| "Strange Days" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Doors | |
| from the album Strange Days | |
| Released | September 25, 1967 |
| Recorded | May and August 1967 |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock |
| Length | 3:05 |
| Label | Elektra |
| Songwriter(s) | Jim Morrison |
| Producer(s) | Paul A. Rothchild |
"Strange Days" is a song by The Doors. It was released in 1967 and is the first track on the album of the same name. According to a review at AllMusic by Tom Maginnis, the song seems to find lead singer Jim Morrison "pondering the state of the then emerging hippie youth culture and how they are perceived by mainstream or 'straight' society". A visit to New York City by The Doors inspired Jim Morrison to write "Strange Days" and other songs on Strange Days , the band's second studio album. As with many other of their songs, it was written far before it was recorded; a live version recorded in May 1966 can be found on the album London Fog 1966 . [1]
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 controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison's lyrics and his erratic stage persona, and the group was widely regarded as representative of the era's counterculture.
Strange Days is the second studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on September 25, 1967 by Elektra Records. The album was a commercial success, reaching number 3 on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earning RIAA platinum certification. The album contains the Top 30 hit singles "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".
AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web. As of 2015, AllMusic is owned by RhythmOne.
In the Doors biography No One Here Gets Out Alive , "Strange Days" is described as "one of the earliest examples of the Moog synthesizer in rock". The synth was hooked up with the help of Paul Beaver and played by vocalist Morrison. Two music videos were made for the song. The first featured footage of the band backstage and onstage, as well as Jim Morrison driving his car into a hole in sand and jumping on the hood in frustration. The second features the same circus performers on the Strange Days cover photo, who would explore New York City. It also included footage of various people, which was made "swervy" and distorted to fit in with the strange theme of the song. All of this new footage was mixed with footage of the old video, and re-released as a re-mixed video.
No One Here Gets Out Alive (1980) was the first biography of Jim Morrison, lead singer and lyricist of the L.A. rock band The Doors.
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled analog synthesizer systems in the mid 1960s. The technological development that led to the creation of the Moog synthesizer was the invention of the transistor, which enabled researchers like Moog to build electronic music systems that were considerably smaller, cheaper and far more reliable than earlier vacuum tube-based systems.
Paul Beaver was a jazz musician and a pioneer in popular electronic music, using the Moog synthesizer.
In 2012, the three surviving members of The Doors—Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore—assembled in Los Angeles, California's Village Recorders recording studio with rapper Tech N9ne and producer Fredwreck to record a reworked version of the song. The rapper had intentions on building off of "People Are Strange", but Krieger suggested using "Strange Days" instead, as it had "more of a driving beat". The song, titled "Strange 2013" and includes vocals of Doors front man Jim Morrison, appears on the rapper's 2013 album Something Else . While speaking on the collaboration, the rapper noted how the band has inspired him over the years, explaining that "People Are Strange" and "Strange Days" were what he drew on when naming his record label Strange Music. [2]
Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. was an American musician, singer, producer, film director, and author, best known as a member of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, which he co-founded with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison. Manzarek was notable for performing on a keyboard bass during many live shows and some recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player.
Robert Alan Krieger is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the guitarist of the rock band The Doors; as such he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". After the Doors disbanded, Krieger continued his performing and recording career with other musicians including former Doors band mates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. He was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
John Paul Densmore is an American musician, songwriter, author and actor. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors, and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recording made by the band. Densmore is also noted for his veto of attempts by the other two Doors members, in the wake of singer Jim Morrison's 1971 death, to accept offers to license the rights to various Doors songs for commercial purposes, as well as his objections to their use in the 21st century of the Doors name and logo. Densmore's lengthy court battles to gain compliance with his veto ended with total victory for him and his allies in the Morrison estate.
