Jump to content

Love Me Two Times

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Wioaw (talk | contribs) at 05:25, 30 May 2020 (→Critical reception). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Love Me Two Times"
Single by the Doors
from the album Strange Days
B-side"Moonlight Drive"
ReleasedNovember 1967 (1967-11)
RecordedMay & August 1967
Genre
Length
  • 3:16 (album version)
  • 2:37 (single version)
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Robby Krieger
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors singles chronology
"People Are Strange"
(1967) 		"Love Me Two Times"
(1967) 		"The Unknown Soldier"
(1968)

"Love Me Two Times" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It first appeared on their second studio album Strange Days. It was edited to a 2:37 length and released as the second single (after "People Are Strange") from that album, and reached number 25 on the charts in the United States.[1]

Ray Manzarek played the final version of this song on a harpsichord, not a clavichord.[2] Manzarek described the instrument as "a most elegant instrument that one does not normally associate with rock and roll."[2]

"Love Me Two Times" was considered to be somewhat risqué for radio airplay, being banned in New Haven for being "too controversial," much to the dismay of the band.[3]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone called the song a "heavy, evocative and climatic piece".[4] Richie Unterberger of Allmusic described Love Me Two Times as "jerkily rhythmic".[5] Sal Cinquemani of Slant also proclaimed that "The album’s most accessible, straightforward rock tune is the racy “Love Me Two Times,” which features a virtuosic harpsichord solo and one of the band’s grooviest guitar riffs."[6]

Lyrics

The song was written by guitarist Robby Krieger. According to band members, the lyrics were about a soldier or sailor on his last day with his girlfriend before shipping out, ostensibly to war (Vietnam).[citation needed] Ray Manzarek described the song as "Robby [Krieger]'s great blues / rock classic about lust and lost, or multiple orgasms, I'm not sure which."[2]

Aerosmith version

"Love Me Two Times" was recorded by Aerosmith for the soundtrack of the 1990 film Air America (whose producers, Carolco Pictures, would also produce a biopic about the Doors). The band also performed it at its 1990 MTV Unplugged performance, where lead singer Steven Tyler dedicated the song to Jim Morrison, who performed with the Doors at the same venue of the Unplugged performance, the Ed Sullivan Theater, several years prior.[7] The 1990 cover reached number 27 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[citation needed] In 2001, the song was included on their greatest hits album, Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology. In addition, a remixed version was included on the Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate, with added slide guitar by Robby Krieger and keyboards by Ray Manzarek.[8]

References

  1. ^ "The Doors Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Manzarek, Ray (October 15, 1999). Light My Fire. Penguin. p. 258. ISBN 9780698151017.
  3. ^ Densmore, John (November 4, 2009). Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307429025.
  4. ^ "Strange Days". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. November 23, 1967.
  5. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Doors: Strange Days". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
  6. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (April 18, 2007). "Review: The Doors, Strange Days". slantmagazine.com. Slant.
  7. ^ "Aerosmith on MTV Unplugged". Rock This Way. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors (Media notes). 2000.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Love_Me_Two_Times&oldid=959704512"