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Light My Fire

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This article is about The Doors song. For the 1978 Baccara album, see Light My Fire (Baccara album). For the memoir by Ray Manzarek, see Light My Fire (book).
"Light My Fire"
Song
B-side"The Crystal Ship"

"Light My Fire" is a song by The Doors, which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as a single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after its recording. A year later, it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 following the success of Jose Feliciano's version of the song (which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard chart), peaking at number 87. The song was largely written by Robby Krieger,[1] and credited to the entire band. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1967, representing sales of one million units.[2]

A live version was released in 1983 on their album Alive, She Cried, the first of several live albums released in subsequent decades to include the song. "Light My Fire" achieved modest success in Australia, where it peaked at number 22 on the ARIA chart. The single originally reached number 49 in the UK in 1967, but experienced belated success in that country in 1991, when a re-issue peaked at number 7. The re-issue occurred on the back of revived interest in the band following Oliver Stone's film biopic The Doors. The song is number 35 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3] It was included in the Songs of the Century list and was ranked number 7 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of All Time list. José Feliciano's cover version won a 1969 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, the same year he won another Grammy for Best New Artist.

History

The song originated as a Robby Krieger unfinished composition, which the other band members then expanded upon. Ray Manzarak said that the distinctive organ intro was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's Two and Three Part Inventions. [4] Although the album version was just over seven minutes long, it was widely requested for radio play,[1] so a single version was edited to just under three minutes with nearly all the instrumental break removed for airplay on AM radio.[4] The song's main riff "come on baby light my fire", is the exact same riff created four years earlier in a 1964 Beatles' song, You Can't Do That, where John Lennon sings "'cause I'm the one that won your love". This wouldn't be the only time a Doors' hit single would closely resemble a song produced earlier by another group as "Hello, I Love You" was clearly a re-write of an earlier Kinks' song "All Day and All of the Night".

The Ed Sullivan Show

The band appeared on various TV shows, such as American Bandstand, miming to a playback of the single. However, "Light My Fire" was performed live by The Doors on The Ed Sullivan Show broadcast on September 17, 1967. The Doors were asked by producer Bob Precht, Sullivan's son-in-law, to change the line "girl, we couldn't get much higher", as the sponsors were uncomfortable with the possible reference to drug-taking.[5][6] The band agreed to do so, and did a rehearsal using the amended lyrics; however, during the live performance, the band's lead singer Jim Morrison sang the original lyric.[5] Ed Sullivan did not shake Morrison's hand as he left the stage. The band had been negotiating a multi-episode deal with the producers; however, after breaking the agreement not to perform the line, they were informed they would never do the Sullivan show again. Morrison's response was "We just 'did' Sullivan."[7]

The Buick Incident

John Densmore recalls,[8] that Buick offered $75,000 in October 1968 to adapt the song for use in a Buick Opel TV commercial ("Come on, Buick, light my fire").[9] Morrison, however, was still in London after a European tour had just ended on September 20 and could not be reached by the other group members, who agreed to the deal in his absence. As the band had agreed in 1965 to both equal splits and everyone having veto power in decisions, Morrison consequently called Buick and threatened to smash an Opel with a sledgehammer on television should the (presumably ready) commercial be aired.

Speed discrepancy

The 40th Anniversary Mix of the debut album presents a stereo version of "Light My Fire" in speed-corrected form for the first time. The speed discrepancy (being about 3.5 % slow) was brought to Bruce Botnick's attention by a Brigham Young University professor, who noted that all the video and audio live performances of The Doors performing the song, the sheet music, and the statements of band members show the song in a key almost a half step higher than the stereo LP release. Until the 2006 remasters, only the original 45 RPM singles ("Light My Fire" and "Break on Through") were produced at the correct speed.[10]

Chart positions

Chart (1967) Peak position
Australian Go-Set National Top 40[11] 16
Irish Singles Chart[12] 1
Netherlands Singles Chart[13] 27
UK Singles Chart[14] 49 (1967), 7 (1991 reissue)[15]
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] 1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[17] 1

Personnel

Rock Band Music Gaming Platform

The song was made available to download on October 26, 2010 for use in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which takes advantage of the use of a real guitar / bass guitar, along with support for standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to main and backup vocals.[18][19]

Covers

The song's chord progression and catchy rhythm (particularly Ray Manzarek's swirling, barrel organ-style keyboard motif) lent itself readily to pop or MOR styled cover versions.

José Feliciano

"Light My Fire"
Song
B-side"California Dreamin'"

Vocalist and guitarist José Feliciano experienced significant international success, when he released his version of "Light My Fire" in 1968 as a single on the RCA Victor label. It is perhaps the best known cover of this song, reaching number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts, only a year after the original had been a number 1 hit on the same chart. Feliciano's remake blended Latin influences, including a mixture of classic Spanish guitar and flamenco, with American pop sounds. The single helped to spur the worldwide success of its album, Feliciano!, which was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards in 1969. Feliciano's arrangement of "Light My Fire" has influenced several subsequent versions, including that by Will Young. Song writer Robby Krieger said in an interview about the cover: "It's really a great feeling to have written a classic. I think I owe a big debt to Jose Feliciano because he is actually the one, when he did it, everybody started doing it. He did a whole different arrangement on it."[20]

Country Peak
position
Australia 3
Brazil 2
Canada 1
France 62
Ireland 14
Netherlands 24
United Kingdom 6
United States 3

Shirley Bassey

"Light My Fire"
Song

"Light My Fire Remix" is a single released by Shirley Bassey in 1999. This is a remix of the vocal recorded in 1970 for the album Something, which is also included on this release. The single was issued by Blue Note, EMI Music France in two formats a 12" single and a CD single.

In spring 1998, Blue Note France and Radio Nova organised a competition to find the best remix, created from the Groove and Jazz back catalogues. The DJ had to be an unknown, who had not yet had any work published. DJ Booster was the winner and the hip-hop and club dance remixes of "Light My Fire" were released to the public. French musician DJ Olivier Armbuster, alias Booster, has origins in the suburbs of Paris. He is a musician, who plays a variety of instruments and went on to release an album entitled Loop in 2001.

Bassey's original recording of the song was arranged by Johnny Harris, who also recorded his own instrumental version using a similar arrangement for his 1970 album Movements.

Tracklisting
  1. "Light My Fire" (Booster-Remix Edit) - 3:17
  2. "Light My Fire" (Booster Mix) - 5:05
  3. "Light My Fire" (Shirley Bassey original version) - 3:23
  4. "Light My Fire" (Booster Jungle Mix) - 4:23
Personnel
  • Shirley Bassey - vocals
  • Rob Nicolas Gueguen - keyboards

Will Young

"Light My Fire"
Song
B-side"Ain't No Sunshine"
"Beyond the Sea"

Pop Idol UK series 1 winner Will Young covered the song in 2002. Young originally performed a piano version the song in the final 50 of Pop Idol, and again, with a backing track, in the final 10. It was later released as his second single. It went straight to the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart, selling 177,000 copies in its first week of release. The single stayed at number one for two weeks. The cover version was recorded in the style of José Feliciano's version.

Young also performed the song on World Idol, where he came in fifth place.

Charts
Chart Peak
position
Germany 44
Italy 4
Netherlands 21
Republic of Ireland 5
Switzerland 76
United Kingdom 1
Certifications
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[21] Gold 25,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 400,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b The Doors interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  2. ^ "GOLD & PLATINUM". riaa.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved February 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) Note: User, put the data of the song.
  3. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Light My Fire". guitarworld.com. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Korpe, Marie. Marie Korpe (September 4, 2004). Shoot the singer!: music censorship today. Zed Books. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-84277-505-9. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  6. ^ Hicks, Michael (August 1, 2000). Sixties Rock: Garage, Psychedelic, and Other Satisfactions. University of Illinois Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-252-06915-4. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  7. ^ Hogan, Peter K.; Charlesworth, Chris (1994). The complete guide to the music of the Doors. Music Sales Group. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-7119-3527-3. Retrieved October 7, 2009. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Riders on the Storm
  9. ^ Light My Fire - The Doors Lyrics
  10. ^ Botnick, Bruce: Liner notes to 40th Anniversary CD release, May 2006.
  11. ^ "27 September 1967 Singles". poparchives.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved February 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Light My Fire". irishcharts.ie.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "The Doors - Light My Fire (song)". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Light My Fire". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ David Roberts (2005-05). British Hit Singles and Albums 18 Ed. Gullane Children's Books. ISBN 978-1-904994-00-8. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Billboard Singles". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  17. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ staff, IGN (October 22, 2010). "The Doors Most Loved Songs Kick Off Rock Band 3 DLC". IGN. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  19. ^ Snider, Mike (June 10, 2010). "Rock Band 3: What's New, What's Notable". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  20. ^ James, Gary (1994). "Interview With Robby Krieger". Classic Bands. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  21. ^ "Light My Gold" (in Italian). MTV Italy. June 27, 2003. Retrieved July 10, 2003.
  22. ^ "British single certifications – Will Young – Light My Fire". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Light My Fire in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
Preceded by US Billboard Hot 100 number one single
July 29, 1967 (three weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian RPM 100 number-one single
(Jose Feliciano cover version)
September 9, 1968 (one week) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number one single
(Will Young cover version)
June 2, 2002 – June 15, 2002 		Succeeded by
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