Talk:If 6 Was 9/Archive 1

Drug overdose
Hendrix's subsequent death from a drug overdose in 1970.[7] Should we not stress the fact he did not die from a recreative drug overdose, but from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Maxwelldewitte (talk • contribs) 00:46, 26 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, you are right, I just took another look at the source. &mdash;Viriditas | Talk 02:57, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with Image:Axiscover.jpg
The image Image:Axiscover.jpg is used in this article under a claim of fair use, but it does not have an adequate explanation for why it meets the requirements for such images when used here. In particular, for each page the image is used on, it must have an explanation linking to that page which explains why it needs to be used on that page. Please check


 * That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
 * That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Media copyright questions. --11:03, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Cover versions
This section needs a reference indicating why these versions are notable. Viriditas (talk) 23:21, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

Easy Rider
More information about its use in the film would be appreciated. Viriditas (talk) 23:27, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

Need to add:




 * Easy Rider was the first film to use a rock soundtrack.(Segalstad 2009, p.118) Dennis Hopper chose "If 6 Was 9" from his personal record collection. (verify) Viriditas (talk) 13:11, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

Lost recording
Article should mention that the original master recording was lost by Hendrix in a taxi. (Roby 2002, pp.79-80) Viriditas (talk) 13:30, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

Homage to CSN
Barry Farber (2007) wonders if Hendrix was paying homage to "Almost Cut My Hair" by Crosby Stills and Nash. Viriditas (talk) 14:07, 6 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Update: I'm not sure how this is possible since "Almost Cut My Hair" was released three years after "If 6 Was 9", if I'm not mistaken. Viriditas (talk) 14:20, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

OR removed

 * The title, "If 6 was 9", may stem from the fact that an inverted figure 6 becomes a 9, and reflects many of the lyrics in the song, which assert that even if basic things about the world were suddenly completely different, the narrator intends to continue living his life uninfluenced by outside forces.


 * However, it is quite likely that the title was a joke intended for other musicians. The song's structure makes heavy use of 6/9 chords.  6/9 chords are triads to which both the 6th and 9th tone are added.  The resulting sound is lush and complex.  The 6/9 chords are frequently used by jazz artists.


 * The lyric "if the 6, turned out to be 9" may also refer to the London news media's prime concerns of the day. First comes the Economic Common Market expansion from 6 to 9 states. This reflects a major topic of discussion in the UK (London) news media in 1967.  Charles de Gaule, the President of France, was vetoing the UK application to enter the Common Market.  The expansion from the original 6 (the "Six": France, West Germany, Italy, Holland, Belguim, Luxumberg) to 9 (the "Nine" added the UK, Ireland, Denmark) ultimately took place on 1 January, 1973. It would be quite likely that Hendrix would say "I don't mind" to this prime topic of great concern to the business and political elites.  Then his next line says "If all the hippies cut off all their hair... I don't care".  Thus, the great social issue of the late 60's: the "long hair" that hippies sported as a visible counterculture symbol is equally irrellevant to Hendrix.

These are interesting additions, but without sources, we can't use them. Viriditas (talk) 11:28, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

Well there's no support for what you left in, either. Citing the possibility of an urban legend isn't really the same as supporting a position. All in all, the most likely source of the title is the use of 6/9 chords. If you're not a musician you just won't get it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.253.65.38 (talk) 17:03, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

Just because somebody calls the style of the song "Acid-fueled blues" doesn't mean that that is a very good description of the song. In fact, it is not. The song doesn't even have a blues chord pattern. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Soggycrow (talk • contribs) 18:01, 21 December 2009 (UTC)

And one more thing. It was a penny whistle, sometimes called a tin whistle. Hendrix bought it from a street vendor in London. Not a soprano recorder. Instead of trying to figure it out from the sound, why not pay attention to people who were there? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Soggycrow (talk • contribs) 14:55, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on If 6 Was 9. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070818095832/http://www.recorderhomepage.net/torture5.html to http://www.recorderhomepage.net/torture5.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 14:05, 11 November 2017 (UTC)