Rock music has taken so many quick and interesting turns throughout its illustrious history. From The Beatles all the way to the likes of Twisted Sister, there are so many interesting and experimental ways the genre has been played. In order for that evolution to happen, there always has to be the risk of innovation—something the 1960s rock band Cream was never afraid to embrace. They pioneered the blending of blues rock and psychedelic rock while inspiring a generation of "jam bands" to go with the flow. Composed of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton, this "power trio" was among the first to popularize that dynamic.
In 1966, the world's first "supergroup" released their debut album, Fresh Cream, introducing listeners to hits like "I Feel Free." By 1968, the band released one of their most famous tunes with "White Room," a track shrouded in mystery and a bevy of interpretations. One undeniable fact about the legendary, career-defining hit is that it was directly inspired by another beloved icon: Jimi Hendrix.
In a series of interviews featured on Forbes, Bruce detailed how the master guitarist inspired him and opened up to interviewer Jack Clash about how important the song was to him.
Related: The Turbulent 1963 British Pop Group That Accidentally Launched Three of the Greatest Guitarists in History
"The inspiration for the music came from meeting Jimi Hendrix and his approach to playing. In fact, he came to the recording session of that in New York and said to me, 'I wish I could write something like that;'" Bruce recalled. "I said, 'But it comes from you!' It’s a synthesis of things and not a completely original chord sequence. It’s the way we placed certain things in time that makes it original. I had problems with the record company because of the introduction being 5/4 and those suspended second inversion chords. They didn’t think it would make it."
Bruce went on to explain that he believed the record label's lack of faith stemmed from fears that it wasn't commercial enough.
"They think ‘well, if the audience gets too intelligent and likes really good musical things, we’re going to have to keep finding those things.’ So if you can reduce it to a fairly low common denominator as far as the music goes, there’s always a bunch of other guys or girls coming along who can do that. But I don’t want to overstate the importance – it’s only rock and roll, you know [laughs]."
Clapton also took inspiration from Hendrix's use of the wah-wah pedal, applying it liberally to create one of his most iconic guitar tracks.
Related: 1968 Rock Song, Written by 'Best Supergroup' of All Time, Became a Timeless Anthem
What Inspired the Lyrics for the Song
As tantalizing as the music is for the iconic hit, the lyrics have confounded and delighted listeners for decades. Written by poet Pete Brown—who was not an official member of the band—the song was a reflection of a personal relationship, according to an interview he gave to Songfacts.
"It was a meandering thing about a relationship that I was in and how I was at the time. It was a kind of watershed period really," he confessed. "It was a time before I stopped being a relative barman and became a songwriter, because I was a professional poet, you know. I was doing poetry readings and making a living from that. It wasn't a very good living, and then I got asked to work by Ginger and Jack with them and then started to make a kind of living.
"And there was this kind of transitional period where I lived in this actual white room and was trying to come to terms with various things that were going on. It's a place where I stopped, I gave up all drugs and alcohol at that time in 1967 as a result of being in the white room, so it was a kind of watershed period. That song's like a kind of weird little movie: it changes perspectives all the time. That's why it's probably lasted - it's got a kind of mystery to it."
The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, overshadowed only by their other 1968 hit, "Sunshine of Your Love." It has earned several accolades over time, landing at No. 396 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and being named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
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