I recently heard a story that Jim Morrison refused to change certain lyrics when the Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Was the DJ confused with the Rolling Stones story? I had never, ever heard this mentioned about the Doors. Which is correct?
I believe it was the line “Girl we couldn’t get much higher” from “Light My Fire”. The network objected to the word “higher”. This was depicted in a scene from The Doors directed by Oliver Stone.
ETA
IIRC, the Stones did change the lyrics. Let’s spend some time together, as it were.
Scene from The Doors.
Clip of performance from The Ed Sullivan Show.
Interview with Ray Manzarek about the incident.
And Mick rolled his eyes when he sang them. At 4:25 in this video.
Weren’t the words “good reaction” censored as well when they played “Satisfaction”?
No, because the words are “girl reaction.”
It’s not that they refused to change the lyrics. They made an agreement with Ed Sullivan not to use the word “higher” (because it was a drug reference), but they sang “higher” anyway. Sullivan was furious with them.
In fact, Sullivan was going to book the Doors for six more appearances, but after the performance they were permanently banned from the show, to which Jim Morrison responded, “Hey, man, we just did the Sullivan show.”
I always thought it was “Girlie action.”
Nope.
Same.
Same.
Interesting. Personally, I never understood how such a straight-faced guy like Ed Sullivan could host anything.
He did for about 25 years. What does that tell you?
Sullivan had every right to expect The Doors to honor their agreement. And they flagrantly breached the agreement. He was justified in cancelling their future appearances.
He was justified, no doubt. But the big lesson was on him. In the past, banning someone from his show was a huge blow to their career. By the time he did it to the Doors, rock bands could just shrug it off and go out to play another arena. The power in the music industry was shifting out from underneath him. In the end, he needed rock names a lot more than they needed him.
Oh. I see. So that justifies them defying him and flouting the parameters of their agreement. The end justifies the means. :rolleyes:
When I say “he [Sullivan] was justified” I meant that he was justified. Not much wiggle room in that.
Just because he was justified at the time doesn’t mean that life couldn’t throw him a curve. The future doesn’t care what it was like in the past.
Exactly right. Morrison as much as said, “We’ve done the Sullivan show. Once is enough.”
That wasn’t a curve, it was a beanball. Morrison had no intention of sticking to the agreement with Sullivan. Fraud is fraud.