What is your favorite "The Doors" song?

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I want to know, what is your favorite "The Doors" song, and why? And also, when/where did you first hear it?

Mine would have to be "The End". I absolutly love Jim Morrison's poem, this oedipal epic. The music is exquisitly added to his words. I also very much like the song's "avant-garde" side. While "The Beatles" were singing "I Want To Hold Your Hand", they were touring the local bars, with "The End"'s lyrics, which are quite shocking, for one who does not understand the context of it. Finally, I love the song's intensity!

I first heard it, actually, in the opening sequence of Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now".

If you hate "The Doors", don't be afraid to post why. I very much like these kind of discussions.

 

People are strange.

I think the lyrics appealed to me at the time, coz I'd recently moved from Norway to the UK when I first heard it and I felt somewhat as an outsider.

First heard it when I saw "The lost boys" (incidently one of the best movie soundtracks in my opinion).

Yeah, I know it was OMD (iirc) who covered it, but that did not stop it being great.

 

My favorite is "The Roadhouse Blues", though I really think "The End" is better...

I found myself in a rather strange, gloomy place at one point when I was in a strange mood, and someone put the Roadhouse Blues on. A perfect song for a weird situation...

 

"The End" is a great song, It's eery! I especially like it in the movie "Apocalypse Now!"

But I think my favorite song by the Doors is "Riders on the Storm" with L.A. Woman taking a close second.

 

Tough one. I am a big Doors fan. I have the box set on my desk and Morrison Hotel in my CD player in the car.
I can't pick one so here's a few:

The End
Riders on the Storm
Roadhouse Blues
Crystal Ship
L.A. Woman
When the musics over
Waiting for the sun (this has been stuck in my head for the last two days)

Favorite album: either "The Doors" or "L.A. Woman"

Disk 4 of the box set is band favorites, here they are:
Robby Krieger:
Light My Fire
Peace Frog
Wishful Sinful
Take it as it comes
L.A. Woman

Ray Manzarek:
I can't see our face in my mind
Land Ho!
Yes the river knows
Shaman's blues
You're lost little girl

John Densmore:
Love me two times
When the musics over
The unknown soldier
Wild child
Riders on the storm

 

I'll have to say 'People are strange' as well.
I first heard it in the mid 80's before the lost boys used it.
A girlfriend of mine loved the doors. (that's a friend who just happens to be a girl)

 

Hell... pretty much anything off of 'The Doors'. My favourite track's probably 'Light My Fire', but 'Break On Through (To The Other Side)', 'Soul Kitchen' and 'Crystal Ship' all come a close second.

 

"Riders on the Storm".
I don't like the Doors that much, actually.

 

I dont know The Doors

I am so young!

 

I've always listen to the two CD "Best Of The Doors" that I have, but I recently bought "Soft Parade". And the "Soft Parade" song is kinda growing on me!
I really like the beginning. Morrison's "You cannot petition the Lord with prayers", and after that, Morrison's voice with the piano is really beautiful!

 

The End - certainly his best song. The recording of that fot the first album was typically beautiful. Morrison was off his tits on whatever he could get, and was coherent only for long enough to take one go at recording. The entire song was recodred in one, in the dark, the only lights going were the gauges in the box.

I went to Morrisons grave in Paris, and had this song playing... was very touching

 

The End.

Definitely.

Although there was a time when I was crazy about "The Doors", and I loved every song they made.

 

Riders on the Storm is also fabulous (sorry to be predictable). I like this because it is such a fitting end - their last song on their last album and it is so stunning.

 

Ack, I hate the Doors! I find the lyrics pretentious and the music bombastic. I quite like Yes, though, and it has been pointed out to me that they are far more of both -- but eh. I think that the Doors only work if you fancy Jim Morrison. And I *don't*, not with a ten-foot pole.

But I do like "People are Strange." "Women [or men!] seem wicked, when you're unwanted," is a perceptive line. I think that it was Echo and the Bunnymen who covered that for "The Lost Boys."

 

What makes you think that the lyrics are pretentious, and the music bombastic?

And why do you dislike Jim Morrison?

And I do not agree when you said that the only way to like The Doors is to like Morrison. He was the most outgoing of the four, yes, but he was far from the most essential member. All four constituted The Doors. If either Densmore, Kreiger or Manzarek had died insted of Morrison, the group would have separated still. That's what made the Doors special. They had incredeble chemistry. When on stage, they could stretch a 3 minute song into 11 minutes, all improvising. Morrison was a part of the whole. It's a mistake to think he WAS the whole.

 

Hi Methyl. Some of the lyrics are pretentious (or just throw away imagery). But this can be said for most of that time period. I am a HUGE Moody Blues fan and they have been accused of the same. I don't get it.
Speaking of Yes, I am going to see them tomorrow night (Friday) with some friends at an arena in Mass. USA. It should be a great show. I have not seen theme since 1983.

 

I know I am in the minority -- the vast minority, Triactus. Everyone likes the Doors. I also hate the Dead -- so I'm a freak, and you can discount my little opinion with confidence. It seems to me that Morrison's persona was such a huge part of the Doors experience -- that if he strikes you as some kind of proto-goth Austin Powers you won't get too far in your appreciation.

But ooh, Jack -- Yes! The closest I ever came to seeing Yes was a Steve Howe master class at Musicians Institute. You can imagine that it was very crowded! And amazing...

 

Oh no, Methylviolet. I'm not judging you or anything.
Everybody is intitled to their opinion. I just mind when it is not backed up by something. I hate it when people just say things.

Your right, however, that Morrison probably scared a lot of people away. But if they're going to be that judgemental, why would he want them to listen to his music?

 

I have to join Methylviolet in the minority of not caring for the Doors.
My reason is simple: I just don't like their music, but I don't hold anything against those that do.

 

I can see where Methyl is coming from. The Doors were immature, self centred and self worshipping, Morrison was interested wholly in self destruction - at least two (possibly three) of the six albums are dire.

However, they became important because at the time of their first album, American music was in the doldrums (most interesting stuff was British). The early anger of the music (the End, the rebelious Light my Fire) is still strikes a chord, and is so much more elegant and eloquent than the equivalent today (its encouraging to see that Fred Durst can pretend to be angry, but it sounds appalling - and isn't anything other than entirely manufactured anyway).

That they remain lodged in our hearts is probably (at least partly) due to Morrisons death (in the vein of Hendrix and Joplin before). The efforts of the remaining Doors members is probably also important (the American Poet album, the films, the rumours and the re issues etc...)