THE DOORS - ROADHOUSE BLUES

Publicació: Març de 1970  

Llistes d'èxits: EUA: #50

"Roadhouse Blues" és la cançó d'obertura de l'àlbum “Morrison Hotel”, una peça inspirada en el blues que destaca pel seu homenatge al blues clàssic amb una energia crua i un treball de guitarra dinàmic. Publicada el 1970, la cançó es va incloure com a cara B de "You Make Me Real", que va arribar al número 50 del Billboard Hot 100 i al número 41 al Canadà. "Roadhouse Blues" també va tenir èxit per si sola a la llista de Cash Box Top 100, arribant al número 76.

Després de l'experimentació elaborada de “The Soft Parade”, “Morrison Hotel” va suposar el retorn de The Doors a les seves arrels de blues més pures. Com a tema principal de l'àlbum, "Roadhouse Blues" és una cançó blues directa i contundent, que mostra el so més autèntic i dur de la banda fins al moment. A diferència de “The Soft Parade”, que incorporava abundants instruments de corda i vents, “Morrison Hotel” simplificava la producció, una decisió impulsada en part pel desig de Jim Morrison de tornar a la senzillesa i per la seva limitada participació en l'àlbum anterior a causa del seu consum d'alcohol. Abans d'assolir la fama, The Doors havien perfeccionat el seu so de blues durant llargues actuacions en clubs, un estil que "Roadhouse Blues" reflecteix poderosament.

El títol “Morrison Hotel” es va inspirar en un hotel real al centre de Los Angeles que el teclista Ray Manzarek va veure mentre conduïa. La banda volia fer les fotos de l'àlbum allà, però el propietari de l'hotel els va negar l'entrada, sospitant que eren hippies. Sense defallir, s'hi van colar per fer ràpidament una foto, que va acabar convertint-se en la icònica portada de l'àlbum. Inicialment, "Roadhouse Blues" es va considerar com a títol de l'àlbum, ja que la cançó en si era el resultat de l'amor de Jim Morrison pel blues, sovint cantant-ne peces durant sessions d'improvisació quan estava begut.

Es creu que la cançó s'inspira en el Topanga Corral, un club llegendari sense finestres situat a Topanga Canyon, a prop d'on vivia Jim Morrison. Per arribar-hi calia recórrer el sinuós Topanga Canyon Boulevard, que coincideix amb la frase de Morrison, “keep your eyes on the road, your hand upon the wheel” (mantingues els ulls a la carretera, la mà al volant). Conegut per acollir grups com Little Feat i Canned Heat, i freqüentat per artistes com Linda Ronstadt, el Corral encarnava l'ambient contracultural que Morrison apreciava. Darrere del Corral hi havia una cabana que Morrison suposadament va comprar per a la seva xicota, Pamela Courson, fet que podria haver inspirat la frase “In back of the Roadhouse they got some bungalows” (Darrere del Roadhouse tenen alguns bungalows). El Corral es va incendiar el 1986, però el seu esperit viu a través de la cançó.

John Sebastian de Lovin' Spoonful va col·laborar tocant l'harmònica en aquesta peça, però va ser acreditat com a "G. Puglese" per evitar associar-se amb The Doors durant la polèmica per l'arrest de Jim Morrison el 1969 a Miami. Morrison havia estat acusat d'exhibició indecent en un concert, cosa que li va suposar una condemna de sis mesos de presó, que encara estava en apel·lació en el moment de la seva mort. Més de 40 anys després, el 2010, el governador de Florida Charlie Crist va concedir a Morrison un perdó pòstum, exonerant-lo oficialment dels càrrecs.

Alice Cooper va afirmar que ell va inspirar la frase “Woke up this morning and I got myself a beer” (Em vaig despertar aquest matí i vaig agafar una cervesa). Al seu programa de ràdio Planet Rock, Cooper va explicar una vegada que ell i Jim Morrison estaven bevent junts. Cooper va comentar casualment que havia començat el dia amb una cervesa, i Morrison, en escoltar-lo, va escriure la frase immediatament. Quan Cooper va escoltar aquesta frase a la cançó, es va sorprendre, adonant-se que Morrison havia incorporat el seu comentari espontani a “Roadhouse Blues.”

THE DOORS - ROADHOUSE BLUES

Released: March 1970

Charts:  US: #50 

"Roadhouse Blues," the opening track on “Morrison Hotel”, is a blues-inspired rocker that showcases The Doors’ homage to classic blues with raw energy and dynamic guitar work. Released in 1970, the song was the B-side to "You Make Me Real," which reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 41 in Canada. "Roadhouse Blues" also achieved independent chart success on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at No. 76.

Following the elaborate experimentation of “The Soft Parade”, “Morrison Hotel” marked The Doors' return to their raw, blues roots. Leading the album, "Roadhouse Blues" is a gritty, straightforward blues track, showcasing the band's hardest and most authentic blues sound to date. Unlike “The Soft Parade”, which incorporated extensive strings and horns, “Morrison Hotel” stripped back to basics, a move partly driven by Jim Morrison's desire for simplicity and his limited involvement in the previous album due to his drinking. Before achieving fame, The Doors had honed their blues sound during long club performances, which "Roadhouse Blues" powerfully reflects.

The title “Morrison Hotel” was inspired by an actual hotel in downtown Los Angeles that keyboardist Ray Manzarek noticed while driving. The band wanted to take album photos there, but the hotel's owner refused to let them inside, suspecting they were hippies. Undeterred, they sneaked in for a quick photo, which became the album's iconic cover. Originally, "Roadhouse Blues" was considered for the album title, as the song itself was a result of Jim Morrison's love for the blues, often singing blues numbers during impromptu jam sessions when he was drunk. 

The song was likely inspired by the Topanga Corral, a legendary, windowless club located in Topanga Canyon near where Jim Morrison lived. Reaching the Corral required navigating the winding Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which aligns with Morrison's line, “keep your eyes on the road, your hand upon the wheel.” Known for hosting acts like Little Feat and Canned Heat and frequented by artists like Linda Ronstadt, the Corral embodied the countercultural vibe Morrison cherished. Behind the Corral, a cabin that Morrison is said to have bought for his girlfriend, Pamela Courson, may have inspired the lyric, “In back of the Roadhouse they got some bungalows.” The Corral itself burned down in 1986, but its spirit lives on through the song.

John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful contributed harmonica to the track but was credited as "G. Puglese" to avoid association with The Doors during the controversy surrounding Jim Morrison’s 1969 arrest in Miami. Morrison had been accused of indecent exposure at a concert, leading to a conviction and a six-month jail sentence, which was still under appeal at the time of his death. Over 40 years later, in 2010, Florida Governor Charlie Crist granted Morrison a posthumous pardon, officially clearing him of the charges.

Alice Cooper claimed he inspired the line "Woke up this morning and I got myself a beer". On his Planet Rock morning show, Cooper recounted a time when he and Jim Morrison were drinking together. Cooper mentioned casually that he had started his day with a beer, and Morrison, noting the line, wrote it down immediately. Later, when Cooper heard the line in the song, he was surprised, realizing that Morrison had taken his offhand comment and incorporated it into “Roadhouse Blues”.