THE DOORS - PEACE FROG

Released: February 9, 1970

Album: Morrison Hotel

"Peace Frog" is a song by the Doors from their 1970 album “Morrison Hotel”. Guitarist Robby Krieger wrote and recorded the music first, with Jim Morrison later adding lyrics adapted from his poems. While not released as a single in the U.S., it was issued as the B-side to "You Make Me Real" in France.

"Peace Frog" features a complex, energetic groove driven by Robby Krieger's guitar riff and John Densmore's funk-inspired drumming. Ray Manzarek’s vibrant organ fills create a crowded soundscape, leaving minimal room for Jim Morrison's vocals, which he pushes into brief openings to heighten the song's intensity. The lyrics are drawn from Morrison's poems, including "Abortion Stories," which inspired the song's dark, vivid imagery.

"Peace Frog" was developed in the studio; with producer Paul Rothchild's encouragement, Morrison drew on his poetry notebooks to complete the song’s lyrics. Themes in the song include Morrison’s childhood memory of witnessing an accident involving Native Americans, which he believed left a lasting spiritual mark on him—a scene later depicted in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors” movie. 

The line "Blood in the streets of the town of New Haven" references Jim Morrison's arrest in New Haven in 1967. Morrison recounted that he was with a girl before a show when a police officer interrupted them, eventually spraying Morrison in the eyes with a chemical. Despite his protests, Morrison was later arrested on stage for breach of the peace and resisting arrest. The arrest turned chaotic as Morrison struck a crucifixion pose on stage, leading some audience members to clash with the police. The line also appears in the song, referring to police violence during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, where officers clashed with anti-war protesters.