"People Are Strange" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

. It appears on the band's second studio album, '' Strange Days'', released in September 1967. The song was written by the Doors' vocalist

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

and guitarist

Robby Krieger Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits " Light My Fire", " Love Me Two Times", " Touch Me", and " ...

, although all of the band are credited on the sleeve notes. The track was first released with "Unhappy Girl" as the B-side. It peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Writing

The song's composition started in early 1967. According to Doors drummer

John Densmore John Paul Densmore (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the Rock music, rock band the Doors and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recording made by the band, ...

, he and guitarist

, who had then been roommates, were visited by

who appeared to be "deeply depressed." At Krieger's suggestion, they took a walk along Laurel Canyon in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...

area of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Morrison returned from the walk "euphoric" with the early lyrics of "People Are Strange". Intrigued by the lyrics, Krieger was convinced that the song was a hit upon hearing the vocal melody:

Overview

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, critic Tom Maginnis wrote the song "reflects the group's fascination with the theatrical music of European cabaret." The song is about alienation and being an outsider, and Morrison may have addressed the song both to the hippie culture, to outsiders in general or to users of drugs such as

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

, or both. Similarly, author Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith felt that "People Are Strange" uses the "

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

idea of alienation and distanciation", and that the lyrics purposely express something positive as strange. Densmore believes that the song was the manifestation of Morrison's "vulnerability". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the single as an "easy rocker with compelling lyric." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "smashing performance," saying that the "mid-speed setting... adds kick to the black humor of the lyrical content" and that the "production and work are fantastic." The song influenced paintings by artist George Condo in 2023.

Personnel

Per source: The Doors *

– lead and backing vocals *

Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. ( Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the rock band the Doors, co-founding the group in 1965 with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Te ...

– Vox Continental organ, tack piano *

–

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

– drums Additional musician * Doug Lubahn – bass guitar

Charts

Certifications

Echo & the Bunnymen cover

British group

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

recorded a cover version of "People Are Strange" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film '' The Lost Boys''. It was subsequently released as a single in 1988, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1988 and number 13 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

in 1991. The song was produced by Doors' keyboardist,

. A 12-inch version was released in February 1988 before the single was re-released in 1991. The B-sides were all the same as their previous release, " Bedbugs and Ballyhoo".

Chart positions

Stina Nordenstam cover

Swedish singer-songwriter Stina Nordenstam covered "People Are Strange" on her 1998

cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

of the same name. A remix single was released in conjunction with the album. The

UNKLE Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...

remix appears as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the album, and can also be found on UNKLE's box set, ''Eden''.Stina Nordenstam - People Are Strange (UNKLE Remix)

References

{{Authority control 1967 singles 1967 songs 1987 singles 1988 singles 1991 singles The Doors songs Echo & the Bunnymen songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs about loneliness Songs written by Robby Krieger Songs written by Jim Morrison Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild Reprise Records singles Elektra Records singles Warner Music Group singles East West Records singles