Bawdy!  That’s the only way to describe this piece by the very first alternative rock band – “The Doors”.  A friend of mine recently reminded me of this iconic group by sending along a really interesting video (thanks, Wayne) about how the song Riders on the Storm was written.  In the video, Ray Manzarek (keyboardist) reminisces about events at the studio during the recording and about Jim Morrison’s (lead singer) ill-fated trip to Paris.

I had pretty much forgotten all about these guys and never have used any of their songs.  Well, I did go through a short period with a group that played Light My Fire four or five times a night.  That gig didn’t last long.  The only two songs I even remotely liked by “The Doors” were Riders on the Storm and Roadhouse Blues.  Anyway, Wayne’s video inspired me to try a “Doors” arrangement. After listening again to the lyrics to “Riders”, I decided it just wouldn’t fit here on this blog.  “There’s a killer on the road/his brain is squirmin’ like a toad”.  I don’t think so.  Just the thought of a brain squirming like a toad makes me want to…well…squirm.  So I went with “bawdy” and had big fun doing it.  “Roadhouse Blues” is now in my set list and I swear I won’t play it more than three times a night.

When Jim Morrison got drunk (which was a great deal of the time), he liked to sing the blues (don’t we all).  His favorite place to carouse was a roadhouse called Topanga Corral.  The road leading up to the place was full of twists and turns, hence the first verse “Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel”.  In order to impress his girlfriend at the time, he bought her the cabin that was behind the club – which accounts for the line “In back of the Roadhouse they got some bungalows”.  I like it when a song is real. However, I don’t know where the verse “I woke up this mornin’ and I got myself a beer” came from.  But haven’t we all done that?  I did it just this morning!

“The Doors” keyboard player died in 2013 of cancer, but this video link gives us an idea how much fun the California music scene must have been back then.  But that was a long time ago…..https://www.bing.com/search?q=ray%20manzarek%20riders%20on%20the%20storm&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=ray%20manzarek%20riders%20on%20the%20storm&sc=6-32&sk=&cvid=2FF8641612B84C7F9887C00E935895F9

  Download Instrumental    Work a cruise ship and this will be your opening number in the show room every night.  I don’t know why cruise lines love their evening productions to start with something that has nothing to do with “cruising”, but this is quite an exciting piece to start the festivities.  Hopefully, you’ve got a great show to back it up ( and the end of the song is classic drama that just screams “it’s show time!” – wait for it).  The piano line is fun throughout the whole song, so I didn’t complain.  I remember we had a “chick” lead guitar player at the time who also sang the lead.  She absolutely killed it!  Ah, those were the days…

Pauline Matthews had a hit with “I’ve Got the Music in Me” in 1974.  You might know her best by the name Kiki Dee, or you might not.  She’s a mediocre singer but an exquisite screamer in the style of Aretha Franklin.  The term “blue-eyed soul singer” certainly applies to Ms. Dee.  She began her career as a backup singer for artists like Dusty Springfield and Elton John (she knew who to hang out with).  Her keyboardist wrote this tune for her and it sailed to #19 on the British charts and stayed there for 8 weeks.  If it hadn’t been for Elton John doing a duet with her to “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart”, she would have faded away into the land of “one-hit wonders”.

But this one is a great opener, whether you’re doing a cruise ship or a local honky-tonk.  So it’s worth consideration here and should certainly be in your set list somewhere.  You can watch Kiki perform it below.  You might notice the end of the song is rather elusive – she just doesn’t know when to quit.  It’s SHOW TIME, boys and girls!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLQRW7J_D0U

  Download Instrumental    Why this little piece of music works is beyond me – but it does.  It’s four verses, a guitar solo, and three more verses.  No chorus – no bridge.  What kind of song is that?  That’s called a HIT song, Dave.  Take your elitist attitude somewhere else.  Music doesn’t always have to fit into your personal comfort zone ( I now consider myself properly chastised).

“Give me one reason to stay here/and I’ll turn right back around”.  So begins the first of seven verses.  Tracy Chapman wrote this song in the 80’s, but waited until 1995 to record it.  It’s a bluesy folk ballad, reminiscent of a 1960’s music genre in San Francisco – the “flower child” era.  But there’s nothing remotely childish about the subject matter.  It’s a very adult relationship slowly turning sour – “I don’t want to leave you lonely, you got to make me change my mind”.  Sounds like she’s on her way out the door, doesn’t it?  According to Pink, it’s like a woman might say, “The way you passed me the butter this morning, I feel we’re gonna be over soon and we need to talk”.  And he says, “I just passed the freakin’ butter – what are you talking about?”  Love is complicated and sometimes gets ugly – that’s what this piece is all about.  We’ve all been there at some time in our lives… and it wasn’t ‘purty’.

“Give Me One More Reason” builds beautifully.  You’ll sing the first 8 bars with only a blues guitar as accompaniment.  Then drums and bass kick in – followed by piano and organ joining the fun in the third verse.  Chapman’s vocals are a little tricky though.  Her emotional inflections on the melody might be a bit hard to follow, but a little work on your part will be well worth the effort.

Come to find out, you don’t really need a chorus (or a bridge) on this one.  What do I know?