"Strange Days" is a song by

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 ...

, released in 1967 as the first track on the album of the same name.

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 ...

critic Tom Maginnis, wrote that the song seems to find 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 ...

"pondering the state of the then emerging hippie

youth culture Youth culture refers to the societal norms of children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. An emphasis ...

and how they are perceived by mainstream or 'straight' society". The track is also recognised as one of the earliest showcases for the use of the

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

, which Morrison plays.

Composition

The song's lyrics have been overviewed, notably by Tom Maginnis as being inspired following a visitation of the Doors in New York City. Along with other album tracks, "Strange Days" was composed before the date when it was recorded; a live performance recorded in May 1966 was captured on the album ''

London Fog 1966 ''London Fog 1966'' is a live album by the American rock band the Doors, released on December 16, 2016, by Rhino Records. It contains a previously unreleased live performance at the London Fog in Los Angeles in May 1966. It was recorded by spe ...

'', released later in 2016. The track is known for its distinctive usage of the Moog synthesizer which was made available the same year of the song's recording. In the Doors' biography ''

No One Here Gets Out Alive ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' (1980) was the first biography about Jim Morrison, lead singer and lyricist of the L.A. rock band the Doors. Its title is taken from the Doors song "Five to One", and the book is divided into three sections: ''The B ...

'', authors

Danny Sugerman Daniel Stephen Sugerman (October 11, 1954 – January 5, 2005) was the second manager of the Los Angeles-based rock band the Doors. He wrote several books about Jim Morrison and the Doors, including ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' (co-authored with ...

and Jerry Hopkins, described "Strange Days" as "one of the earliest examples of the Moog synthesizer in rock". The synth was provided by Jim Morrison to filter his vocals by playing notes, and it was hooked up with the help of

Paul Beaver Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

. Doors' engineer

Bruce Botnick Bruce Botnick (born 1945) is an American audio engineer and record producer, best known for his work with the Doors, the Beach Boys, Eddie Money, Love and film composer Jerry Goldsmith. Early work Botnick engineered Love's first two albums, and ...

recalled the instrument's contribution:

Music videos

Two music videos were made for the song. The first featured footage of the band backstage and onstage, as well as Jim Morrison driving his car into a hole in sand and jumping on the hood in frustration. The second features the same circus performers on the Strange Days cover photo, who would explore New York City. It also included footage of various people, which was made "swervy" and distorted to fit in with the strange theme of the song. All of this new footage was mixed with footage of the old video, and re-released as a re-mixed video.

Strange 2013

In 2012, the surviving members of the Doors—

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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

, assembled in Los Angeles, California's

Village Recorders The Village (also known as Village Recorders, or the Village Recorder) is a recording studio located at 1616 Butler Avenue in West Los Angeles, California. History The building was built by the Freemasons in 1922 and was originally a Masonic ...

recording studio with rapper

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two m ...

and producer

Fredwreck Farid Karam Nassar (born June 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Fredwreck, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded re ...

to record a reworked version of the song. The rapper had intentions on building off "

People Are Strange "People Are Strange" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. 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 ''B ...

", but Krieger suggested using "Strange Days" instead, as it had "more of a driving beat". This version was titled "Strange 2013" and includes vocals of Doors frontman Morrison, appearing on the rapper's 2013 album '' Something Else''. While speaking on the collaboration, the rapper noted how the band has inspired him over the years, explaining that "People Are Strange" and "Strange Days" were what he drew on when naming his record label

Strange Music Strange Music is an American independent record label specializing in hip hop music and founded by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin in 1999. History In 2009 Skatterman & Snug Brim fulfilled their commitment to Strange Music and left the label. In ...

References

{{Authority control The Doors 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 1967 songs