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Roadhouse Blues

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"Roadhouse Blues"
Single by the Doors
from the album Morrison Hotel
A-side"You Make Me Real"
ReleasedMarch 1970 (1970-03)
RecordedNovember 4–5, 1969
StudioElektra, Los Angeles
GenreBlues rock[1][2][3]
Length
  • 4:04 (album version)[4]
  • 3:49 (single version)
LabelElektra
Composer(s)The Doors
Lyricist(s)Jim Morrison
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors singles chronology
"Runnin' Blue"
(1969)
"Roadhouse Blues"
(1970)
"Love Her Madly"
(1971)
Audio sample

"Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors from their 1970 album Morrison Hotel. It was released as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", which peaked at No. 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] and No. 41 in Canada.[6] "Roadhouse Blues" charted in its own right on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at No. 76.[7] The song became a concert staple for the group and it has been covered by numerous artists.

Hailed by sound engineer Bruce Botnick as "the all-time American bar band song,"[8] "Roadhouse Blues"–despite its relatively unsuccessful chart peak–received strong airplay on rock radio stations.[9] The song's title was considered for the name of the album, but it was eventually changed.[8] It was ranked the 153rd top classic-rock song by Q104,3,[10] and the eleventh best rock song of all time by Time Out.[11]

Recording

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The song was recorded over two days, from November 4 to 5, 1969. Producer Paul A. Rothchild insisted on several takes, some of which were included on the 2006 reissue.[12] Jim Morrison, who was apparently intoxicated during the sessions, flubbed several lyrics and kept repeating the phrase "Money beats soul every time".[13]

There was more progress on the second day when resident guitarist Lonnie Mack (then employed as an Elektra Records A&R representative) joined in to play bass; Ray Neapolitan, the regular bassist during the Morrison Hotel sessions, was stuck in traffic.[12][14] Although there has been speculation that Mack also contributed the guitar solo, he confirmed that he had played bass and nothing else.[15] While Mack had stopped working as a professional musician at the time, he decided to return to his career following the session.[16]

Guitarist Robby Krieger is responsible for all guitar parts on "Roadhouse Blues"; Morrison shouts "Do it, Robby, do it!" at the start of the guitar solo.[17] Ray Manzarek switched from a Wurlitzer electric piano to a tack piano.[12] Ex–Lovin' Spoonful frontman John Sebastian contributed harmonica (listed as "G. Puglese" for contractual reasons).[12]

Alice Cooper claimed that he was the inspiration for the line "Woke up this morning and I got myself a beer", as stated on his Planet Rock morning show: "We were sitting there drinking and Jim comes in and he flops down ... I said that I had got up this morning and got myself a beer and while we're talking he just writes that down. So they go in and they're doing the song and the next thing I hear is 'Woke up this morning and I got myself a beer' and I went 'I just said that a second ago!'"[18]

Other versions

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A live version appeared on the album An American Prayer, released several years after Morrison died,[19] and that version can be heard again on In Concert. In this version, Morrison talks for a short while to a female audience member about his Zodiac sign and, with a sudden, ironic twist that causes the audience to erupt in laughter, denounces his belief in it.[20] The song was also featured twice in the movie The Doors; the studio version in the film, and the aforementioned live one over the end credits.

A studio version of the song with John Lee Hooker sharing vocals with Morrison can be found on the 2000 tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors.[21] A studio rehearsal of the song with Ray Manzarek on lead vocals was recorded on May 6, 1969.[22] This version was finally released on The Soft Parade: 50th Anniversary Edition in 2019.[23] "Roadhouse Blues" was also performed by the surviving members and Eddie Vedder at the Doors' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1993.[24]

Personnel

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The Doors

Additional musicians

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[25]
sales since 2009
Gold 35,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Charts

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Chart (1970) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[26] 44
Canada (RPM) 41
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 50
US Cash Box Top 100 76

Status Quo version

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"Roadhouse Blues"
Promotional single by Status Quo
from the album Piledriver
Released1972 (1972)
GenreHard rock
Length7:26
LabelVertigo
Composer(s)The Doors
Lyricist(s)Jim Morrison

Status Quo, while touring in Bielefeld, Germany, in 1970,[27] heard the Doors' recording shortly after it was released. They were looking for a change of direction, away from their original psychedelic pop style, and were unsure about what to do; after hearing the song in a club, they enjoyed its 12-bar shuffle and thought it would be a good template for future original material.[28] The group recorded a studio version on the 1972 album Piledriver, with bassist Alan Lancaster taking the lead vocal and featuring an extra verse with three-part harmonies, which the Doors' recording did not have.[27] The lyrics differed from the original; for instance, "I should have made you" instead of "Ashen lady".[29] The track was released as a promotional single, with Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" on the B-side.[27]

The song was a regular feature of Quo's live setlist throughout the 1970s, its performance coming towards the end of the show. It was extended to allow a jam session in the middle, featuring snippets of other songs, including the traditional "The Irish Washerwoman" and "Shakin' All Over".[30][31] A 14-minute version appears as the final track on 1977's Live.[32] In 1992, the live album Live Alive Quo featured "Roadhouse Medley", which blended other songs into the main "Roadhouse Blues" riff.[33]

"Roadhouse Blues" was revived for the "Frantic Four" tours in 2013.[34] In 2014, a deluxe reissue of Piledriver included a 15-minute live version, recorded in 1973.[35]

Personnel

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Additional musicians

  • Bob Young – harmonica
  • Jimmy Horowitz – piano

References

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Citations

  1. ^ Luhrssen & Larson 2017, p. 97.
  2. ^ Goldsmith 2019, p. 95.
  3. ^ Hermann, Andy (September 18, 2001). "The Very Best of the Doors – Review". PopMatters. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Morrison Hotel (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra Records. 1970. Back cover. EKS-75007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b "The Doors Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 23, 1970" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. May 16, 1970. p. 4. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Weidman 2011, p. 214.
  9. ^ Weidman 2011, p. 200.
  10. ^ "The Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time: Dirty Dozenth Edition". Q1043.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  11. ^ Kryza, Andy; Levine, Nick; Kerwin, Bryan (November 4, 2022). "The 28 Best Classic Rock Songs of All Time". Time Out. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d Botnick & Fricke 2006, pp. 1, 3, 7.
  13. ^ Marcus 2012, p. 100.
  14. ^ Densmore 1990, p. 235.
  15. ^ CRL Chapter 05. November 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2016 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Cianci, Bob (February 11, 2010). "Robbie Krieger – The Doors' Distinctive Fret Master". Premier Guitar.
  17. ^ Krieger 2021, p. 262.
  18. ^ "Jim Morrison Quoted Alice Cooper in 'Roadhouse Blues'". Uncut. July 10, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  19. ^ Iyengar, Vik. "The Doors: An American Prayer". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  20. ^ The Doors (2007) [1970]. Live In Boston 1970. Bright Midnight Archives.
  21. ^ "Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  22. ^ The Soft Parade (50th Anniversary edition liner notes). The Doors. Rhino Records. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ "The Doors: The Soft Parade – 50th Anniversary [Deluxe edition]". Thedoors.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "The Doors with Eddie Vedder Perform 'Roadhouse Blues'". Rockhall.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  25. ^ "Italian single certifications – Doors – Roadhouse Blues" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 18, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Roadhouse Blues" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  26. ^ "The Doors – Roadhouse Blues". ultratop.be.
  27. ^ a b c Stroud 2017, p. 78.
  28. ^ Rossi, Parfitt & Wall 2005, p. 88.
  29. ^ "Roadhouse Blues". Status Quo. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  30. ^ Stroud 2017, p. 113.
  31. ^ Harrison, Welch & Adler 2012, p. 291.
  32. ^ "Live! – Status Quo". AllMusic. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  33. ^ "Status Quo: Live Alive Quo". AllMusic. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  34. ^ "Music review: Status Quo: The Frantic Four Ride Again, Manchester Apollo". The Independent. March 7, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  35. ^ "Status Quo: Piledriver [Deluxe Edition]". AllMusic. Retrieved January 4, 2018.

Sources

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