"Manic Depression" is a song written by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and recorded by

the Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

in 1967. Music critic William Ruhlmann describes the lyrics as "more an expression of romantic frustration than the clinical definition of manic depression." The song is performed in an uptempo

triple metre Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , , ...

. It also features

Mitch Mitchell John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard' ''T ...

's jazz-influenced drumming.Mitchell based the drum part on

Ronnie Stephenson Ronnie Stephenson (26 January 1937 – 8 August 2002) was an England, English jazz drummer. He was one of the most in-demand drummers on the British jazz scene in the 1960s. Biography Stephenson was born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sunderlan ...

's drumming on

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

's "African Waltz". and a parallel guitar and bass line. "Manic Depression" is included on the Experience's debut album, ''

Are You Experienced ''Are You Experienced'' is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album feature ...

'' (1967). Recordings of live performances have been released on '' BBC Sessions'' (1998) and ''

Winterland Winterland Ballroom (more commonly known as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland) was an ice skating rink and music venue in San Francisco, California. The arena was located at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street. It was converted for ...

'' (2011). Ruhlmann notes renditions by

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

with

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

on '' Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix'' (1993) and

King's X King's X is an American rock band that originated in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri. They were first called The Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact for m ...

on '' Dogman'' (1994). The canadian band

Nomeansno Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia and later relocated to Vancouver. They issued 11 albums, including a collaborative album with Jello Biafra, a ...

included a cover of the song in their EP ''

You Kill Me ''You Kill Me'' is 2007 crime comedy film directed by John Dahl and starring Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni, Luke Wilson, and Dennis Farina. Plot Frank Falenczyk is a hit man for his Polish mob family in Buffalo, New York. He has a drinking probl ...

''. A live version is also featured in the bootleg ''Live in Warsaw.''

References

{{authority control 1967 songs Songs written by Jimi Hendrix The Jimi Hendrix Experience songs Song recordings produced by Chas Chandler