"Love Street" is a song performed by the American rock 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 ...

. Sequenced as the second album track on '' Waiting for the Sun'' (1968), its lyrics were written by lead singer

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 as with other songs, it was dedicated to his girlfriend

Pamela Courson Pamela Susan Courson (December 22, 1946 – April 25, 1974) was the long-term companion of Jim Morrison, singer of the Doors. Courson stated she discovered Morrison's body in the bathtub of a Paris apartment in 1971. She died three years after h ...

. The song features a departure from the Doors' usual

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

style, being a conventional

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

with mainly an acoustic instrumentation. Incorporating elements from

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

, it is described by critics as having a

baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid-1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...

aesthetic. Lyrically, "Love Street" is generally considered a simple

love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

to Morrison's companion, Pamela Courson. "Love Street" was rarely played in live concerts by the group; however, one performance can be found in a concert in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

during their 1968 European tour.

Background

The song was originally a poem written by singer Jim Morrison about the street in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles, California, where he lived with his girlfriend Pamela Courson and watched

hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

pass by. The song is noted for Morrison's spoken narration, which occurs in the middle of the composition: The verse end on an ambiguous note (with the line "I guess I like it fine so far"). Morrison refers to the Canyon Country Store across the street from his house. Morrison also wrote the majority of ''Waiting for the Sun'' album and much of ''

The Soft Parade ''The Soft Parade'' is the fourth studio album by American rock music, rock band the Doors, released on July 18, 1969, by Elektra Records. Most of the album was recorded following a grueling tour during which the band was left with little time t ...

'' at the residence. The house was partially damaged during a spate of arson fires on December 30, 2011; the balcony was destroyed.

Critical reception

Upon release, Morrison reported that he preferred "Love Street" over its A-side, "

Hello, I Love You "Hello, I Love You" is a song recorded by American rock band the Doors for their 1968 album '' Waiting for the Sun''. Elektra Records released it as a single that same year, which topped the charts in the U.S. and Canada. Although the Doors are ...

", which he said was surely not "one of our best". "Love Street" has been praised by many critics for its conventional style, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' ranking it as the 27th greatest Doors song. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' critic Narendra Kusnur considered it one of Morrison's 10 most underrated songs, particularly praising his vocal performance. In an

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 ...

review, critic Lindsay Planer called it a "spry and melodic ballad", while ''Crawdaddy'' music critic

Paul Williams Paul Williams may refer to: Authors * Paul Williams (Crawdaddy) (1948–2013), American music and science fiction journalist; founder of ''Crawdaddy'' and the Philip K. Dick Society * Paul Williams (Irish journalist) (born 1964), Irish journalis ...

described it as "edgy, even visionary music." Some singled out its "

feel". 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, ...

described

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 ...

's solo during the bridge as "not flashy", but he expressed that it "gets me off every time because the phrasing is so strong, precise, and simultaneously relaxed." Planer also praised Ray Manzarek's keyboard playing as being "intricate and melodic" in the

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

but complains that

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 " ...

's "painfully understated and jazzy" guitar playing sometimes gets buried beneath the drums and keyboards. English musician

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

had cited "Love Street" as one of his all-time favorite songs.

References

External links

* {{Authority control The Doors songs 1968 songs Baroque pop songs Songs written by John Densmore Songs written by Robby Krieger Songs written by Ray Manzarek Songs written by Jim Morrison Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild Elektra Records singles