Handwritten Lyrics by Jimi Hendrix for the Song "Love or Confusion" / Hand-drawn Illustration by Jimi Hendrix and Kathy Etchingham

Jimi Hendrix handwrote this early version of the lyrics for his song “Love or Confusion” in late 1966 in now-faded red ink on one side of a sheet of Hyde Park Towers hotel stationary. On the reverse, Jimi and his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham drew a cartoon version of Hendrix surrounded by personalities from the London music scene. 

Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who gained mainstream prominence in the late 1960s with hits such as “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” “All Along the Watchtower,” and “Fire,” and is now celebrated as one of the most influential electric guitarists of all time. 

Jimi Hendrix and Kathy Etchingham lived in the Hyde Park Towers hotel from the day he arrived in London on September 24, 1966 until December 6, 1966, when they moved to 34 Montagu Square. These lyrics evolved into the final version of “Love or Confusion,” recorded at De Lane Lea Studios on November 24, 1966 and released on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album, Are You Experienced? on May 12, 1967. 

According to Kathy Etchingham, the cartoon on the reverse side of the lyric sheet was primarily illustrated by Jimi, while she advised on what to include and added elements of her own. Based on the content, it is likely the cartoon was completed early to mid-1967, several months after Hendrix had penned the lyrics on the opposite side. It features several details that defined Hendrix at the time, including his Bob Dylan-esque hair, military jacket, Iron Cross necklace, heeled boots, and Marshall amplifier stack. It emphasizes Hendrix’s rising status in the London Scene, making comic reference to managers Chas Chandler and Mike Jeffery, road manager Gerry Stickells, and musicians Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Zoot Money, the Small Faces, the Who, and the Beatles.