December 29, 2023 —– Chart #226
Hello Music Friends,
Hey folks, welcome to another edition of Chart of the Week. Last post of this year and we are going a little strange with this one. That’s right, strange. “People Are Strange” is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears on the band’s second studio album, Strange Days, released in September 1967. The song was written by the Doors’ vocalist Jim Morrison and guitarist Robby Krieger, although all of the band are credited on the sleeve notes. The track was first released with “Unhappy Girl” as the B-side. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song’s composition started in early 1967. According to Doors drummer John Densmore, he and guitarist Robby Krieger, who had then been roommates, were visited by Jim Morrison who appeared to be “deeply depressed.” At Krieger’s recollection, they later took a walk along Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. Morrison returned from the walk “euphoric” with the early lyrics of “People Are Strange”. Intrigued by the lyrics, Krieger was convinced that the song was a hit upon hearing the vocal melody: Morrison said ‘Yeah, I feel really good about this one. It just came to me all of a sudden … in a flash – as I was sitting up there on the ridge looking out over the city.’ His eyes were wild with excitement. ‘I scribbled it down as fast as I could. It felt great to be writing again.’ He looked down at the crumpled paper in his hand and sang the chorus in his haunting blues voice.
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s, primarily due to Morrison’s lyrics and voice, along with his erratic stage persona and legal issues. The group is widely regarded as an important figure of the era’s counterculture.
Live on the Ed Sullivan show: https://youtu.be/MZKRb4qrJMo?si=ozIn0jLeP4H6zvZb
The band took its name from the title of Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception, itself a reference to a quote by William Blake. After signing with Elektra Records in 1966, the Doors with Morrison recorded and released six studio albums in five years, some of which are generally considered among the greatest of all time, including their self-titled debut (1967), Strange Days (1967), and L.A. Woman (1971). Dubbed the “Kings of Acid Rock”, they were one of the most successful bands of their time and by 1972 the Doors had sold over 4 million albums domestically and nearly 8 million singles. Morrison died in uncertain circumstances in 1971. The band continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973.
The Doors were the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive gold LPs. According to the RIAA, they have sold 34 million albums in the United States and over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The Doors have been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines including Rolling Stone, which ranked them 41st on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. In 1993, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I could go on and on with fascinating history surrounding this band, but let’s just grab a guitar and jam on this tune for a bit. Enjoy.
Keep Rockin’,
Stan Bradshaw