When they first emerged with their 1967 self-titled album, The Doors quickly made a strong impression. They had only formed two years earlier, but their Elektra Records debut produced a No. 1 hit, “Light My Fire,” the Top 20 hit “People Are Strange,” and the Top 30 track “Love Me Two Times.” The album, certified Platinum at the time, has since sold 4 million copies in America.
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Oddly enough, the debut single “Break on Through (To the Other Side)”—now one of their most well-known, instantly recognizable, and most streamed songs—flamed out below the Hot 100 singles chart. No matter—it became a revered concert staple for the quartet, and its lyrics and vibes were signature Doors.
The Right Combination of Sounds and Ideas
Fronted by the iconic Jim Morrison, who passed away at the age of 27 less than five years into the band’s recording career, The Doors are one of the most influential rock bands of the ’60s. Combining jazz swing, the classical background of organist Ray Manzarek, and Morrison’s crooning and spoken-word poetry, their music often embraced the psychedelia of the time.
Their initial single “Break on Through” kicked off with a bossa nova groove and balanced restrained verses with emphatic choruses as Morrison espoused freedom and free thinking from restraining forces.
I found an island in your arms / Country in your eyes / Arms that chain us / Eyes that lie / Break on through to the other side / Break on through to the other side / Break on through.
The lyrics fit in with the personal, artistic ethos of the esteemed frontman who in his short life would prove to become an influence of future generations of musicians.
“I’ve always been attracted to ideas that were about revolt against authority,” Morrison once said. “When you make your peace with authority, you become an authority. I like ideas about the breaking away or overthrowing of established order. I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos, especially activity that seems to have no meaning.”
Breaking on Through
As stated before, the band’s first single was not a hit. But time determines the true viability and longevity of a song. “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” has racked up 305 million Spotify plays. The song, like many other Doors tunes, has also been included in several films, TV shows and videos, such as the TV series Future Man, the competition show So You Think You Can Dance?, the dramedy Desperate Housewives, the first Minions animated film and, of course, Oliver Stone’s The Doors biopic from 1991 starring Val Kilmer as the group’s ill-fated frontman.
In their brief time together, The Doors released six studio albums, four of them in the Top 5 including Waiting for the Sun which went to No. 1 in America. Produced by Paul A. Rothchild, The Doors would become the hit album that launched the band’s career. The trippy, enigmatic epic “The End” is another one of the big tracks from their debut. It has been suggested that it is a predecessor to the gothic rock genre, and a remixed version gave the song new life and reached newer ears through its inclusion in Francis Ford Coppola’s epic war film Apocalyse Now.
And it all started with an underrated song that became a hit over time.
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