Not to Touch the Earth

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"Not to Touch the Earth"
Not to Touch the Earth label.jpg
Single release in 1980 as b-side of "People Are Strange" from Greatest Hits
Song by the Doors
from the album Waiting for the Sun
ReleasedJuly 3, 1968
RecordedFebruary–May 1968
Genre
Length3:54
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)The Doors
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild

"Not to Touch the Earth" is a 1968 song by the Doors from their third album Waiting for the Sun. It is part of an extended performance piece called "Celebration of the Lizard" that the band played live multiple times. A 17-minute studio recording of the complete piece was attempted during the sessions for Waiting for the Sun, and the lyrics were printed in their entirety on the gatefold LP sleeve, but only the musical passage "Not to Touch the Earth" was included on the LP.[5]

Lyrics[]

The song begins with the line, "Not to touch the earth, not to see the sun", these are subchapters of the 60th chapter of The Golden Bough by James Frazer. The chapter is called "Between Heaven and Earth", with subchapter 1, "Not to Touch the Earth", and subchapter 2, "Not to See the Sun".[5][6] These subchapters detail taboos against certain people (generally royalty or priests) walking upon the ground or having the sun shine directly upon them. Frazer had noted that these superstitions were recurring throughout many primitive cultures, and appeared to be related to traditions and taboos concerning menarche and the following female initiation rites.[6] Frazer's work had an influence on Morrison, according to the Doors biography No One Here Gets Out Alive (1980).[7]

Musical style[]

"Not to Touch the Earth" contains a wide range of musical styles; a mingling that has been commented by many authors and critics. Writing a review for the compilation album Perception, critic Stuart Berman characterized it as an acid rock track.[2] In Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Music Genre, author Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith wrote that the song represents a simple psychedelic track on Waiting for the Sun, but "musically it is real part of the Doors' art[4] and progressive rock effort."[1] The tune has also been classified as avant-rock song.[3]

Releases[]

The whole epic piece was lastly not included on the album, besides "Not to Touch the Earth".[5] Interviewed by Jerry Hopkins, Morrison quoted in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine for the epic: "It was pieced together on different occasions out of already existing elements rather than having any generative core from which it grew. I still think there's hope for it."[8]

"Celebration of the Lizard" was performed and first released on the band's first live album Absolutely Live (1970). The full 1968 studio recording was finally released on the 2003 compilation album Legacy: The Absolute Best (with a different version of "Not to Touch the Earth"), and later appeared on the 40th Anniversary Edition CD re-issue of Waiting for the Sun.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Dawn Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 94. ISBN 978-1440865787.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Berman, Stuart (December 5, 2006). "The Doors: Perception Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Wall, Mick (October 30, 2014). Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre. UK: Hachette. p. 201. ISBN 978-1409151258. 'Not To Touch the Earth' ... nearly four minutes of avant-rock.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Pipes, Rusty (January 2002). "Part 4 of The Golden Age of Art Rock". Cosmik Debris Magazine. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2021. Even "Not to Touch the Earth" ... are good examples of Art Rock
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Weidman, Rich (October 1, 2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Backbeat Books. p. 197. ISBN 978-1617131103.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Frazer, James George (2009-05-01). The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion. The Floating Press. ISBN 978-1775410560.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Jerry; Sugarman, Danny (1995). No One Here Gets Out Alive. New York: Warner Books. p. 179. ISBN 978-0446602280.
  8. ^ Hopkins, Jerry (July 26, 1969). "The Rolling Stone Interview: Jim Morrison". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Peterson, Gary (2003). Legacy: The Absolute Best (Liner notes). The Doors. Burbank, California: Elektra Records. R2 73889.

External links[]

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