Riders on the Storm

"Riders on the Storm"
Song
B-side	"The Changeling"

"Riders on the Storm" is a popular 1971 song by The Doors from the L.A. Woman album. Reaching number 14 on the charts, it still receives considerable radio air play, especially when the weather forecast calls for rain or a storm. The song was inspired by the song "Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend". It incorporates thunder and rain sound effects and Ray Manzarek's Fender Rhodes electric piano playing which emulates the sound of rain. It is played in E Dorian mode (almost identical to the E Minor scale). Riders on the Storm is also the title of an autobiographical book written by Doors member John Densmore, and the name of Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger's Doors tribute band (formerly called D21C and Doors of the 21st Century before Densmore's lawsuit forced them to drop the famous name). "Riders on the Storm" is loosely based on the notorious spree killer Billy Cook who posed as a hitchhiker and murdered an entire family. According to a widespread urban legend the song was conceived as an allusion to a tragic accident caused by his father's reckless driving, ending in several deaths of Navajo tribesmen as his car hit a truck where they were traveling; an alternative version refers the lyrics' inspiration to a 1930s French Surrealist poem Chevaliers de l'Ouragan (lit. "Riders of the Hurricane") by André Breton or Aimé Césaire. The song was recorded at the Doors Workshop in December 1970 with the assistance of Bruce Botnick, their longtime engineer who was coproducing the recording sessions. Jim Morrison recorded his main vocals and then whispered the lyrics over them to create the haunting effect. Note: the album prints the length of the song, accurate or not, as 7:14.

Cover versions

Creed covered the song at Woodstock 1999. This version can also be found on the tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors.

Floater (band) from Portland, Oregon has performed the song numerous times on tour.

In 2001 Nils Landgren's Funk Unit released a Funk version on their album "Fonk da World". The song was also remixed by Nightmares on Wax, Ibizarre, Spacebats, and Baez and Cornell on a Limited Edition Bonus Disc for a 2002 Doors retrospective 'The Best of the Doors'.

In July 2004, the alternative rock band Incubus briefly covered the song live after a severe thunderstorm postponed a concert in Indianapolis, IN.

In 2005 "Riders" was fused with Blondie's "Rapture" into "Rapture Riders" by Go Home Productions. This unofficial remix was later approved to be included on Blondie's Greatest Hits: Sight & Sound and was a top ten hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Snoop Dogg recorded a version for Need for Speed: Underground 2, interpolating his own raps and a new beat with the original song.

Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 and Murderdolls also did a cover of this song called Welcome To The Strange.

A piano version of the song was performed by George Winston, appearing on his tribute album Night Divides the Day - The Music of the Doors.

Ahn Trio did a cover of the song on their 2002 album Groovebox.

Ray Manzarek has an instrumental jazzy version of the song on his solo album with Bal.

Infected Mushroom was contacted to do a official remix of Riders, however their time frame was not suitable. Infected Mushroom turned down the offer, but still made an unofficial remix. This remix was leaked on the Internet, but has not been released on any albums.

External links

• Trivia at Songfacts.com