"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 Wales ...

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 ...

. It appears on the band's second studio album, '' Strange Days'', released in September 1967. It was also issued the same month as a single, which peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and in the top ten on the

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was 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 ...

charts. The song was written by

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

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 ...

, although credit was given to each of the Doors. The single was released with "Unhappy Girl" as the B-side.

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, 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 ...

, he and Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, who had then been roommates, were visited by Jim Morrison who appeared to be "deeply depressed." At Krieger's description, they later took a walk along

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 ...

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

Overview

In a review for

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, 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 (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

, 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". ''

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

'' 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."

Charts

Certifications

Echo & the Bunnymen cover

British group Echo & the Bunnymen recorded a cover version of "People Are Strange" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film ''

The Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremia ...

''. It was subsequently released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

reaching number 29 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

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 bas ...

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

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 ...

. A

12-inch The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

version was released in February 1988 before the single was

re-released In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Re ...

in 1991. The B-sides were all the same as their previous release, " Bedbugs and Ballyhoo".

Chart positions

Stina Nordenstam cover

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

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of the same name. A remix single was released in conjunction with the album. The UNKLE remix appears as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the album, and can also be found on UNKLE's box set, ''Eden''.

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 Songs written for films Song recordings produced by Paul A. Rothchild Reprise Records singles Elektra Records singles Warner Music Group singles East West Records singles