The Doors - A Legend in American Rock Music

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1, University of Constance (Language Institute), course: Cultural Studies: North America, language: English, abstract: The Doors, who were recently honoured to be the most famous band of the USA, are now selling more records per year than during their whole career with vocalist Jim Morrison1. Almost everything about this band is legendary: their singer, the electric poet Morrison, their all styles of music including sound, the rise and fall of the band and their entry into the Hall of Fame2. In order to analyse The Doors one must consider the historical and political events, which had a deep impact on the social changes of the 60s. At a time when the world was threatened to lose control, the college students who were the main audience for rock music wanted musicians and performers who also threatened to go out of control3 and that was what The Doors did at that time. Furthermore one has to take a close look on their music, lyrics, image and live performance. The late 60s were the era of mass movement. There was a need among young people for the intimacy of the listening experience, public events, such as the Monterey Pop Festival, the Human Be-Ins in San Franzisco and Woodstock4 took place during this period. The Doors were the first of the new era of Rock 'n' Roll who brought theatrical quality to music and knew about the power of entertainment. They represented one possible form of the merging between high culture and popular culture. They were so successful, that they were the first American rock band to produce eight consecutive gold albums. What were the reasons for the success of The Doors during the 60s, why have they influenced so many bands and why are they still so successful? 1 Moddemann, p. 7 2 Ibid., p. 9 3 Curtis, p. 215 4 Ibid., p. 130