Escrita por
Billy Roberts, foi gravada inicialmemte pelos The Leaves em 1965, em
compacto que tinha Be with You como Lado B, em novembro de 1965.
Hey Joe
conta a hist[ória de um cara que está fugindo pois atirou na sua
mulher infiel. Ele pretende ir pro México. Foi regravada logo pelos
Surfaris e pelos Byrds. No entanto, a versão que escolhemos foi a de
Jimi Hendrix, produzida por Chas Chandler, o grande baixista dos
Animals. Chandler foi o cara que descobriu Jimi Hendrix tocando em
cafés e o levou pra Inglaterra em setembro de 1966.
A versão de
Jimi Hendrix foi lançada em dezembro de 1966 e se tornou um hit no
Reino Unido, chegando ao número 6. Nos Estados Unidos, não entrou
nos charts. É a canção número 201 da lista da revista Rolling
Stone das 500 maiores canções de todos os tempos. VH1 diz que ela é
a vigésima segunda maior canção do rock and roll.
Hey Joe foi
a última canção que Jimi tocou no Festival de Woodstock, e assim,
a musica que encerrou o festival, em 1969.
Foi também
regravada por Cher em 1966, Wilson Pickett em 1969, Deep Purple em
1968, Patti Smith em 1974, Johnny Rivers em 1968, Soft Cell em 1983,
Seal em 1991, The Offspring em 1991, Robert Plant em 2002 e Charlotte
Gainsbourg em 2013, Red Hot Chilli Peppers em 2006, entre tantos
outros artistas.
A letra:
[1st verse
(Oo - backing vocals on each line)]
Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
Alright. I'm goin down to shoot my old lady,
you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man.
Yeah,! I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady,
you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man.
Huh! And that ain't too cool.
[2nd verse (Ah - backing vocal on each line)]
Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down,
you shot her down.
Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot you old lady down,
you shot her down to the ground. Yeah!
Yes, I did, I shot her,
you know I caught her messin' 'round,
messin' 'round town.
Uh, yes I did, I shot her
you know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town.
And I gave her the gun and I shot her!
Alright
(Ah! Hey Joe)
Shoot her one more time again, baby!
(Oo)
Yeah.
(Hey Joe!)
Ah, dig it!
(Hey)
Ah! Ah!
(Joe where you gonna go?)
Oh, alright.
[3rd verse]
Hey Joe, said now,
(Hey)
uh, where you gonna run to now, where you gonna run to?
Yeah.
(where you gonna go?)
Hey Joe, I said,
(Hey)
where you goin' to run
to now, where you, where you gonna go?
(Joe!)
Well, dig it!
I'm goin' way down south, way down south,
(Hey)
way down south to Mexico way! Alright!
(Joe)
I'm goin' way down south,
(Hey, Joe)
way down where I can be free!
(where you gonna...)
Ain't no one gonna find me babe!
(...go?)
Ain't no hangman gonna,
(Hey, Joe)
he ain't gonna put a rope around me!
(Joe where you gonna..)
You better believe it right now!
(...go?)
I gotta go now!
Hey, hey, hey Joe,
(Hey Joe)
you better run on down!
(where you gonna...)
Goodbye everybody. Ow!
(...go?)
Hey, hey Joe, what'd I say,
(Hey.......................Joe)
run on down.
(where you gonna go?)
Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
Alright. I'm goin down to shoot my old lady,
you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man.
Yeah,! I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady,
you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man.
Huh! And that ain't too cool.
[2nd verse (Ah - backing vocal on each line)]
Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down,
you shot her down.
Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot you old lady down,
you shot her down to the ground. Yeah!
Yes, I did, I shot her,
you know I caught her messin' 'round,
messin' 'round town.
Uh, yes I did, I shot her
you know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town.
And I gave her the gun and I shot her!
Alright
(Ah! Hey Joe)
Shoot her one more time again, baby!
(Oo)
Yeah.
(Hey Joe!)
Ah, dig it!
(Hey)
Ah! Ah!
(Joe where you gonna go?)
Oh, alright.
[3rd verse]
Hey Joe, said now,
(Hey)
uh, where you gonna run to now, where you gonna run to?
Yeah.
(where you gonna go?)
Hey Joe, I said,
(Hey)
where you goin' to run
to now, where you, where you gonna go?
(Joe!)
Well, dig it!
I'm goin' way down south, way down south,
(Hey)
way down south to Mexico way! Alright!
(Joe)
I'm goin' way down south,
(Hey, Joe)
way down where I can be free!
(where you gonna...)
Ain't no one gonna find me babe!
(...go?)
Ain't no hangman gonna,
(Hey, Joe)
he ain't gonna put a rope around me!
(Joe where you gonna..)
You better believe it right now!
(...go?)
I gotta go now!
Hey, hey, hey Joe,
(Hey Joe)
you better run on down!
(where you gonna...)
Goodbye everybody. Ow!
(...go?)
Hey, hey Joe, what'd I say,
(Hey.......................Joe)
run on down.
(where you gonna go?)
A versão de
Jimi Hendrix:
A versão de
Wilson Pickett:
A versão de
Seal com David Gilmour: