Break On Through (To the Other Side)
"Break On Through (To the Other Side)" | ||||
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Single by the Doors | ||||
from the album The Doors | ||||
B-side | "End of the Night" | |||
Released | January 1967 | |||
Recorded | August 1966 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:26 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | The Doors | |||
Producer(s) | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
The Doors singles chronology | ||||
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"Break On Through (To the Other Side)" is a song written and recorded by the Doors. It is the opening track of their debut album, The Doors (1967). Elektra Records issued the song as the group's first single, which reached number 126[3] in the United States. Despite the single's failure to impact the record sales charts, the song became a concert staple for the band.
Twenty-four years after its original release, "Break On Through" became a minor hit in the UK after it was released as a single from the soundtrack album The Doors, peaking at number 64 in the UK Singles Chart.[4]
Musical structure and composition[]
"Break On Through" is an uptempo song notated in 4/4 time. It begins with a bossa nova drum groove in which a clave pattern is played as a rim click underneath a driving ride cymbal pattern. John Densmore appreciated the new bossa nova craze coming from Brazil at the time, and decided to use it in the song.[5] The track's musical style features influences from mambo music.[6] The bass line, similar to a typical bass line used in bossa nova, continues almost all of the way through the song.
Robby Krieger has stated that the guitar riff he played was inspired by the one in Paul Butterfield's version of the song "Shake Your Moneymaker" (originally by blues guitarist Elmore James).[5] In his autobiography, Ray Manzarek commented that his keyboard part was inspired by Stan Getz and João Gilberto's bossa nova album Getz/Gilberto.[7] Other sources have been identified as Ray Charles's "What'd I Say" (bassline)[8] and Them's "One Two Brown Eyes".[9] In a review of the latter, Richie Unterberger elaborated:
[Them's "One Two Brown Eyes"] starts off with a bossa nova-like drum pattern very much like the drum beats that kick off the Doors' own first single (released at the beginning of 1967), "Break on Through." The drums are joined by a descending, circular bass pattern that, again, is similar to the bass keyboard riff that anchors "Break on Through" (though the riffs are not identical).[9]
Critical reception[]
In a song review for AllMusic, critic Lindsay Planer comments that Morrison's lyrics "reveal a literacy that had rarely been incorporated into rock music":
Immediately the lyrics indicate that something is different ... "Break on Through" is structured like a love song. However, Morrison's phraseology cleverly juxtaposes romantic lyrics such as "I found an island in your arms/A country in your eyes" with the almost sinister lines "arms that chain/Eyes that lie".[10]
"Break On Through (To the Other Side)" has been described by Billboard as an "excitement filled rocker" that represents a "powerful debut."[11] In 2012 the song was selected to be played on Mars during a NASA mission.[12]
Personnel[]
- Jim Morrison – vocals
- Ray Manzarek – organ, keyboard bass[13]
- Robby Krieger – guitar
- John Densmore – drums
Certifications[]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Germany (BVMI)[14] | Gold | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References[]
- ^ Miller, Chuck (February 28, 2011). Warman's American Records. Krause Publications. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-4402-2821-6. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 1967). "Columns". Esquire. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1998). "Bubbling Under Singles & Albums". Billboard: 66.
- ^ "Doors – Singles". Official Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b The Doors (2008). Classic Albums: The Doors (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
- ^ Avant-Mier, Roberto (May 6, 2010). Rock the Nation: Latin/o Identities and the Latin Rock Diaspora. Social Science. p. 97. ISBN 978-1441164483.
- ^ Manzarek, Ray (1999). Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors. New York City: Berkley Boulevard Books. eBook. ISBN 978-0698151017.
- ^ Clark, Philip (2020). Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time. New York City: Hachette Books. eBook. ISBN 978-0306921650.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Unterberger, Richie. "Them: 'One Two Brown Eyes' – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Planer, Lindsay. "The Doors: 'Break on Through (To the Other Side)' – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. February 11, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ NME staff (August 17, 2012). "The Beatles and the Doors' Music Played on Mars During NASA Mission". NME. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman Q&A and Performance (video). Event occurs at 12:56. Retrieved August 19, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Doors; 'Break On Through')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- The Doors songs
- 1967 debut singles
- Songs written by John Densmore
- Songs written by Robby Krieger
- Songs written by Ray Manzarek
- Songs written by Jim Morrison
- Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild
- 1967 songs
- Elektra Records singles
- 1967 neologisms
- Quotations from music