Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix's 'Bold As Love' is a vibrant exploration of the human emotional spectrum, using colors as metaphors for different feelings and states of being. The song is a track from his 1967 album 'Axis: Bold as Love' and showcases Hendrix's poetic lyricism and virtuosic guitar skills. The lyrics personify emotions as characters in a vivid, almost psychedelic landscape, reflecting the era's fascination with consciousness expansion and emotional depth.

The song begins with 'ANGER,' personified in 'shiny metallic purple armour,' setting a tone of intensity. 'Queen Jealousy' and her 'fiery green gown' follow, suggesting the destructive nature of envy. Hendrix then moves through other colors, each representing a different emotion. Blue symbolizes the life-giving essence of water, taken for granted, while turquoise armies symbolize peace, questioning the need for conflict. The chorus, 'But they're all bold as love,' suggests that all these emotions, despite their differences, are powerful and essential parts of the human experience.

Hendrix's use of color to describe emotions is particularly striking in the lines about red, orange, and yellow. Red is confident, displaying 'trophies of war,' while orange is daring yet unstable, and yellow, typically associated with happiness, is here 'not so mellow' and frightened. The song concludes with a personal reflection, as Hendrix admits that his own emotions prevent him from fully embracing life ('Giving my life to a rainbow like you'). Yet, he affirms his boldness, paralleling the boldness of love, and invites the listener to 'Just ask the axis,' possibly referring to the central point around which his world and emotions revolve.