For those of you that are unaware, 30 years ago today James Douglas Morrison died in Paris, and the greatest rock poet in history (in my opinion, of course) was silenced forever.
So, I pose the question to you. What is your all time favorite Doors song? You can have more than one, and since I’m posing the question, I’ll lead off.
The End-Has a song ever been quite so eerie and chilling, and yet exciting and arousing at the same time? The climax at the end of the song just gives me a natural high.
When The Music’s Over-Yet another epic song, filled with all sorts of haunting images. When Jim says “We want the world and we want it…NOW!”, you can get the image of the world exploding into chaos.
I could go on all day like this, since Jim is my idol, but I’ll restrain myself for the moment.
So tell me, what Doors song is your favorite, the one you could listen to over and over again? Or album, for that matter. Either/or.
“Alabama Song” always gets me hyped up. “Love Me Two Times” is one of the best rock songs ever. But my all time favorite Doors song is “Spanish Caravan.”
Having a beer and cig with Jim in 1999 was the highlight of my trip to Paris (I’m not such a Doors freak but Paris just doesn’t do anything for me). There’s a guard telling everyone to shush, and stopping people like from openly imbibing. Waves of people going to the shrine. Ranging from original Doors fans bringing their kids and even grandkids to former Eastern Bloc pre-pubescent kids.
Yeah, I know Jim Morrison was a heayweight poet and visionary but, (IMHO) he was one of the greatest front men in rock history. And The Doors could play some pretty good straight ahead rock and roll too – Light My Fire, Hello I Love You, Touch Me, Love Her Madly.
And what is the song The Crystal Ship about? I’m not sure what album it’s on, but it’s the B side of Light My Fire. I’ve loved that song for 30 some years, and I’m not sure why.
I just watched this Rock and Roll thing on VH1 about Jim Morrison and the Doors. At ten. I guess his band and his own life really does reflect the turmoil of the sixties.
My picks:
People Are Strange- this one always just gets to me
Riders on the Storm- a real mood setting one, and so eerie
The End- it just sort of envelops the listener and is so bizarre
I personally have never bought into the whole Jim Morrison mythology.
He was a good and very different lead singer…he wrote some good lyrics and good songs (although some of the best Doors songs ever were written by Robbie Kreiger)…and he was a charismatic front man (at least until the charisma mutated into total self-absorbtion and -indulgence).
But I don’t buy the deification of Jim Morrison. Let’s face it, the guy turned into a drunken asshole, and we ought not let his other positive contributions obscure this fact.
Having said all of this, I must also say that I love The Doors. But I love them primarily because I think they were one hell of a band – one that recorded an entirely original brand of rock ‘n’ roll music, one that had few if any antecedents. (Also, hardly anyone ever mentions what a great drummer John Densmore is – a true master of dynamics.)
I have loads of favorites. I’ll just mention a few I don’t think anyone else has yet:
Break on Through (to the Other Side)
Soul Kitchen
Light My Fire – (overplayed or not, still a great song, and the jam in the middle fully justifies its 6:50 length)