Did The Doors sell out with ‘Touch Me’?
When speaking of the most significant acts of the 1960s, few are mentioned as being more impactful than the Los Angeles quartet The Doors. Led by the indomitable Jim Morrison, their contributions to popular culture speak for themselves, with the mythos surrounding them and their frontman one of the most enigmatic in music history.
Much more than just a band whose vocalist was one of the earliest members of the 27 Club, The Doors’ relatively short oeuvre is brimming with scintillating moments that raised the standard for all art rock and psychedelic bands moving forward. From ‘Light My Fire’ to ‘Riders on the Storm’, the combined power of each Doors member culminated in a noise straight from the other side, a pulsating mass unlike anything else in existence.
Drawing on the darker and more cerebral facets of the countercultural spirit, The Doors were the band for those who wanted to take things a little harder. Whilst this might make you think that they are largely inaccessible, it is quite the opposite, with their grooves enough to make anyone, even the most unrelenting, flat-top donning square get down and lose themselves.
It’s a testament to the band that they have a string of iconic hits to their name, with none being as capable of making us get down as ‘Touch Me’ from 1969’s The Soft Parade. It was actually written by guitarist Robby Krieger, a swaggering, expansive song based on the tempestuous fights he’d have with his girlfriend. Interestingly, the original lyric was
“C’mon, hit me, I’m not afraid.” However, The Lizard King had other ideas and insisted on changing it to “Touch me”. One of the band’s most famous pieces was born shortly after.
The track was not without its detractors, though. The horn and string section that drives ‘Touch Me’ was a sign to many of the band’s longtime fans that they had sold out. The Doors didn’t refute this assertion either, admitting that they were indeed trying to broaden their audience and achieve greater commercial success off the back of the song and album. It is safe to say that they achieved their goal.
Another notable aspect of the song was that the saxophone was performed by Curtis Amy, a celebrated session musician who would go on to play on Carole King’s 1971’s masterpiece Tapestry. The inclusion of orchestral instruments even led to Morrison claiming that ‘Touch Me’ was the first rock hit with a jazz solo.
The story of ‘Touch Me’ doesn’t end there either. The song was at its peak during the period that Morrison was arrested in Miami, Florida, for indecent exposure. Although the track had nothing to do with this, ironically, because of the title, which was purely circumstantial, some radio stations refused to play it.
Famously, Morrison was even sentenced to a six-month stint in jail for the alleged crime, but he tragically died while the case was appealed. Then, in 2010 the late frontman was pardoned by the governor of Florida, who claimed that the conviction was politically motivated, as there was no conclusive evidence for the ‘Touch Me’ singer exposing himself.
