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The Doors, Break on Through - Amy’s First Listen And Analysis (Patreon)

Published:
2025-01-01 18:56:59
Imported:
2026-06
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So this is what the world first heard when The Doors came on the scene! It opened the doors to the other side :)

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Comments

TangoEliott

I liked the Doors but unlike most I did not love them. I did like Light My Fire but I found Jim personally hard to like. I was sorry he passed so young. He had a good voice.

Dan J.

The members of The Doors had many musical influences. The opening drum rhythm is a Bossa Nova beat. John Densmore (drummer) really appreciated this style and “stiffened” it for rock and roll by using sticks instead of the traditional brushes. The bass riff was influenced by the Ray Charles Hit “What’d I Say?”. The guitar portion was inspired by Paul Butterfield’s “Shake Your Moneymaker”, a favorite of Robbie Krieger (guitar). You should check out the Classic Albums DVD series. The Doors first album was featured in an episode and the surviving band members talk about where their ideas came from and how the tracks came together.

Ye_Humble_Scrivener

The first two Doors tracks you heard were epic album-closers; "The End" is the grand finale of this same album. Morrison was interested in mystical experience and fancied himself a shaman (actually, he fancied himself period) -- so I think the lyrics are primarily about breaking through Isis's veil and experiencing the infinite. Or something like that. This is a killer track and one of the great album openers, but I have a love-hate relationship with the band. I love their overall sound, especially Ray Manzarek's organ, and Morrison was a fine singer and charismatic front man. But, his lyrical pretensions and leather-panted posings helped usher in the era of the rock god as narcissistic monster. The great rock critic Lester Bangs dubbed him "Bozo Dionysus," which never stops cracking me up.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma

Great wonderful song... and I'm so happy you covered it. There are only a half dozen super important albums from my childhood, and this is one of them. It was only my third new record purchase... It was back in the early 70s in the Bay Area when my local radio station had a contest where if you were such-and-such number caller, you would win a free record from the store. I won three times. My first new record was ABBEY ROAD (which I first heard from borrowing from my library's bookmobile in the 5th grade); the second was The Beatles Greatest Hits 67-70 (the blue album), and the third? The first two times I won, my mom brought me to the record store to pick up my booty. This last time, my dad takes me. He says, "Son... don't buy another Beatles record... try something new!" Now, my dad was RELATIVELY hip... he bought John Lennon's TWO VIRGINS (sold in a brown wrapper due to J&Y's full frontal nudity) in 1968 because he thought it might be worth money one day... and it is... but he dumped the record before it became valuable. "Okay, dad... what should I get?" What made him choose The Doors for me, I don't know, other than he knew the song LIGHT MY FIRE. I guess is was sheer dumb luck! This album, Abbey Road, Who's Next, Machine Head, and The Yes Album became my drum teachers in the early 70s... and then I discovered John "Bonzo" Bonham... and everything changed once again. Thanks again for choosing this band and this song! Lovely!

Chester Beals
>>159987209

I was in a similar headspace for the longest time. Morrison's personality represented everything I disliked about dirty hippies, lol. It was only in my late 30s-early 40s that I started coming around to the Doors, and it was the musicianship of the band that eventually won me over. He does have a fantastic voice.

Chester Beals
>>159990136

Ray's ability to tell a story while playing his keyboard is nothing short of magical.

TangoEliott
>>159987209

Yes, I do believe they were good but he seemed very arrogant and full of himself.....

Paul D. Hoffmaster III

Break on through To the Other Side, for me was the act of going from life to death. Mainly the "Other Side" part, I always heard it as being related to death. I like the energy behind the song and being a late teen at the time, one has a lot of energy. Good review Amy.

RAD1

In 1968 The Doors played in my hometown. As you state we were somewhat unprepared for them, they were new and a breakthrough in Rock. After a tepid crowd reaction Jim was getting surly and yelled “What’s the matter — are you all dead out there?” to “a sea of stunned faces.” I wasn't there but I heard about it. I'm sure Jim got over it.

Steve

So the Doors never had a bass player. All the bass parts are keyboard/organ Also the word “high” was not included in the original release, because record companies were worried about overt drug references. Go it just went “she get, she get, she get [moan]. They added them back much later in a box set or something. I like it better without. Unintentionally added a bit of subtlety. Jim Morrison was many things but subtle was not one of them.

John Barnett

Day = everyday reality. Night = mystical/shamanic reality. The song exhorts the listener to break through to the mystical side (via LSD in Morrison's case). The Doors took their name from Aldus Huxley's work, The Doors of Perception, which was about the psychedelic experience.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160014342

I read a number of Huxley's books, back in the day. For fiction, I recommend ISLAND, a kind of psychedelic utopia... and. of course, THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION, of his experiences with the psychedelic, mescaline, and had a HUGE effect on every psychonaut (like myself) ever since. But, Huxley also wrote THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY... a book that I would recommend to anyone interested in metaphysics.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160013667

Well, what you said is true of their live shows, where keyboardist Ray Manzarek would play the bass part on a Fender bass keyboard. But, you can check, the Doors usually had an actual bass player for their studio recordings, at least initially, at the request of their producer, Paul Rothchild.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160007726

My guess: yes, as far as Jim was concerned, at that moment, they WERE all dead out there... but... The Doors often breathed some life into their audience once they got going.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160001786

An interesting interpretation that I hadn't considered, in all the passing decades since this came out. But... I don't see it... I just don't think that Jim was talking about DEATH as being on the "other side..." although you would have a good argument to make, and I would not.

Eric Williams

I have this plus many other Doors songs on my playlist for my overnight job. The drum beat is a bossa nova beat. The musicians in the Doors were very unique in their talents. Together they made one killer band.

Eric Williams
>>159987209

According to his band mates and people who knew him intimately, Jim was a nice, shy man. Troubled yes, but not the person depicted in that awful movie. Ray Manzarek totally disavowed that movie.

Lester Salazar

The first two you listened to I wouldn't have chosen for you to start with. Like you said, not much energy. My favs; Touch Me, Love Me Two times, Riders on the Storm, Back Door Man.

George Brady

Listening to you describe this propulsive song, Amy, sent me to my record collection to check out this album for the first time in years. As the terrific first side played i remembered your question during your "Benefit of Mr Kite" video about other instances of carnival music in Rock. I think "Alabama Song" - supposedly a Bertolt Brech/Kurt Weill number broadly redone by Morrison and the band - qualifies. Apparently, the Marxohone produced the carnival sound atmosphere.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160057161

BACK DOOR MAN (written by Willie Dixon, who wrote a LOT of good songs, back in the day) is the Bomb! RIDERS ON THE STORM has enough going on for Amy to make a serious video from. The other two you mentioned are fine pop songs, but not up to the caliber of the two mentioned above, imo.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>159987209

Chester... "dirty hippies?" Ouch! Actually, I tend to agree with you if you are talking about the "second generation of hippies," as I call them (and me, actually, although I never ran away from home)... i.e., those who became hippies from THE SUMMER OF LOVE (1967) on... They were usually teenage runaways who saw news reports of the Haight-Ashbury of S.F. (yes, I once lived at 650 Ashbury, so I'm familiar with the area) and... ran away from home... But, you must know, there were the "original hippies," my term again. They were NOT runaways. In fact, they were (at least those in the Haight) students at San Francisco State College who found the neighborhood cheap... Other original hippies included actor Peter Coyote, of the S.F. Mime Troupe, and also of the DIGGERS, who fed the runaways who overflowed the Haight after the media reports of the summer of '67, who needed money one day... and that's how NYC concert promoter Bill Graham got his start in San Francisco... this is circa 1965. It's a really long story, actually. But... if you haven't yet, do check out the movie of the 1967 International Monterey Pop Festival. It was the very first time that the Jimi Hendrix Experience played in America, at Paul McCartney's insistence, who sat on the concert's board of directors... where Jimi lights his guitar on fire... ...it's the first time The Who played in America... and destroyed their instruments to a crowd who had never seen such a thing before. They had Simon and Garfunkel... they had Eric Burden and the Animals, they had JANIS JOPLIN play in front of a large crowd for the first time, singing just the most amazing version of BALL AND CHAIN, by Big Mama Thorton. There was Country Joe and the FIsh. There was OTIS REDDING, who was SITTIN' ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY, shortly before he died... ...AND... my point for bringing all this up: check out the HIPPIES... all VERY CLEAN... hair washed... well educated (apparently) and all just so VERY HAPPY... The hippies in this film are the ORIGINAL HIPPIES... not the "dirty" runaways... Also, not to belabor the point: Hippieness is a state of mind, not a state of dress. As Smash Mouth said in their 80s song, WALKING ON THE SUN: And their kids were hippie chicks All hypocrites 'Cause fashion is smashin' The true meaning of it!

Chester Beals
>>159987209

Sorry, Marc... as an 18-year-0ld in 1983, that was how I lumped anyone with long hair and bohemian sensibilities. I've since grown up and lightened up, hence the "LOL". :) It was more a commentary on me than the "dirty hippies". ;)

TONY SURRATT

Enjoyed that. And you got me pondering the old tree falls in the woods, if nothing is there to hear it, does it make a sound? I’ll say no. The Doors didn’t break through on Mars, But it is good to know that NASA has Door fans.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160399937

Tony, am I, really, the only one who is NOT confused by the tree falling in the woods making a sound? To me, it's obvious: If you define SOUND as simply being a series of compressed air that needs no-one to hear it: then, YES, a falling tree DOES make a sound. But... I, personally, don't believe any such thing. If, however, you define SOUND as a mental phenomenon, which MAY or MAY NOT be caused by actual pressure differences in the air that would hit an ear drum, and be converted... then, NO, a falling tree DOES NOT make a sound if there is no one there to hear it. Tony, I know you are thanking me in advance for setting you straight on this... AND... your welcome... in advance ;)

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160013667

Yeah, George, it was a surprise to me, too. "She gets... she gets.... she gets... " - in fact, it never occurred to me, as a 6th grader in the early 70s, that the next word was supposed to be "high." Too bad, really, I wish they wouldn't have edited it out... the record companies were trying to protect kids like me... but I wanted NO such protection, myself... Also, THE END had a lot of deleted words that were restored decades later.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>159987209

Hey Chester! OF COURSE I knew where you were coming from (mostly). No worries... You just gave me the PERFECT EXCUSE for me to expound on a subject that has interested me (and NO ONE ELSE, to my knowlege) since I was a little kid growing up among the hippies and bra-less girls of the early 70s in the Bay Area. (I lived in Los Gatos - the "cat city" - on El Gato Lane! - Yep. I sure do like repeating that - as I've always been a cat lover, although I like dogs, and have had as many of them as I've had cats in my lifetime.)

TONY SURRATT
>>160399937

BTW thank you. I knew I could count on you. Let me ask ya, about rodeo. Why pronounce it Ro day o I never understood that

Evelyn
>>160399937

well, we could have a nice discussion on this one. I go with the first option. The sound waves would still occur...animals would hear it. Just be because a human being isn't there to give a NAME to the phenomenon, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Depends on the language of the possible humans who hear it as to whether a "sound" would be produced, yes? It might be a "son" if they were French, or "sonido" in Spanish. But it sounds kinda hubristic for humans to ask whether something exists or not depending on whether or not we're there to witness it. Does a smell exist if we're not around to name it? Does wind, if we're not there to feel it? Does an eclipse occur if we're not here to see it? This COULD be a Buddhist koan....which could tie your mind up in knots, but to no good purpose. Hi by the way! 😁🤗👋

TONY SURRATT
>>160399937

It is a fun discussion, looking at things differently. And it was a loaded question. I got something else hubristic,,,, fire It’s nowhere in our solar system (maybe even in our galaxy), because of oxidation. 👋🏻🤓👋🏻

Michael Faklis

The door's bassist was Keyboard player Ray Manzurak's left hand.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160604903

True for their live performances. They DID use a bassist for MANY of their studio songs. For example: Larry Knetchel, Doug Lubahn, Kerry Magness, Harvey Brooks, Ray Neopolitan, and Jerry Scheff all played Bass on various Doors albums.

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
>>160399937

Evelyn - please please please excuse me. I didn't mean to be so human-centered. How about I use "sentient being" to perceive sound pressure wave differentials as a mental phenomenon. (So... it works for slugs as well as humans and cats - but, I'm not so sure about octopuses, seriously, they are weirdo creatures ;) Also, koans DO serve a purpose: to get the acolyte to distrust a purely logical perception of reality (in so many not-so-impressive words). There are two schools of Zen... and I like the one that believes in "sudden enlightenment" that is usually occasioned by contemplating the paradox of a typical koan. Evelyn - what was your face before you were born????

DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma

@19:28 you say "By the time I get to end of the song... and... and I'm trying to think, okay... what is this song really trying to communicate... what is this song about, really?" Amy, Amy, Amy. I'm so VERY glad that you asked this question, as it allows me (once again) to voice an opinion of mine that relates to MANY of the songs over the last two years where you could have asked the same question. I've been telling your readers here, for any who will listen, and for the few who might agree with me: There are just CERTAIN songs that can't be taken out of context from the times in which they were written. (Classical music doesn't have lyrics, to my knowledge... but, isn't there a similar thing when trying to interpret, say, Mozart or Beethoven? Wouldn't knowing something about their times inform you better of their music? This is not a rhetorical question on my part, as I truly have no idea.) Now, please understand: You don't need any context to understand a song, say, like, MY SHARONA, which you reviewed a couple of years ago... But BREAK ON THROUGH is nowhere near a song like MY SHARONA... This was the year of 1967... remember? Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper (1967)... that was the year of the SUMMER OF LOVE! --------- Seriously, Amy, I have a SUPER recommendation for your movie channel that fits in really well here, and may serve to illustrate my point: The very first 3-day rock festival was NOT Woodstock in 1969... it was the 1967 INTERNATIONAL MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL, two years prior. And there is a REALLY GROOVY film made of it, by D.A. Pennebaker. That concert is where The Jimi Hendrix Experience (at Paul McCartney's, who sat on the concert's board, insistence) was introduced to America... and he set his guitar on fire during the Trogg's song, WILD THING. The first time THE WHO played in America... stunning the audience when they destroyed their instruments in front of them (they NEVER had seen THAT before!). It was the first time that JANIS JOPLIN played for a large audience. She had met Big Mama Thorton, and heard her play her song BALL AND CHAIN, asked if she could cover it... and WOWED EVERYONE at the concert with her performance. OTIS REDDING performed shortly before dying, just when his big hit SITTIN' ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY hit. RAVI SHANKAR was there. The MAMAS AND PAPAS. SIMON AND GARFUNKEL. COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH... ERIC BURDEN... and many more. Almost as important, Amy, you will see the ORIGINAL HIPPIES... that is, the people who were hippies BEFORE the Summer Of Love, when all of the teenage runaways overran the Haight-Ashbury scene and brought hard drugs... forcing the ORIGINAL HIPPIES (who were usually college students, like at S.F. State; or Mime-troupe actors like PETER COYOTE) to move out of the city... sometimes into some far-away commune. (Those were weird times... "and when the times get weird - the weird turn pro" - gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas - starring Johnny Depp.)) Amy, from watching the film, you will get a really good sense of the vibe of 1967... which had changed a bit by Woodstock 1969. BREAK ON THROUGH (TO THE OTHER SIDE) is a psychedelic song: not a song that tells you to take drugs... but a song with lyrics that describes the experience of one who already HAS taken a trip - so you don't have to, if you don't want, but you wouldn't mind of hearing tales from others who have "been there, done that." The effects of psychedelic drugs upon a songwriter is NOT direct. One writes songs (or whatever art-form available to the artist) AFTER the artist has learned something from the experience... it is NOT a prescription for the listener to take drugs themselves. In fact. population wise... even at its height by, say, 1972... the hippies were a small (but noticeable) minority. Hippies opposed the Vietnam War by 1965... the general American public didn't popularly turn against the war until about 1971, when the Kent State massacre by National Guard troops on protesting college students. ____ (Personally... I think after writing all of this... someone should offer me a professorship somewhere ;)

TONY SURRATT

Marc, have you ever ate an octopus ? They’re fantastic. You should remember that sound travels 7X faster in water than air. So they hear faster than you and I. Your question to Evelyn, did something to my thinking. Is it possible that I have a photo of my face before I was hatched ? If I do, would you like to see it ?

TONY SURRATT
>>160639442

Amy and Vlad should review the Monterey pop festival. It is a pivotal moment in rock history. That time frame and location. And as much as I’m amazed at what Amy hears, I believe she misses a lot. I’ve been trying to promote and talking them into watching performances. Maybe even watch a video, to give the musicians and songs focus point. But mainly performances, the venue, a club, an auditorium, a stadium or a festival. I think it give the music more context to enjoy. I’ve been thinking about commissioning The Blues Brothers. Just for this topic alone and it would be fun. Maybe a Jimi thing will slide your way (DMB)

TONY SURRATT
>>160399937

Marc, haven’t heard from you in a couple of days. LA looks apocalyptic, Hope your okay and safe.