The Doors – Light My Fire

“Light My Fire” – Single by the Doors from the album The Doors
B-side: “The Crystal Ship”
Released: January 4, 1967 (album) / April 24, 1967 (single)
Recorded: August 1966
Label: Elektra
Songwriters: Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek
Producer: Paul A. Rothchild
Charted No.1 in US and No.7 in UK.

“Light My Fire” originated in early 1966 as a composition by Robby Krieger, who said that he was inspired by the melody of “Hey Joe” and the lyrics of the Rolling Stones’ “Play with Fire”.On taking his initial composition to the band, John Densmore suggested that it should have more of a Latin rhythm, Jim Morrison wrote the second verse and part of the chorus (“Try to set the night on fire”), while Ray Manzarek added the Bach-influenced introductory organ motif; Densmore also suggested that it should open with a single snare drum hit.

At first, the song had a folk flavor, but it ignited when Jim Morrison wrote the second verse (“our love become a funeral pyre…”) and Ray Manzarek came up with the famous organ intro. Drummer John Densmore also contributed, coming up with the rhythm. Like all Doors songs of this era, the band shared composer credits.

This became The Doors’ signature song. Included on their first album, it was a huge hit and launched them to stardom. Before it was released, The Doors were an underground band popular in the Los Angeles area, but “Light My Fire” got the attention of a mass audience.

This was the first song Robby Krieger wrote to completion. Jim Morrison did most of the songwriting for the album, but he needed some help and asked Krieger to step in. The 20-year-old guitarist asked him what to write about, and Morrison replied, “Something universal.”

Jim Morrison indicated in his notebooks that he disliked this song and hated performing it. He also seemed to resent that the popularity of the band derived from this song, which he had just a small part in writing.