‘Back Door Man’: The Doors’ most momentous song?
While the United Kingdom was churning out bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks in the 1960s, across the pond, the acid-fuelled sounds of The Doors emerged, demonstrating heavy influence from blues rock and psychedelia.
Led by Jim Morrison, the enigmatic frontman – known for his powerful stage presence and leather outfits – was a symbol of raw sexuality and recklessness. He was a true rockstar, often indulging in crazy on-stage acts, such as exposing himself to the audience.
Morrison even inspired a young Iggy Pop, who is known as one of rock and roll’s most notorious live performers. He once revealed, “So, here’s this guy, out of his head on acid, dressed in leather with his hair all oiled and curled. The stage was tiny, and it was really low. It got confrontational. I found it really interesting.”
The Doors’ frontman was the first rock star to be arrested on stage, which happened on December 9th, 1967. Before the band took to the stage, Morrison was enjoying some quality time backstage with a young woman, and their alleged kissing was witnessed by an irritated police officer. The cop sprayed Morrison with mace, although the singer asserted, “We weren’t doing anything. You know, just standing there talking, and then this little man in a little blue suit and a little blue cap came in there.”
Morrison continued: “He said ‘Whatcha doin’ there?’ ‘Nothin’. But he didn’t go away, he stood there and then he reached round behind him and brought out this little black can of something. It looked like shaving cream. And then he sprayed it in my eyes. I was blinded for about 30 minutes.”
When Morrison was eventually arrested on stage later that night, the band were performing ‘Back Door Man’. Taken from their self-titled first album, the blues song was originally composed by Willie Dixon. The band were a fan of the track, made famous by Howlin’ Wolf, imbuing their own version with a hard rock influence.
The song, which Morrison had amended with some of his own lyrics, became the soundtrack for one of the band’s defining moments. Morrison cemented his status as a controversial musical figure from this moment. His mocking facial gesture as police officers take him shows his careless attitude, embodying the rebellious spirit of rock and roll.
Additionally, the band’s ability to make the song feel completely their own, adding their own distinctive sound to the track, demonstrated their innovative musicianship. The Doors rarely did covers, but they often integrated this song into their live sets, using it to demonstrate their powers as artists – taking something old and adding an effortlessly new spin, cementing them as one of the ‘60s most vital bands.
