Love Street

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For St. Mirren F.C.'s former stadium, see Love Street (stadium).
"Love Street"
Love Street label.jpg
Single by the Doors
from the album Waiting for the Sun
A-side"Hello, I Love You"
ReleasedJune 1968
Studio
Length2:49
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Jim Morrison
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors singles chronology
"The Unknown Soldier"
(1968) 		"Love Street"
(1968) 		"Touch Me"
(1968)

"Love Street" is a song performed by the American rock band the Doors. Appearing as the second album track on Waiting for the Sun, its lyrics were written by lead singer Jim Morrison and as with other songs, it was dedicated to his girlfriend Pamela Courson.[2][3]

The song features a departure from the Doors usual psychedelic style, including acoustic sounds and marking a conventional ballad mien. Incorporating elements from classical music, it is described by critics as having a baroque pop aesthetic. Lyrically, "Love Street" deals with lead singer Jim Morrison's personal relationship with companion, Pamela Courson.

"Love Street" was rarely played in live concerts by the group; however, one performance has been captured in a concert in Stockholm, Sweden during their 1968 European tour.[3][4]

Background[]

The song was originally a poem written by singer Jim Morrison about the street in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles, California, where he lived with his girlfriend Pamela Courson and watched hippies pass by.[3][5]

The song is noted for Morrison's spoken narration, which occurs in the middle of the composition:

I see you live on Love Street
There's this store where the creatures meet
I wonder what they do in there?
Summer Sunday and a year
I guess I like it fine, so far

The verse end on an ambiguous note (with the line "I guess I like it fine so far").[3] Morrison refers to the Canyon Country Store across the street from his house. Morrison also wrote the majority of Waiting for the Sun album and much of The Soft Parade at the residence. The house was partially damaged during a spate of arson fires on December 30, 2011; the balcony was destroyed.[6]

Critical reception[]

"Love Street" has been praised by many critics for its conventional style. In an AllMusic review, critic Lindsay Planer described "Love Street" as a "spry and melodic ballad".[2] Music critic Paul Williams described the song as "edgy, even visionary music."[3] Some critics and authors characterized the track's style as having a baroque pop feel.[2][7]

Doors' drummer John Densmore described Ray Manzarek's solo during the verse as "not flashy", but he noted that it "gets me off every time because the phrasing is so strong, precise, and simultaneously relaxed."[8] Planer also praised Ray Manzarek's keyboard playing as being "intricate and melodic" in the bridges but complains that Robbie Krieger's "painfully understated and jazzy" guitar playing sometimes gets buried beneath the drums and keyboards.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Doors: Waiting for the Sun – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Planer, Lindsay. "The Doors: Love Street – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Weidman, Rich (2011). The Doors FAQ. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1617131141.
  4. ^ Davis, Stephen (2005). Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. Penguin. ISBN 978-1101218273.
  5. ^ Sounes, Howard (2013). 27: A History of the 27 Club Through the Lives of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. Da Capo. p. 124. ISBN 978-0306821684.
  6. ^ Wilson, Simone (December 30, 2011). "Jim Morrison's 'Love Street' House Catches Fire in Hollywood Arson Spree: Balcony That Inspired the Song Burns". LA Weekly. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  7. ^ Wall, Mick (October 30, 2014). Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre. UK: Hachette. p. 201. ISBN 978-1409151258.
  8. ^ Blistein, Jon. "The Doors' John Densmore on His Eternal Musical and Spiritual Bond with Ray Manzarek". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 18, 2021.

External links[]

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