The Doors “Riders on the Storm” charted

Riders on the Storm The Doors

Writer(s): John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison (see lyrics here) Released: June 1971 First Charted: July 2, 1971 Peak: 14 BB, 12 CB, 4 GR, 12 HR, 11 AC, 1 CL, 22 UK, 5 CN, 10 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.4 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 288.0 video, 399.98 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Riders on the Storm” was the second single released from the Doors’ sixth album, L.A. Woman. All six of the group’s studio albums reached the top ten and went platinum. “The recording is driven by session player Jerry Scheff’s walking bassline and Ray Manzarek’s energetic electric piano, and has a more mature, blues-derived sound compared to The Doors’ earlier work.” TB Bruce Botnick was promoted from engineer to producer after Paul Rothchild dropped out, apparently unhappy with the group’s direction. TB It has been reported that he was specifically disappointed with “Riders on the Storm,” referring to it as “cocktail music.” WK Krieger confirmed that although Rothchild has said he made the comments about “Love Her Madly.” WK The song has been called “psychedelic rock, jazz rock, art rock…and a precursor of gothic music.” WK It features one of lead singer Jim Morrison’s “strongest vocal performances.” TB and “mark[ed] a return to form…after a couple of years of lesser recordings.” TB Like their #1 hit “Light My Fire,” the “rambling album cut – which stretched beyond the seven-minute mark – had to be edited down for the singles market but lost little of its mesmeric, foreboding charm.” TB Morrison wrote lyrical references to hitchhiking in the song. While attending Florida State University in 1962, he often hitchhiked to Clearwater, 280 miles away, to see a girl named Mary Werbelow. Those journeys apparently left scars on Morrison who later wrote a play he wrote called The Hitchhiker (An American Pastoral) in which he was going to play a hitchhiker who goes on a murder spree. SF The idea appears to be inspired by Billy “Cockeyed” Cook, a hitchhiking killer who was the subject of the 1953 film, The Hitch-Hiker. WK The song evolved out of a jam session in which the band were playing was inspired by “Ghost Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend,” a country song written by Stan Jones and popularized by Vaughn Monroe. SF Keyboardist Ray Manazarek also noted that some lines refer to Morrison’s love, Pamela Courson. WK Sadly, “Riders on the Storm” became the group’s swan song” TB since Morrison died as the song hit the charts. While no autopsy was performed, WK his death on July 3, 1971, in Paris has been attributed to a “drug-induced heart attack.” TB He was only 27. Resources: SF Songfacts TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 130. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/21/2024; last updated 4/25/2024.