The most sexual song of all time according to The Doors’ drummer John Densmore
In the technicolour of the free-spirited 1960s, The Doors were navigating the spectrums of emotions that were experienced through a newly inhibited artistic movement and the mind-altering drugs that facilitated it. They were a nuanced band who brought a new alternative stamp on performance and sexuality.
But ultimately, as people say, music is a universal language, and the interpretation of a song’s sexuality is usually straightforward. For example, when the opening wah-wah riff of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ blasts through the speakers, the darting-eyed reaction it provokes across the room would imply it’s the ultimate anthem of unfettered romance. But as culture pushes it to be the ultimate sheet beat, it’s verged into almost comical. Used in every instance that hints at the slightest air of romance, the song has become almost a parody of true sexuality.
Aside from Gaye’s discography – which it’s important to remember extends beyond romance and exhibits some of music’s finest-ever releases – soul music has been largely responsible for creating some of the sexiest music in history. Barry White’s baritone voice has always been a sure-fire soundtrack for sultry candlelit evenings, while Minnie Ripperton portrays a more tender albeit equally as raunchy depiction of getting in a coital mood.
So the late 1960s and early 1970s, we saw the sensual sensibilities of rhythm and blues, and soul music, start to be infused into contemporary rock n roll. Before Rod Stewart was asking if you if you find him sexy, and Mick Jagger was drooling like ‘Pavlov’s dog’, it was Jim Morrison and The Doors who were painting a more nuanced and edgy picture of lyrical sexuality.
Their 1967 self-titled debut album was an experimental blend of genres in what has since become an art-rock classic. But on top of the composition was an enigmatic Morrison, singing “Come on, baby, light my fire / Try to set the night on fire”. His provocative lyrics and carnal performance had a transformative impact on modern culture, following on from the increasingly inhibited style of music set out by the likes of Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Ray Charles.
The latter paired deeply accomplished musical compositions with an unhinged sense of humanity. Charles’ expressive vocal style and passionate piano playing opened up the spectrum of emotion that could be displayed in modern music, ranging from the despondent and heartbroken to the euphoric and sexual.
During a recent episode of ‘What’s In My Bag?’ with Ameoba, The Doors drummer John Densmore picked out Charles’ live In Person album and marked the emotional influence of one particular track. With the In Person record in hand, Densmore explained, “I was a teenager when I heard this”. He continued, “the song ‘What’d I Say’ is the most sexual song, still I’ve ever heard”.
The lyrics are undoubtedly sexual, with Charles crooning with lustful desire: “Come and love your daddy all night long / all right now”. But perhaps the song’s most defining feature in its ability to incite romantic desire it’s the rhythm section. Beneath the song’s melody sits a primal drum beat that is etched firmly in the memory of Densmore: “The drummer on this record played a cymbal beat that I couldn’t do. It took me two hands to do what he was doing with one, so that was an education” he said.
It was a song that informed a compositional and performative direction for The Doors. While Densmore refers to a live recording in his Ameoba episode, the recorded version of Charles’ track features a strikingly similar piano sound to the one that features one of The Doors’ raucous breakout singles.
During a performance on Classic Albums, keyboardist Ray Manzarek admitted to essentially lifting Charles’ piano part from ‘What’d I Say’. As he plays through the track, Manzarek says, “It’s Ray Charles, but I play ‘break on through to the other side’. We’d steal from anybody”.
What’s left in the evidence is a lineage to be tracked, from the carnal spirit of Charles’ rhythm and blues to the outright sexuality of the free-spirited Californian four-piece. The Doors represented an alternative view on sexuality and what it meant to be provocative in the more spiritual 1960s, but at the core of their sound was established by one of rhythm and blues’ forefathers, Ray Charles.
