It was certified Gold by the BPI in the United Kingdom.

Sources