As the epitome of Californian hippiedom, The Doors crafted an abundance of music that solidified their status. Combining the surreal poetry of ‘The Lizard King’, Jim Morrison, with the musical prowess of Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, and John Densmore captured the essence of the era and environment. Even today, their sounds remain one of the most effective ways to transport oneself back to that vibrant time.
While The Doors’ story ultimately concluded in tragedy with Morrison’s untimely death in 1971, surrounded by much mystery and intrigue, none of this speculation would have arisen without the enduring impact of their music. Their fusion of blues, psychedelia, and jazz was profoundly influential in their time and continues to resonate today.
The debate concerning the definitive Doors anthem will likely divide fans until the end of time itself. Still, one certain thing is that ‘Light My Fire’ from the band’s eponymous 1967 debut beats most other competitors. Whether it be Morrison’s bewitching vocals, Krieger’s intricate solos, or Manzarek’s organ melody, even though it is an early track, ‘Light My Fire’ is one of the most distilled versions of the quartet they ever captured.
Interestingly, Krieger came up with the central melody and penned most of the lyrics, which, in full hippie style, are a passionate call to leave worldly inhibitions behind. The erotic nature of the words, in tandem with Morrison’s swaggering performance, would see the song become synonymous with the sexual revolution of the era.
As with many Doors songs, at its inception, ‘Light My Fire’ was folk-leaning, but the fire was stoked when Morrison conceived the second verse line, “our love become a funeral pyre…” a creation which was augmented by Manzarek delivering the iconic organ melody. Furthermore, after Densmore added the almost muzak-sounding rhythm, the piece was completed, and duly, each member shared writing credits.
According to Krieger, he looked to one of the day’s most successful acts for inspiration when writing the track, The Rolling Stones. He revealed that his song is thematically connected to 1965’s ‘Play With Fire’, from Out of Our Heads.
The Doors guitarist told Uncut: “I was living with my parents in Pacific Palisades – I had my amp and SG. I asked Jim, what should I write about? He said, ‘Something universal, which won’t disappear two years from now. Something that people can interpret themselves.’ I said to myself I’d write about the four elements; earth, air, fire, water, I picked fire, as I loved the Stones song, ‘Play With Fire,’ and that’s how that came about.”
Listen to both tracks below.