"Purple Haze" Quotes
Shmoop will make you a better lover...of quotes
ALL QUOTES POPULAR BROWSE BY AUTHOR BROWSE BY SOURCE BROWSE BY TOPIC BROWSE BY SUBJECTSource: "Purple Haze"
Speaker: Jimi Hendrix
Excuse me while I kiss this guy.
Context
This misquoted line is from the song "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix from the album Are You Experienced (1967).
Jimi Hendrix is the king of the guitar, and he kills it in "Purple Haze," a song with amazing guitar riffs and not many lyrics. The guitar is so amazing, people don't actually pay attention to what he's saying in the song. After a few lines, Hendrix politely tells his audience, "Excuse me while I kiss this guy." Hey, some guys are irresistible. It's the sixties, after all.
Actually Hendrix says, "Excuse me while I kiss the sky," which makes less sense, don't you think? But hey, it's the sixties, after all. Did we already say that?
Where you've heard it
You've heard this when discussing the most commonly misheard lyrics of all time, or at your local pride festival.
A book about commonly misheard lyrics gets its name from this misquote.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Hey, as we may have said already, it was the sixties. Free love and all that. Kissing another person is less pretentious than pretending you can kiss the sky, anyway. Who does Hendrix think he is, Buzz Aldrin?