"The Changeling" | ||||
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Single by the Doors | ||||
from the album L.A. Woman | ||||
A-side | "Riders on the Storm" | |||
Released |
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Recorded | December 1970 | |||
Studio | The Doors' Workshop, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | ||||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | The Doors | |||
Producer(s) |
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The Doors singles chronology | ||||
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"The Changeling" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears as the opening track on their sixth album and final with Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman . Released in April 1971, as the B-side of "Riders on the Storm", the single peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [5]
"The Changeling" was the first song that the band recorded during the sessions for L.A. Woman. [6] The song's title was taken from one of Morrison's 1968 notebooks, [7] and refers to the "changeling", a legendary human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. Writer James Riordan has noted that the song's mention of changeling, or spirit child, may be another reference to Morrison's difficult childhood. [8] The funky James Brown-esque composition also appears to anticipate the singer's departure from Los Angeles with the line "I'm leavin' town on the midnight train". [9] Doors' keyboardist Ray Manzarek explained:
The lyrics are prophetic. "I've lived uptown. I've lived downtown, but I've never been so broke that I couldn't leave town." He'd lived on the beach and in the hills. He'd had money and been broke. He'd had his L.A. adventure, and he was out. [10]
Musically, "The Changeling" blends blues rock [1] and funk music elements. [11] The song is notated in the key of A minor. [12] [13] During the recording session, Morrison remarked "I hate to spook anybody, but this is my favorite number. Play your ass off, boy." [14]
"The Changeling" was first released in April 1971, sequenced as the opening track on the A-side of L.A. Woman. [4] [15] The band wanted the song to be the album's first single, but Elektra Records president Jac Holzman overruled the group's decision in favor of "Love Her Madly" and the non-album B-side "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further". [7] [10] However, later in June 1971 it was issued as the B-side of "Riders on the Storm", edited to 3:27. [3] The track was also performed live by the Doors at State Fair Music Hall in Dallas on December 11, 1970. [16] This live version appears on the 2003 album Boot Yer Butt: The Doors Bootlegs . [17]
On November 25, 1990, when disc jockey Bruce Van Dyke played the song on his radio station one day, a man called in saying, "Why doesn't anyone play this?" [18] Upon its release, "The Changeling" has received comments in several album reviews of L.A. Woman. Writing for AllMusic, critic Richie Unterberger described the song as one of "their better little-heeded album tracks". [19] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone called it a "garage-style classic". [20] Holzman acknowledged it as a "tribute to James Brown", [6] while Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine labeled it a "James Brown funk swagger". [21]
Rolling Stone critic Narendra Kusnur considered it one of Morrison's 10 most underrated songs, particularly praising Manzarek's Hammond organ playing and Morrison's vocal performance. [22] The Guardian cited it as the 16th best Doors track, describing it "a James Brown-reminiscent funk-rock strut heavy on groove and grit." [2]
The Doors
Additional musicians
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s, primarily due to Morrison's lyrics and voice, along with his erratic stage persona and legal issues. The group is widely regarded as an important figure of the era's counterculture.
The Doors is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on January 4, 1967, by Elektra Records. It was recorded in August 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, in Hollywood, California, under the production of Paul A. Rothchild. The album features the extended version of the band's breakthrough single "Light My Fire" and the lengthy closer "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section. Various publications, including BBC and Rolling Stone, have listed The Doors as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Strange Days is the second studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on September 25, 1967 by Elektra Records, arriving eight months after their self-titled debut album. After the latter's successful release, the band started experimenting with both new and old material in early 1967 for their second record. Upon release, Strange Days reached number three on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It contains two Top 30 hit singles, "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".
Waiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between late 1967 and May 1968 mostly at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. It became the band's only number one album, topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks, while also including their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". The first single released off the record was "The Unknown Soldier", which peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it reached number 16.
The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on July 18, 1969, by Elektra Records. Most of the album was recorded following a grueling tour during which the band was left with little time to compose new material. Record producer Paul A. Rothchild recommended a total departure from the Doors' first three albums: develop a fuller sound by incorporating brass and string arrangements provided by Paul Harris. Lead singer Jim Morrison, who was dealing with personal issues and focusing more on his poetry, was less involved in the songwriting process, allowing guitarist Robby Krieger to increase his own creative output.
L.A. Woman is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on April 19, 1971 by Elektra Records. It is the last to feature lead singer Jim Morrison during his lifetime, due to his death exactly two months and two weeks following the album's release, though he would posthumously appear on the 1978 album An American Prayer. Even more so than its predecessors, the album is heavily influenced by blues. It was recorded without producer Paul A. Rothchild after he quit the band over the perceived lack of quality in their studio performances. Subsequently, the band co-produced the album with longtime sound engineer Bruce Botnick.
Other Voices is the seventh studio album by the Doors, released by Elektra Records in October 1971. It was the first album released by the band following the death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July 1971 with keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger sharing lead vocals. Tracks for the album had begun before Morrison's death and the band hoped that Morrison would return from Paris to finish them.
An American Prayer is the ninth and final studio album by the American rock band the Doors. Following the death of Jim Morrison and the band's breakup, the surviving members of the Doors reconvened to set several of Morrison's spoken word recordings to music. It was the only album by the Doors to be nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Spoken Word" category.
"Riders on the Storm" is a song by American rock band the Doors, released in June 1971 by Elektra Records as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, L.A. Woman. It is known for being the last song that Jim Morrison recorded prior to his sudden death in Paris on July 3, 1971.
"Love Me Two Times" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. First appearing on their second studio album Strange Days, it was later edited to a 2:37 length and released as the second single from that album. The single reached number 25 on the charts in the United States.
"The Crystal Ship" is a song by American rock band the Doors, from their 1967 debut album The Doors, and the B-side of the number-one hit single "Light My Fire". It was composed as a love song to Jim Morrison's first serious girlfriend, Mary Werbelow, shortly after their relationship ended.
Legacy: The Absolute Best is a two-disc compilation album by American rock band the Doors. Released in 2003, it includes the uncensored versions of both "Break On Through " and "The End". Also included is a previously unreleased studio version of Morrison's epic poetry piece "Celebration of the Lizard," a rehearsal outtake from the band's Waiting for the Sun sessions.
"Hyacinth House" is a song written and performed by the Doors. It appears on the band's final album with frontman Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman (1971). Its lyrics were written by Morrison, while the music was composed by keyboardist Ray Manzarek.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released in 1980. The album, along with the film Apocalypse Now, released the previous year, created for the band an entirely new audience of the generation that did not grow up with the Doors. The album went on to become one of the highest-selling compilations of all time, with combined CD and vinyl sales of 5,000,000 in the United States alone.
"Tell All the People" is a song by American rock band the Doors and was written by band guitarist Robby Krieger. It was the A-side backed with "Easy Ride" – an outtake from Waiting for the Sun recorded in March 1968 – and was released in June 1969. Also known as "Follow Me Down" due to the use of the phrase, it was the third single from the Doors' fourth album The Soft Parade. The song's instrumentation incorporates brass instruments and other orchestral instruments.
"Wishful Sinful" is a song by American rock band the Doors. Group guitarist Robby Krieger wrote the tune, which was first released in March 1969 as a single, as well as on the band's fourth album, The Soft Parade, later in July. "Wishful Sinful" follows the general theme of the album by incorporating elements of classical music.
"Soul Kitchen" is a song by the Doors from their first album The Doors. Singer Jim Morrison wrote the lyrics as a tribute to the soul food restaurant Olivia's in Venice Beach, California. Because he often stayed too late, the staff had to kick him out, thus the lines "let me sleep all night, in your soul kitchen".
"Been Down So Long" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears as the third track on L.A. Woman, the last studio album that lead singer Jim Morrison recorded with the group. It has been called, notably by critic Robert Christgau, as a "take-off" on the album.
"End of the Night" is a song by the American psychedelic rock band the Doors. It was featured on the band's debut album and then released as the B-side to the album's first single, "Break On Through " in January 1967.
R-Evolution is a 2013 music documentary featuring 19 live performances, TV performances and music videos by American rock band the Doors. The compilation features TV performances not previously released as well as original music videos from the 1960s, the 1980s and the 1990s. All archive footage was digitally restored and the sound was remixed and mastered for 5.1 by Bruce Botnick. It was released by Eagle Rock on November 25, 2013.
On his last album, Jim Morrison's voice was just the right side of wasted and therefore perfect for the blues rock direction of L.A. Woman, exemplified by opening track 'The Changeling'.
... 'The Changeling', a James Brown-reminiscent funk-rock strut heavy on groove and grit.
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)This track from 1971's L.A. Woman is a nice slice of funk.