"Dolly Dagger" is a song written and recorded by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. On October 9, 1971, it was released on the posthumous album '' Rainbow Bridge'', followed by a single on October 23. Backed with a multi-tracked studio solo rendition of the "

Star Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

", the single peaked at number 74 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

, making it the last Hendrix single to appear on the main ''Billboard'' chart.

Lyrics

Biographers consider the song to be written about Hendrix's girlfriend Devon Wilson, with the song's name referencing her "concurrent relationship with

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

". The lyrics "she drinks her blood from a jagged edge" refer to a "party where Mick Jagger cut his finger, Wilson elbowed her way in to suck the blood off as Hendrix watched".

Performances and releases

The '' Rainbow Bridge'' album was used to fulfill manager

Michael Jeffery Major General Philip Michael Jeffery, (12 December 1937 – 18 December 2020) was a senior Australian Army officer and vice-regal representative. He was the 28th governor of Western Australia from 1993 to 2000, and the 24th governor-genera ...

's obligation to give

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

a soundtrack album for the film '' Rainbow Bridge''. Although labeled "Original Soundtrack", the album did not feature any music performed in the original film. However, most of the tracks on the album were used as incidental music for the film. In 2020, the songs Hendrix performed during the filming were released on the two-CD set '' Live in Maui'', including "Dolly Dagger", which opened the second set. Between July and September 1970, Hendrix occasionally played "Dolly Dagger" during

The Cry of Love Tour The Cry of Love Tour was a 1970 concert tour by American rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix. It began on April 25, 1970, at the The Forum (Inglewood, California), Forum in Inglewood, California, Inglewood, California, and ended on September ...

. A version recorded at the

Isle of Wight Festival 1970 The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 30 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the islan ...

was included on '' Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight'' album and DVD. In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Sean Westergaard noted that "much of the new material was under-rehearsed for a live setting, giving some of the newer songs like 'Dolly Dagger' more of a jam feel".

References

External links

Jimi Hendrix: "Dolly Dagger" on Vevo
(full song)
"Dolly Dagger": Behind the Scenes on Vevo
(Audio engineer

Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a South African-born recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, L ...

and others provide commentary on the recording) * {{authority control 1971 songs 1971 singles Jimi Hendrix songs Songs written by Jimi Hendrix Songs released posthumously Reprise Records singles Song recordings produced by Eddie Kramer Song recordings produced by Jimi Hendrix