"If the doors of perception were cleaned, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." (Kad bi se vrata percepcije pročistila, sve bi izgledalo onako kakvo jest, neomeđeno).
(William Blake)

Grupa The Doors je osnovana 1965. u Los Angelesu pod imenom Rick and the Ravens, a prvi članovi su bili pjevač Jim Morrison, klavijaturist Ray Manzarek te Rayova braća Rick i Jim. Nakon nekoliko demo snimaka i koncerata, Morrison i Manzarek napuštaju grupu i, zajedno sa gitaristom Robbiejem Kriegerom i bubnjarom Johnom Densmoreom osnivaju Doorse. Članove grupe vezala je ljubav prema jazzu, bluesu i klasičnoj glazbi; Densmore je prije bio jazz bubnjar, Manzarek je imao klasično pijanističko obrazovanje, dok je Krieger svirao flamenco i tek godinu dana ranije kupio prvu električnu gitaru. Krieger je bio glavni pokretački element u glazbi grupe, dok je Morrison bio "čovjek riječi", koji je iz svoje bujne i nemirne mašte izvlačio mračne slike nasilja, smrti i ljubavi.
Prvi album grupe, nazvan jednostavno "The Doors" (1966.), mogao bi se najkraće opisati kao "best of" grupe, budući da su gotovo sve pjesme odmah postale hitovi, poput "Light My Fire", "Break On Through", "The End", "Soul Kitchen", uz dvije obrade koje su Doorsi praktički prisvojili i zasjenili originale. Drugi album, "Strange Days" (1967.), predstavlja kreativni vrhunac grupe, uz mnogo glazbenih inovacija, ali i razvoj Morrisonove poezije, osobito u recitativu "Horse Latitudes" i desetminutnoj "When The Music's Over". Ta je pjesma, uz "The End" sa prvog albuma, potpun opis Morrisonove ličnosti, u kojoj se suprotstavljaju nemir i strast, odnosno želja za ostvarenjem cilja i svijest o nemogućnosti promjene postojećeg stanja. Njegova sklonost ka teatralnoj autodestrukciji dovodi do niza ekscesa u kojima se sukobljuje sa zakonom, ali i sa članovima grupe.
Treći album, "Waiting For The Sun" (1968), jasno je pokazao sve veće razilaženje između Morrisona, koji se sve više okreće svojim unutarnjim demonima, koje je opisao u "The Celebration Of The Lizard" (na albumu se pojavio samo odlomak "Not To Touch The Earth") i ostatka grupe. Također, protivljenje vijetnamskom ratu i službenoj američkoj politici, opisani u "The Unknown Soldier" i "Five To One" dovode do sukoba sa organima vlasti, koji su ih i prije napadali radi tematike i načina izvedbe pjesama. Ipak, Doorsi nikad nisu bili dio hippy pokreta, premda su mu se približili albumom "The Soft Parade" (1969.), koji se općenito smatra njihovim najslabijim ostvarenjem, uz mnogo puhačkih instrumenata i neobičnih kompozicija, među kojima je najzanimljivija i najslojevitija upravo naslovna pjesma. Po prvi puta, pjesme su potpisane imenima autora, a ne, kao prije, imenom grupe.

Neslaganja unutar grupe smanjena su kompromisnim rješenjem i okretanjem jednostavnim skladbama pretežito blues ugođaja. Album "Morrison Hotel" (1970.) donio je osvježenje u glazbi Doorsa, uz nekoliko balada i općepoznati "Roadhouse Blues". Morrisonovo loše zdravstveno stanje nije smanjilo žestinu koncertnih nastupa niti njegovu kreativnost, no 3. srpnja 1971. godine dobiva srčani udar i umire u stanu u Parizu. Dovršeni studijski materijal objavljen je posthumno na albumu "L.A. Woman", posljednjem remek-djelu grupe. Morrison je ostao dosljedan samom sebi do kraja u pjesmama kao što su "L.A. Woman" i zlokobni "Riders On The Storm", koji su sumornim ugođajem i tematikom nagovijestili skori kraj.
Nakon Morrisonove smrti, Krieger, Manzarek i Densmore objavljuju pod imenom The Doors još dva albuma - "Other Voices" (1971.) i "Full Circle" (1972.), no njihov komercijalni neuspjeh uvjerio ih je da se okrenu Morrisonovoj ostavštini i rad grupe povezuju isključivo s njegovim imenom. Preostali studijski zapisi i fragmenti njegove poezije kombinirani sa naknadno snimljenom glazbom objavljeni su na albumu "An American Prayer" (1978.).
Zaostale, uglavnom koncertne snimke Doorsa objavljene su na albumima "Absolutely Live", "The Doors In Concert", "Bright Midnight", odnosno na box setu "Without The Safety Net".

ZANIMLJIVOSTI:

- Riječi "I am the Lizard King, I can do anything" se pojavljuju u "The Celebration Of The Lizard"
- Na koncertu u Miamiju 1. ožujka Morrison se skinuo do gola; Manzarek tvrdi da se radi o kolektivnoj halucinaciji
- Okolnosti Morrisonove smrti nikad nisu potpuno razjašnjene, te se spekuliralo o samoubojstvu
- Pjesma "The End" se jednim dijelom bavi Edipovim kompleksom (ubojica ulazi u sobu svojih roditelja i siluje vlastitu majku)
- Gitarist Robbie Krieger je svirao prstima i često je koristio motive iz klasičnih skladbi, kao i klavijaturist Manzarek
- Jim Morrison je član "Svetog trojstva" hippy pokreta, uz Janis Joplin i Jimija Hendrixa, premda Doorsi nisu bili dio tog pokreta

DISKOGRAFIJA:

The Doors (1966.)
Strange Days (1967.)
Waiting For The Sun (1968.)
The Soft Parade (1969.)
Absolutely Live (1970.)
Morrison Hotel (1970.)
L.A. Woman (1971.)
Other Voices (1971.)
Full Circle (1972.)
An American Prayer (1978.)

LOVE STREET


She lives on Love Street
Lingers long on Love Street
She has a house and garden
I would like to see what happens

She has robes and she has monkeys
Lazy diamond studded flunkies
She has wisdom and knows what to do
She has me and she has you

She has wisdom and knows what to do
She has me and she has you

I see you live on Love Street
There's this store where the creatures meet
I wonder what they do in there
Summer Sunday and a year
I guess I like it fine, so far

She lives on Love Street
Lingers long on Love Street
She has a house and garden
I would like to see what happens

La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

PEOPLE ARE STRANGE



People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down

When you're strange faces come out of the rain
When you're strange no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange
When you're strange...

People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down

When you're strange faces come out of the rain
When you're strange no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange
When you're strange, alright, yeah

When you're strange faces come out of the rain
When you're strange no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange
When you're strange...

TOUCH ME


Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

Now, I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I

Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I
I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I

Stronger than dirt...

THE END


This is the end...
Beautiful friend
This is the end...
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes... again

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need... of some... stranger's hand
In a... desperate land

Lost in a Roman... wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah

There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby

Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake... he's old, and his skin is cold

The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest

The blue bus is callin' us
The blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken' us

The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
He went into the room where his sister lived, and... then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door... and he looked inside
Father... Yes son... I want to kill you
Mother... I want to... fuck you

C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
On a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
C'mon, yeah

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill

This is the end...
Beautiful friend
This is the end...
My only friend, the end

It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die

This is the end...