"Manic Depression" is a song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix and first released in 1967 on the Are You Experienced album.

The song's name is an old name for bipolar disorder, a mental health disorder. There is no evidence that Hendrix ever suffered from (or did not suffer from) bipolar disorder himself,^{[citation needed]} but when he was doing a press conference in London his manager at the time, Chas Chandler, told him that he sounded like a manic depressive.^{[citation needed]} So the next day Hendrix wrote this tune.^{[citation needed]} One interesting aspect to the song is that it is in 3/4 time signature.

At Winterland in 1968, Jimi explains to the crowd: "I'd like to do a frustrating type of song for you, it's called Manic Depression, a story about a cat wishing he could make love to music, instead of the same old everyday woman."

"Manic Depression" has been covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Styx; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Tanya Donelly; Carnivore; Nomeansno; David Ryan Harris; Jeff Beck and Seal; Clawfinger; Jan Hammer; Katharina Franck; King's X; Stevie Ray Vaughan; Yngwie J. Malmsteen; Type O Negative; etc. The Hungarian Gypsy band Besh O Drom have a track called "Mániás Depresszió" on their album Gyi! which uses Hendrix's tune. Rozz Williams and Gitane Demone released a very different version of "Manic Depression" on their album Dream Home Heartache. Singer/comedian Sandra Bernhard combined the song with the song "Everything's Alright" from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar to create the song "Manic Superstar" on her album Excuses For Bad Behavior (Part One). In 2006, jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell covered the song on his album Traffic.

Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic-depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or more depressive episodes. The elevated moods are clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes, or symptoms, or a mixed state in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. These events are usually separated by periods of "normal" mood; but, in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, which is known as rapid cycling. Severe manic episodes can sometimes lead to such psychotic symptoms as delusions and hallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in music history, and one of the most influential musicians of his era despite mainstream exposure limited to just three years. After initial success in Europe with his group The Jimi Hendrix Experience, he achieved fame in the United States following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, he headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. He often favored raw overdriven amplifiers with high gain and treble and helped develop the previously undesirable technique of guitar amplifier feedback.

Hendrix helped to popularize use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, which he often used to deliver tonal exaggerations in his solos, particularly with high bends, complex guitar playing, and use of legato. As a record producer, he also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas. He was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic phasing effects for rock recording.^{[citation needed]} He was influenced by blues artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King and Elmore James,rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper, and the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Hendrix began dressing and wearing a moustache like Little Richard when he performed and recorded in his band from March 1, 1964 through to the spring of 1965. In 1966, he stated, "I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice".

Emilie Autumn Liddell (born on September 22, 1979 in Los Angeles), better known by her stage name Emilie Autumn, is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and violinist. Autumn draws influence for her music—the style of which she has alternatively labeled as "Victoriandustrial" and glam rock—from plays, novels, and history, particularly the Victorian era. Performing with her all-female backing band The Bloody Crumpets, Autumn incorporates elements of classical music, cabaret, electronica, and glam rock with theatrics, and burlesque.

Growing up in Malibu, California, she began learning the violin at the age of four and left regular school five years later with the goal of becoming a world-class violinist; she practiced eight or nine hours a day and read a wide range of literature. Progressing to writing her own music, she studied under various teachers and went to Indiana University, which she left over issues regarding the relationship between classical music and the appearance of the performer. Through her own independent label Traitor Records, Autumn debuted with her classical album On a Day: Music for Violin & Continuo, followed by the release in 2003 of her supernaturally themed album Enchant.

Joanne Shaw Taylor (born 1986, England) is a British blues guitarist and singer, who was discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics at the age of 16.

The British music publication, Blues Matters!, called Taylor "the new face of the blues".

Taylor grew up around Birmingham, England, and was inspired towards blues music in her teenage years by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and Jimi Hendrix. Dave Stewart heard her play, and in 2002 invited Taylor to join his supergroup, D.U.P., on tour in Europe.

In May 2009, she released her debut album, White Sugar, on Ruf Records. On subsequent tours to promote the album, Taylor played shows alongside the American singer-songwriter, Candye Kane.

Taylor's second release was 2010's Diamonds In The Dirt, also on Ruf Records. In 2010, she won Best Female Vocalist at the British Blues Awards. Both her albums have peaked at number 8 in the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. At the 2011 British Blues Awards, Taylor won both Best Female Vocalist and Songwriter of the Year for her track "Same As It Never Was" from her album, Diamonds In The Dirt.