Why The Doors? Well, we all have our own reasons for loving the music we do - maybe because it speaks to us, or that we like how it makes us feel - or maybe we love the music we do simply because it makes us feel something.
For me, my connection to The Doors goes way back. I was introduced to them by my dad when I was very young. I grew up listening to them, along with Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Beatles. However, the older I've become, and the stranger my life gets, the more new reasons I find to love The Doors and their music. They are the only group I listen to every day, and I find the more I listen to - and read about - the band, the more I admire their work.
With that said, here is a list of my Top 10 favorite songs from The Doors. Depending on the day, or my mood, the order may change but the list stays the same.
1. When The Music’s Over
Besides the fact that I love Ray Manzarek’s keyboards at the opening, and Jim Morrison’s scream at the beginning which just grabs your attention, the lyrics alone are enough to make this a favorite. Among the best lines: “before I sink into the big sleep I want to hear I want to hear the scream of the butterfly” and “cancel my subscription to the Resurrection.” But the lyric that really hits me most at this point in my life is “music is your only friend.” Music may not be my only friend, but at the end of the day it doesn't judge; it’s there whenever I need it. When I can’t be home it makes me feel like I am. I can start my iPod, relax and forget where I am for a few hours, or wind down before bed. Music is my safe place.
2. Peace Frog
There are some songs I like to blare while hauling ass around town, and boththis and “Roadhouse Blues”are two from The Doors perfect for just such an activity. I can never play either of these loud enough. The thing I find funny about “Peace Frog” is how funky and upbeat it comes off as - until you listen to the words. Besides, how could a ghost hunter not love the line “ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind”? Jim had an obvious obsession with death and, at times, it seems like he lived as though he was testing it or even chasing it. I have read many books about him and watched interviews with his friends, it often comes up that he had experiences as a young child with “Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding” while driving through New Mexico with his parents. Although I’ve read that his father remembers it a bit different than Morrison would retell it throughout his life, I do wonder if Jim used the experience to build the mystery around the character he created - the musical shaman - or if it was a turning point. Either way, this strikes me as Jim’s attempt to talk about that moment of realization we have as children when we comprehend we won’t live forever.
There are some songs I like to blare while hauling ass around town, and boththis and “Roadhouse Blues”are two from The Doors perfect for just such an activity. I can never play either of these loud enough. The thing I find funny about “Peace Frog” is how funky and upbeat it comes off as - until you listen to the words. Besides, how could a ghost hunter not love the line “ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind”? Jim had an obvious obsession with death and, at times, it seems like he lived as though he was testing it or even chasing it. I have read many books about him and watched interviews with his friends, it often comes up that he had experiences as a young child with “Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding” while driving through New Mexico with his parents. Although I’ve read that his father remembers it a bit different than Morrison would retell it throughout his life, I do wonder if Jim used the experience to build the mystery around the character he created - the musical shaman - or if it was a turning point. Either way, this strikes me as Jim’s attempt to talk about that moment of realization we have as children when we comprehend we won’t live forever.
3. Soul Kitchen
I dare you to play this song and try to stand still. This one gets me moving every time and puts me in a good mood. For once it’s a song where Ray’s keyboards don’t sound straight-up creepy or sinister. I have often danced like a fool alone in my hotel room to this (and maybe while writing this).
4. The Soft Parade
“When I was back there in seminary school…” Besides the fact that this song starts off sounding like an old music box from hell before breaking off into several layers of typical Doors weirdness, there is a line in the song that holds a lot of meaning for me: “All our lives we sweat and save, building for a shallow grave.” In general, I think our priorities in society have become a bit backwards. We make life way more complicated than it needs to be. Morrison saw that. In fact, going strictly from what I have read, I think it’s in part what drove him mad. Life is about the experience, and even though it cost him in the end, he chased those experiences. Life isn’t about the physical sh*t we collect, or the things we can’t take with us when we pass; in a lot of ways, those things just tie us down and hold us back while we are here. Clearly I have some opinions about this … maybe I’ll write my own book about that sometime soon.
I dare you to play this song and try to stand still. This one gets me moving every time and puts me in a good mood. For once it’s a song where Ray’s keyboards don’t sound straight-up creepy or sinister. I have often danced like a fool alone in my hotel room to this (and maybe while writing this).
4. The Soft Parade
“When I was back there in seminary school…” Besides the fact that this song starts off sounding like an old music box from hell before breaking off into several layers of typical Doors weirdness, there is a line in the song that holds a lot of meaning for me: “All our lives we sweat and save, building for a shallow grave.” In general, I think our priorities in society have become a bit backwards. We make life way more complicated than it needs to be. Morrison saw that. In fact, going strictly from what I have read, I think it’s in part what drove him mad. Life is about the experience, and even though it cost him in the end, he chased those experiences. Life isn’t about the physical sh*t we collect, or the things we can’t take with us when we pass; in a lot of ways, those things just tie us down and hold us back while we are here. Clearly I have some opinions about this … maybe I’ll write my own book about that sometime soon.
5. Moonlight Drive
How could anyone not love the song that started the madness on Venice beach with Jim and Ray? It amazes me that the band was only “known” and together for four short years, yet here I am - a gal born a decade after Morrison’s death – who loves their music, plays their albums daily, reads all the books about them and is even taking a pilgrimage to see Morrison’s grave on the 40th anniversary of his death. I wonder if, in their early days, they had any idea just how big they would become and that it would be the beginning of the end for Jim. I wonder if they had inkling that decades after their band came to an end, people would still be listening and they’d be gaining fans from each new generation. I don’t ever see The Doors going quietly…
6. People Are Strange
This is a favorite for most, I think, but for me, I just appreciate how true the title is. Along with that, I do like Jim’s vulnerability revealed in the lyrics. It is kind of nice to see this side of a “hero” who was usually a leather-clad guy, fighting against authority and taking joy in getting a crowd riled up. This song shows how human he was, and maybe even offers a glimpse at some of the demons he was struggling with.
How could anyone not love the song that started the madness on Venice beach with Jim and Ray? It amazes me that the band was only “known” and together for four short years, yet here I am - a gal born a decade after Morrison’s death – who loves their music, plays their albums daily, reads all the books about them and is even taking a pilgrimage to see Morrison’s grave on the 40th anniversary of his death. I wonder if, in their early days, they had any idea just how big they would become and that it would be the beginning of the end for Jim. I wonder if they had inkling that decades after their band came to an end, people would still be listening and they’d be gaining fans from each new generation. I don’t ever see The Doors going quietly…
6. People Are Strange
This is a favorite for most, I think, but for me, I just appreciate how true the title is. Along with that, I do like Jim’s vulnerability revealed in the lyrics. It is kind of nice to see this side of a “hero” who was usually a leather-clad guy, fighting against authority and taking joy in getting a crowd riled up. This song shows how human he was, and maybe even offers a glimpse at some of the demons he was struggling with.
7. Strange Days
This eerie, unsettling song is a favorite because, at the end of the day, “This is the strangest life I've ever known.” Now, before fellow Doors fans scream at me that the lyric actually comes from “Waiting for the Sun,” hear a girl out. “Strange Days have found us, and through their strange hours we linger alone.” For me, these are strange days. I have spent the last four years bouncing from state to state – and now country to country – and often get to know my coworkers better than family, and at the end of the day, I am often “lingering alone” in another hotel room. Sometimes the feeling in that empty hotel room is the same this song leaves me with. But I’m not complaining about my job on TV here. I’m incredibly fortunate and express thanks every day, but there are many “casual joys” I’ve sacrificed because of my career. In this always busy world of being connected to 24/7 careers, I have a feeling I’m not alone in wondering what I’ve missed by pursuing a rewarding, demanding job
This eerie, unsettling song is a favorite because, at the end of the day, “This is the strangest life I've ever known.” Now, before fellow Doors fans scream at me that the lyric actually comes from “Waiting for the Sun,” hear a girl out. “Strange Days have found us, and through their strange hours we linger alone.” For me, these are strange days. I have spent the last four years bouncing from state to state – and now country to country – and often get to know my coworkers better than family, and at the end of the day, I am often “lingering alone” in another hotel room. Sometimes the feeling in that empty hotel room is the same this song leaves me with. But I’m not complaining about my job on TV here. I’m incredibly fortunate and express thanks every day, but there are many “casual joys” I’ve sacrificed because of my career. In this always busy world of being connected to 24/7 careers, I have a feeling I’m not alone in wondering what I’ve missed by pursuing a rewarding, demanding job
8. Maggie McGill
“Maggie M’Gill” is one that works its way through my body and makes me move! I dig the different sounds Morrison’s voice could make. He was a crooner in his own right, a rocker with animalistic screams who fought against the norm, and a wise “Old Blues Man” (which is really on display in this song). Not bad for a guy never professionally trained in music.
9. Riders On The Storm
“There’s a killer on the road, his brain is squirming like a toad.” Wow. “Riders” is full of effective imagery and sound effects. I have read how the four of The Doors worked together in the beginning before all the drama, and before producer Paul A. Rothchild. Jim would write the words and Ray, John Densmore and Robbie Krieger would write the music to support them. I love this song because Rothchild quit over it - he called it “cocktail jazz” – and that allowed the band to re-assume the creative control they lost to him. Today, when people mention The Doors, this song is usually right up at the top of the list of fan favorites and is one of mine, too.
10. The End
If you don’t love it, you’re not a f*cking Doors fan. The end.
“Maggie M’Gill” is one that works its way through my body and makes me move! I dig the different sounds Morrison’s voice could make. He was a crooner in his own right, a rocker with animalistic screams who fought against the norm, and a wise “Old Blues Man” (which is really on display in this song). Not bad for a guy never professionally trained in music.
9. Riders On The Storm
“There’s a killer on the road, his brain is squirming like a toad.” Wow. “Riders” is full of effective imagery and sound effects. I have read how the four of The Doors worked together in the beginning before all the drama, and before producer Paul A. Rothchild. Jim would write the words and Ray, John Densmore and Robbie Krieger would write the music to support them. I love this song because Rothchild quit over it - he called it “cocktail jazz” – and that allowed the band to re-assume the creative control they lost to him. Today, when people mention The Doors, this song is usually right up at the top of the list of fan favorites and is one of mine, too.
10. The End
If you don’t love it, you’re not a f*cking Doors fan. The end.
Written to appear on The Doors Examiner, by request of Jim Cherry
Continue reading on Examiner.com Ghost Hunter Kris Williams top 10 favorite Doors songs - National the Doors | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/article/ghost-hunter-kris-williams-top-10-favorite-doors-songs#ixzz1t5apSFyx
Continue reading on Examiner.com Ghost Hunter Kris Williams top 10 favorite Doors songs - National the Doors | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/article/ghost-hunter-kris-williams-top-10-favorite-doors-songs#ixzz1t5apSFyx