DAILY DIRT: Back in the day, the Doors lit our fire

Daily Dirt for Friday, May 9, 2025

Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,278 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We’ve reached the medal stand in our week-long countdown of the greatest American rock bands/groups of the 1960s.

In the No. 3 position — or the bronze medal spot, if you prefer — are The Doors. From eccentric lead singer Jim Morrison to their most well-known hit, “Light My Fire,” which worked its way into our everyday language over the past 50-plus years, the Doors personified what rock had morphed into during the mid-to-late 1960s. On with the countdown:

3. The Doors

While uber-talented, the Doors were hardly without controversy. That controversy stemmed primarily from Morrison’s erratic and often provocative behavior, both on and off stage, coupled with their unconventional musical style and poetic lyrics. Morrison’s public persona, legal troubles, and on-stage antics challenged societal norms and the prevailing hippie culture of the time. Morrison, a heavy smoker and drug user, died in 1971 at the height of the Doors’ popularity.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, the Doors were comprised of vocalist Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. Their signature song (“Light My Fire”) was conceived by Krieger after Morrison encouraged him to write “something universal”. The song wound up propelling the Doors to superstardom.

After Morrison’s death in 1971, the surviving members of the band continued as a trio, releasing two more albums, but ultimately disbanded in 1973. 

Prior to Morrison’s death, virtually every Doors release was an instant hit, largely because of Morrison’s voice, often described as “intoxicating”. Fans of Morrison and the Doors remain strong to this day and regularly make pilgrimages to Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in  Paris, where he is buried. The site has come to be known as “Jim Morrison Cemetery”.

The Doors’ name was Inspired by a line from William Blake’s poem, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”:

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”

The band first called themselves The Doors of Perception, but soon shortened the name to simply “The Doors”. 

The late Val Kilmer starred as Morrison in the 1991 film “The Doors”. He reportedly spent a significant amount of time studying Morrison’s singing style and learned many Doors songs to prepare for the role. Even the surviving members of the band were impressed by Kilmer’s vocal mimicry, finding it difficult to distinguish his singing from Morrison’s. John Travolta was first pick to play Morrison, but fortunately Kilmer was the ultimate choice.

My three favorite Doors songs from the ’60s:

“Touch Me”: Vocally, this was Morrison at his finest in 1969.

“Light My Fire”: It just wouldn’t be right to not include this 1967 classic.

“The Unknown Soldier”: At the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, this protest song resonated across the nation.

Other ’60s hits from the group that could have just as easily earned a top-three posting were “Hello I Love You (1968),” “People Are Strange (1967)” and “Love Me Two Times (1967)”.  And don’t forget the early ’70s hits before Morrison’s death: “Riders On The Storm (1971)” and “Love Her Madly (1971)”. For the record, “Lover Her Madly” would be a top-three overall pick for me if we included post-1969 songs.

The American band/group countdown so far:

• 3. The Doors
• 4. Sly & the Family Stone
• 5. Creedence Clearwater Revival
• 6. Grass Roots
• 7. Beach Boys

2. Did you know (Part 357)

• That the albatross can stay in flight for months without landing, often sleeping while flying.
• That owls’ eyes do not move, so they have to turn their heads around to see at different angles.
• That elephants are terrified of the buzzing sound of bees.
• That sloths move so slowly, moss actually grows on their bodies.
• That pandas eat bamboo up to 12 hours a day to keep up their energy level.

3. The best of the week’s “Found on Facebook” comments:

• “My goal is to be that old person everyone is afraid to take out in public.”
• “You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.”
• “Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation toward the local swimming pool, so I have him a glass of water.”
• “121 days until Ohio State football is back.”
• “About four minutes into my run this morning, I decided I want to work on my personality instead.”
• “Stop hating on lazy people. They didn’t even do anything.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — For those who may have never heard the story, Jim Morrison and the Doors were banned from The Ed Sullivan Show after one appearance. Morrison broke an agreement with the show’s producers when he said he would not sing the drug-related words, “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher,” from “Light My Fire”. But he did anyway. Yeah, it was a different time.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Jim Morrison’s grave marker bears the inscription “KATA TON DAIMONA EAYTOY” in ancient Greek. This phrase translates to “true to his own spirit” or “true to his own demon,” leaving room for multiple interpretations.