Wishful Sinful

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"Wishful Sinful"
Wishful Sinful cover.jpg
Denmark picture sleeve
Single by the Doors
from the album The Soft Parade
B-side"Who Scared You"
ReleasedMarch 1969 (1969-03)
RecordedJuly 26 & November 20–21, 1968
StudioElektra Sound West, Hollywood, California
GenreChamber rock[1]
Length2:55
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Robby Krieger
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors singles chronology
"Touch Me"
(1968) 		"Wishful Sinful"
(1969) 		"Tell All the People"
(1969)

"Wishful Sinful" is a song by American rock band the Doors. Group guitarist Robby Krieger wrote the tune, which was released in March 1969 on the band's fourth album, The Soft Parade, as well as a single. "Wishful Sinful" follows the general theme of the album by incorporating elements of classical music.

In April 1969, the single reached No. 44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.[2] In Denmark, it peaked at No. 3, where it stayed in the Top 10 for a month.[3]

Lyrics and musical style[]

The song's often commented lyrics were written by guitarist Robby Krieger.[4] According to him, he "tried to get in the subconscious mind" with the lyrics to the song.[5] On the other hand, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek interpreted the song as just being about "love and sex."[5] Author Gillian G. Gaar describes the lyrics as being "romantic".[4]

The Doors FAQ author Rich Weldman describes "Wishful Sinful" as a "crooning Frank Sinatra–type ballad."[5] The music of the song incorporates string instruments and an English horn solo.[4][6] Eduardo Rivadavia declared it as a chamber rock track.[1]

Critical reception[]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso described "Wishful Sinful" as being "entangled in gauzy classical themes," expressing surprise that it nearly made the Top 40 despite that.[7] Fellow Ultimate Classic Rock critic Eduardo Rivadavia ranked it as Krieger's fifth best Doors song.[1] Rivadavia claimed that it came closest of any song on Soft Parade "to capturing the Doors’ vision for densely orchestrated chamber-rock," because the hooks in the refrain work well with both the "ornate" symphonic arrangement and the Doors' own rock music instruments.[1]

In a negative album review of The Soft Parade, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine commented that "Wishful Sinful" "sounds like something from one of the Doors’ early albums", and wrote that Jim Morrison's vocal performance is "less than genuine and it’s clear the strains of substance abuse were beginning to wear on his voice greatly."[8] AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger described the song along with "Tell All the People" as an "uncharacteristically wistful" tune that was "not all that good, and not sung very convincingly by [Jim] Morrison."[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Rivadavia, Eduardo (January 8, 2016). "Top 10 Robby Krieger Doors Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Doors Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Wishful Sinful: The Doors". Danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Gaar, Gillian G. (2015). The Doors: The Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-1627887052.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Weldman, Rich (2011). The Doors FAQ. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1617131141.
  6. ^ Everett, Walter (2008). The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". Oxford University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0199718702.
  7. ^ DeRiso, Nick (July 18, 2016). "50 Years Ago: The Doors Stumble Through the Experimental The Soft Parade". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  8. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (April 18, 2007). "The Doors: The Soft Parade Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Doors: The Soft Parade – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
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