In 1967 The Doors released one of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s: “Light My Fire”. The revolutionary song was The Doors’ first big hit and gave the American band nationwide fame during the renowned Summer of Love. In this article, we will dive into the story and legacy behind one of The Doors’ most celebrated songs.
The Origin of the Song
“Light My Fire” was mainly written by The Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger. He wrote the song after frontman Jim Morrison urged the other band members to contribute songs to the band’s debut album.
“Jim had been writing all the songs and then one day we realized we didn’t have enough tunes,” Krieger reflected to Guitar World. “So he said, ‘Hey, why don’t you guys try and write songs?”
After asking Morrison for lyrical inspiration, he advised Krieger to write about ‘something universal’. It led Krieger to the idea to write a song about one of the four elements; earth, air, fire, and water. Because of his love for The Rolling Stones’ song “Play With Fire”, Krieger settled on fire.
Songwriting Process
Robby Krieger introduced the first verse and chorus of “Light My Fire” to the band, after which Jim Morrison wrote the lyrics of the second and third verses.
The song was initially short and folksy, but musical contributions by other band members gave “Light My Fire” its well-known psychedelic sound. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek wrote the iconic Bach-like organ intro, and drummer John Densmore suggested a Latin beat.
The organ solo by Ray Manzarek and guitar solo by Robby Krieger in the middle of the song were developed during the extensive live shows The Doors played in the mid-1960s (The Doors played “Light My Fire” live before they released it). In Manzarek’s biography, he stated the organ solo of the song was inspired by Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane’s song “Ole”.
Release and Success
The Doors recorded “Light My Fire” in November 1966. On January 4, 1967, they released the song on their self-titled debut album. Despite its length of 7 minutes, the song gained immense popularity. Therefore, local DJ Dave Diamond suggested The Doors to release a shorter version of “Light My Fire” as a single to ensure airplay.
The band members initially disagreed with the idea, but eventually permitted a single cut. Producer Paul A. Rothchild removed the instrumental section of the song, cutting the song from 7 minutes to 3 minutes.
The single version of the song was released on April 24, 1967, and became The Doors’ first big hit. The song received heavy airplay and topped the US charts amidst the 1967 Summer of Love.
“It just dripped out of the radio,” DJ Jim Ladd stated. “The Beatles were saying ‘All You Need Is Love’, Morisson’s going ‘Light My Fire, honey’. There’s a big difference. It’s love, but it’s a different kind of love.”
Due to the success of “Light My Fire”, The Doors earned themselves a performance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show. This performance, however, was not without its controversies. The Ed Sullivan Show’s producers requested a modification of the line “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher”. The band agreed to change the lyrics for the live performance, but Jim Morrison, known for his rebellious behavior, sang the original, unaltered lyrics during the broadcast.
The moment led to a fallout with Ed Sullivan, who canceled the upcoming 6 shows the band had planned. After a producer informed the band they were canceled from the Ed Sullivan Show, Jim Morrison reportedly replied: “Hey man, We just did the Sullivan Show”.
The Legacy of Light My Fire
Over the years, “Light My Fire” grew out to be The Doors’ signature song. Despite the fact the single version of the song gave The Doors their first hit, “Light My Fire” will always be remembered through its iconic 7-minute original version.
In Ray Manzarek’s biography, he expressed his love for “Light My Fire”: “Robby and I would extend our solos for upwards of ten to fifteen minutes in concert. It was such a joy to float over that repeating figure and to interact with each other that we never got bored with the piece, even though we played it at every concert.”
In an interview with Songwriting Magazine, Robby Krieger agreed with Manzarek, although he also stated Jim Morisson got tired of performing the song live. “We knew it was good because whenever we played it live people would go crazy – that was definitely the best response we got from any of the songs. We knew it was our strongest song even before we went into the studio.
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