Up from the Skies
Encyclopedia
"Up from the Skies" is a song by English/American psychedelic rock
band The Jimi Hendrix Experience
, featured on their 1967 second album Axis: Bold as Love
. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Jimi Hendrix
, the song details the experience of a specimen of extraterrestrial life
returning to Earth and displaying concern with the damage caused by the human beings living there. It was released as the only single from Axis: Bold as Love, in the United States and France only, and reached number 82 on the Billboard
Hot 100
singles chart.
in London. Music website allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald described the song as "Musically, [...] a breezy, jazz
-based stroll, and it's quite different from anything on his debut album
." The musical style of the song was noted in popular Hendrix biography Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy as boasting an "easy triplet jazz feel," bringing attention to the "delicate wah-wah and Mitch [Mitchell, The Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer]'s brush-work."
The lyrical content of the song is said to be articulated from the perspective of a visiting alien "concerned about what has happened to [Earth] since the last time he passed through." Greenwald suggests that this motif is adopted to "[address] the older generation and their flaws and judgements against the youth of the 1960s," which Hendrix supposedly does "with a sense of idle curiosity rather than distaste, not unlike an alien visiting the planet Earth for the first time."
, critic Parke Puterbaugh identified the song as an effective opening song for the album, suggesting that ""Up From the Skies," the mission statement
of Axis: Bold As Love, [...] [draws] the ear into an album that wanted to take you higher, past gravity or limits of any kind." Reviewer Cub Koda, for allmusic, summarised the song as a "spacy rocker."
Additional personnel
ed by a number of artists, mainly on cover and tribute album
s. Artists who have covered the song include Sting, Ellen McIlwaine
, Joan Jett
and The Blackhearts, Rickie Lee Jones
and The Hamsters
.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band The Jimi Hendrix Experience
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...
, featured on their 1967 second 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...
. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, the song details the experience of a specimen of extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
returning to Earth and displaying concern with the damage caused by the human beings living there. It was released as the only single from Axis: Bold as Love, in the United States and France only, and reached number 82 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart.
Background and style
"Up From the Skies" was recorded on 29 October 1967, the last day of recording for the album, at Olympic Sound StudiosOlympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
in London. Music website allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald described the song as "Musically, [...] a breezy, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-based stroll, and it's quite different from anything on his debut album
Are You Experienced
Are You Experienced is the debut album by English/American rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, it was the first LP for Track Records...
." The musical style of the song was noted in popular Hendrix biography Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy as boasting an "easy triplet jazz feel," bringing attention to the "delicate wah-wah and Mitch [Mitchell, The Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer]'s brush-work."
The lyrical content of the song is said to be articulated from the perspective of a visiting alien "concerned about what has happened to [Earth] since the last time he passed through." Greenwald suggests that this motif is adopted to "[address] the older generation and their flaws and judgements against the youth of the 1960s," which Hendrix supposedly does "with a sense of idle curiosity rather than distaste, not unlike an alien visiting the planet Earth for the first time."
Reception
Despite being less commercially successful than previous singles, "Up from the Skies" was generally well-received critically. For magazine Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, critic Parke Puterbaugh identified the song as an effective opening song for the album, suggesting that ""Up From the Skies," the mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
of Axis: Bold As Love, [...] [draws] the ear into an album that wanted to take you higher, past gravity or limits of any kind." Reviewer Cub Koda, for allmusic, summarised the song as a "spacy rocker."
Personnel
The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Noel ReddingNoel ReddingNoel Redding was an English rock and roll guitarist best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Biography:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mitch MitchellMitch MitchellJohn Ronald "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Early life and the Jimi Hendrix Experience:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, brushBrushA brush is a tool with bristles, wire or other filaments, used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools known to mankind, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties...
es
Additional personnel
- Chas ChandlerChas ChandlerBryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Eddie KramerEddie KramerEdwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
– engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Cover versions
"Up from the Skies" has been coverCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
ed by a number of artists, mainly on cover and tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
s. Artists who have covered the song include Sting, Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for her career as a slide guitarist.-Biography:...
, Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
and The Blackhearts, Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
and The Hamsters
The Hamsters
The Hamsters are a band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, on 1 April 1987. They initially played in local pubs with no ambitions to take themselves seriously or to turn professional...
.