THE DOORS - HELLO, I LOVE YOU

Llançament: 11 de juny de 1968  

Llistes d’èxits: EUA: #1 (2 setmanes)  Regne Unit: #15  

"Hello, I Love You," llançada per The Doors al seu àlbum “Waiting for the Sun” del 1968, va esdevenir un èxit comercial, assolint el número 1 als EUA i al Canadà. Tanmateix, alguns fans i els mateixos membres de la banda van considerar que no representava completament el so autèntic de The Doors, trobant-la massa comercial i lleugerament superficial en la seva lletra. Aquesta cançó, una de les primeres que van escriure i tocar junts, no es va incloure inicialment en els seus àlbums anteriors perquè el grup la considerava massa pop i sentia que ja havien superat aquest estil. Malgrat això, Elektra Records va pressionar perquè s’hi inclogués, reconeixent el seu potencial com a single amb gran projecció.

Jim Morrison la va escriure el 1965 després de veure una dona bonica a la platja, cosa que el va inspirar a apuntar unes frases al seu quadern, incloent-hi els versos: "Sidewalk crouches at her feet / Like a dog that begs for something sweet" (La vorera s'ajup als seus peus / Com un gos que demana alguna cosa dolça). Aquella mateixa nit la va completar, i es convertiria en un homenatge a la bellesa de la platja i en una popularització de la frase atrevida "Hello, I love you. Won't you tell me your name?" (Hola, t'estimo. No em diràs el teu nom?).

Inicialment, The Doors la van enregistrar el 1965 com a part d’una demo de sis cançons abans que el guitarrista Robby Krieger s’unís a la banda. No obstant, no es va llançar oficialment fins al 1968, quan la banda necessitava material per completar el seu tercer àlbum, “Waiting for the Sun”. Originalment, tenien la intenció de dedicar el primer costat de l’àlbum a una peça extensa basada en la poesia de Morrison, "Celebration of the Lizard," però, quan aquest projecte es va descartar, van decidir recuperar "Hello, I Love You" com a alternativa.

Quan es va llançar, el single es va convertir en una de les primeres cançons de rock promocionades en format estèreo, on la música s’escoltava en efecte panoràmic d’esquerra a dreta, destacant la nova tecnologia d’àudio. Aquesta versió en estèreo va ajudar a marcar tendència perquè el format estèreo esdevingués estàndard per als singles de 45 rpm. Les primeres còpies americanes del single incloïen el títol complet "Hello I Love You Won't You Tell Me Your Name."

"Hello, I Love You" guarda una forta semblança amb "All Day and All of the Night" de The Kinks, fins al punt que The Doors van acabar pagant drets d’autor a The Kinks per les vendes del single britànic després d’amenaça d’acció legal. Ray Davies, amb un toc d’humor, va agrair que Jim Morrison admetés la similitud, destacant la importància de l’honestedat i la transformació artística.

THE DOORS - HELLO, I LOVE YOU

Released: June 11, 1968

Charts:  US: #1 (2 weeks)  UK: #15 

"Hello, I Love You," released by the Doors on their 1968 album “Waiting for the Sun”, became a commercial hit, topping charts in the U.S. and Canada, but some fans and the band itself felt the song didn't fully represent the Doors' sound, finding it overly commercial and lyrically superficial. Originally one of the first songs they wrote and performed together, the band was reluctant to include it on their third album, feeling it was a pop track they had artistically outgrown. Despite this, Elektra Records pushed for its inclusion, recognizing its potential as a successful single.

Jim Morrison wrote it in 1965 after seeing a beautiful woman on the beach. Inspired, he jotted down lyrics in his notebook, including the lines, "Sidewalk crouches at her feet / Like a dog that begs for something sweet." That night, he completed the song, which would become a tribute to beachside beauty and even popularized the bold pickup line, "Hello, I love you. Won't you tell me your name?"

The Doors initially recorded it in 1965 on a six-song demo before guitarist Robby Krieger joined the band. However, they didn’t officially release it until 1968, when they needed material for their third album, “Waiting for the Sun”. The band had initially planned to dedicate the album's first side to an extended piece based on Morrison's poetry, "Celebration of the Lizard," but when that plan fell through, they revisited "Hello, I Love You" as an alternative.

When "Hello, I Love You" was released, stereo 45 rpm records were rare, especially in Top 40 music. The Doors' single became one of the first rock songs promoted in stereo, featuring a dramatic stereo effect where the music pans from left to right, showcasing the new audio technology. This stereo release helped set a trend toward stereo becoming standard for 45 rpm singles. Early American pressings of the single included the extended title "Hello I Love You Won’t You Tell Me Your Name."

"Hello, I Love You" bears a strong resemblance to The Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night," so much so that The Doors ultimately paid royalties to The Kinks from British single sales after threats of legal action. Ray Davies, reflecting on this with humor, appreciated that Jim Morrison admitted the similarity, emphasizing the importance of honesty and artistic transformation.