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

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

. Sequenced as the second album track on ''

Waiting for the Sun ''Waiting for the Sun'' is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between January and May 1968 at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. Released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968, it became the ba ...

'', its lyrics were written by lead singer

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...

and as with other songs, it was dedicated to his girlfriend

Pamela Courson Pamela Susan Courson (December 22, 1946 – April 25, 1974) was a 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 him ...

. The song features a departure from The Doors usual

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style, including acoustic sounds and marking a conventional

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

mien. Incorporating elements from

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, 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" deals with lead singer Jim Morrison's personal relationship with companion, Pamela Courson. "Love Street" was rarely played in live concerts by the group; however, one performance has been captured in a concert in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

during their 1968 European tour.

Background

The song was originally a poem written by singer Jim Morrison about the street in the

Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neighb ...

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, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

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 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 to compose n ...

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

Critical reception

"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 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' ranking it as the 27th greatest Doors song. ''Rolling Stone'' 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 music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review, critic Lindsay Planer called it a "spry and melodic ballad", while ''Crawdaddy'' music critic Paul Williams 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, songwriter, author and actor. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors, and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recordi ...

described

Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (né Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the Doors, co-founding the band with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison in 1965. Manzarek was induct ...

'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 (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...

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 "L ...

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

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