A First Reaction and Analysis of The End by The Doors

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[@456012]

The use of this song in the beginning of Apocalypse Now is IMO the greatest use of a song in a film ever. So good

[@kelvinkloud]

copolla was a classmate in the same film major at ucla. they knew each other as students. copolla has spoken of jim & admired his talents. its a shame morrison didnt make it thru the 70s, he had friends in the film indust & the writing, vision & acting ability to have done good work there.

[@MK-gv7qr]

Agreed, it's stunning. 😳

[@BensSoZen]

I can't think of another.. lol

[@LtFrankDrebin100]

This is a very good take.

[@swfcocs1]

Yeah, it invokes Vietnam In the same way as Paint it black

[@TheCodyv1971]

What does The End mean? As with most of Jim's poetry, it can mean different things to different people and is rarely literal. My take on it is that this is Jim saying goodbye....to several things. First, it started out as a goodbye to his girlfriend. He is also saying goodbye to his old self...his younger self. He is going out west ("the west is the best....get here and we'll do the rest") alone. He is leaving his old life and loves, authority, and even family. The Oedipus section is him breaking away from his family (especially his strict, military father) and embarking on a new adventure. It is a rebirth after the death of his childhood. Again, that is my take on it.

[@marlonelliot8943]

Mine too. I heard Robby in an interview talk about how obsessed Jim was about his mother. She was apparently very domineering and Jim would see her face in the moon while tripping. She also had red hair like Pamela Courson and some of his other girlfriends. I had a different perspective of the Oedipal section after that.

[@WMalven]

One of the most compelling and controversial tracks in rock history. Also one of the most defining songs of the era...my era. :) Originally the song began as describing the end of a romantic relationship--"This is the end, beautiful friend"...then it evolved during a performance at the Whisky-A-Go-Go into the long oedipal sojourn it became, Recorded live in the studio in one take. The record company, Elektra, made them reduce the volume of Morrison;s voice throughout the "fuck, fuck" sequence, so that it was inaudible on the original release of the album and remained that way until the 90s

[@toddmcclellan979]

Evolved...lol.

[@kelvinkloud]

even w/ the f word squelched out.... its amazing they were able to get this out into record stores in '67. its dark & very provocative. perhaps what saves it, is it was abstract & hard to nail down. but in the great era of 60's music, this is one of the top 3 darkest & starkly chilling pieces of music written. I like the beatles a lot, but they simply didnt get into the depth of density of harrowness the doors did.

[@kevinadrian9366]

And after the session, Jim came back to the studio that night on acid and hosed down the recording console as if it was still on fire from what they had recorded earlier.

[@kenkaplan3654]

Apparently they combined two takes

[@WMalven]

@@kenkaplan3654 Nope, according to John Densmore it was done in a single take, live in the studio.

[@kevinkingmaker7395]

Doors are one of the tightest bands ever, completely in sync with each other. They were honed by years of having to keep up with Morrison's wild improvisation.

[@DogFish-NZ]

People have lost the sync

[@jonathanlocke6404]

The story about the "soul leaping into his body" was supposed to have come from an incident where he and his family passed the aftermath of a bad highway wreck that involved some indigenous workmen. He was about 4, and I think they were in New Mexico...

[@lewstone5430]

It was New Mexico, where I now live.

[@jonm1114]

Awesome song, and an absolutely mind-blowing experience to the listening audience back in 1967. This song perfectly represents both why the youth of that era embraced rock and roll, and why their parents were so worried that rock and roll would curl their spines and rot their minds.

[@nowiknowhy]

Yeah, this was my era. When in youth it becomes a constant mind trip of experiencing a very new kind of music and just life in general on a whole new unprecedented level. One, the music then was the most creative time in history.

[@barryrahn5957]

Glad you're on KZbin Syed. Very intelligent, detailed analysis.

[@narlycat]

I thought the line: "I'll never look into your eyes again" is about the last time he would see his lover. The killing takes place later and it's the Oedipus Complex. This song will give you the chills if you listen to it half asleep with no interruptions, and you get hypnotized. I know for copyright purposes you had to break the stream of consciousness but with no breaks in the song it will mesmerize or even scare and disturb. And overwhelm.

[@heyskipj]

Love how you unpack the lyrics. Especially for a lyricist like Jim Morrison. Adds layers I haven't thought of before and deepens the entire execution of the song. Well done!

[@benhinds2971]

This is just my imagery, but the middle section, before the Oedipal thing, where he is kind of improvising with ryming words, it gives me the imagery of driving through the desert and, back then, you turn the radio dial and hear snippets of phrases that are disconnected as radio stations come in and out. He saying these phrases like parts of commercials, "The West is the Best". That could be an airline commercial picked up as you try to find any descent music station in the middle of nowhere .

[@wadsworthaaron]

Although I am a HUGE fan of their self-titled debut album, it is the song "The End" that's truly the most epic, groundbreaking track on that album. Nobody had ever done anything remotely like that beforehand: it was pure art. Even in 2022, had someone released this track, it would still be years ahead of its time.

[@stevebengel1346]

Hard to believe that it was recorded in the late summer of 1966

[@kelvinkloud]

yet many critics & even some of their peers (david crosby, jagger) take shots at morrison & wrote him off as bush league.... Ill grant he was inconsistent & could be a train wreck. but honestly,, when he was dialed in, his power is so potent that its singular. in turn, many dont get it. it startles them, so rather then acknowledge that power, that take shots at it.

[@completecharleston7142]

The late 60s / early 70s were an amazing time to be a teen - bands such as the Doors, CCR, Cream, etc. were huge influences on this young guitarist. It's also important to know that the original album version of "The End" did not have all the gutteral sounds / overt sexual lyrics in the recording - was surprised when I heard the 'updated' version a few years back. And, agree others recommending to watch "The Doors" movie.

[@kentclark6420]

I noticed that right off. I don't like it, myself. Sorry to whomever had the idea.

[@fishhookism]

I was disappointed in the movie. Val did a good job but the characters were nothing like the real Doors.

[@DQ-su6qf]

Use to see the doors all over LA but can’t say I cared for the movie that much…

[@kentclark6420]

I hate it when they screw up old recordings.

[@traypaquette7887]

Wow. Dude... That you had never heard the entirety and so specifically understood where the song was going is almost spooky.💜🖤❣️ I get a tiny bit jealous of your discovering this music bc I remember my own quiet discovery a lifetime ago. A must sincere thank you for letting me kind of relive it through your videos. Yours is my favorite of this type of channel.

[@ramonalfaro3252]

Densmore is a badass!!!

[@goodbyedemocracy5678]

It's always good to take a look at WHEN something was written. This was a period of destroying old ideas and conventions in American culture. They were transitioning from the American Victorian era of the 50's. I read into all of that death and killing imagery in that context. This was all uncharted territory and these artists were trying to find the boundaries, and with all of that talent, it sounded pretty good doing it. And that blue bus, I take it as a reference to acid.

[@TheDivayenta]

Their music was cinematic. Hence it was used widely in movies. This one opened Apocalypse Now. After the Fall. Inuits are what Eskimos really are. Did you mean Indigenous? Yep- the ending is definitely Oedipal. If you saw him in person , it was like he was a Shaman sometimes internalizing all of the evils to dance and sing them into oblivion. You are one smart guy- you got it all!

[@bostonvair]

I love your thoughtful reactions! You should react also to the song "When the Music's Over" by the Doors. Not quite as epic and abstract as this song, but it kind of goes there too. Another off-the-beaten-path Doors songs that is still well-known: "Waiting for the Sun"

[@LtFrankDrebin100]

His diction on this song is so incredible the lyric sheet isn’t even necessary. He’s putting those words into your brain and they aren’t coming out. Easily a top 3 Doors song for me.

[@kelvinkloud]

good point.... he was a paradox... unbridled, yet nuanced. animalistic, yet clearly pronounced literate lyrics.... morrison, wouldve been a very good actor if he had put his mind to it. he could emote the full range of emotions, yet like a diamond cut to intellectual ideas.

[@russallert]

The infamous Oedipal section got The Doors fired from their job as house band at the Whisky a Go Go in the summer of 1966. Luckily, they'd just been signed by Elektra and soon went into the studio to record the first album.

[@anthonyblakely399]

You are right!!!! Morrison is using the ending of his relationship to talk about the" End of Life," Itself....which when you "End" any relationship it is like a "Death." So, he is telling someone that he is leaving them......this is the End of his life with that person. and it's like Death or a departure. You must remember Jim was on drugs and alcohol and smoked cigarettes all the time..... so he is giving the Door of perception of "The End" of Life!!!! and yeah Jim Morrison was a self-proclaimed "Shaman."

[@donfette5301]

Eros/Thanatos dyad.

[@steveallen1055]

I was always amazed that they were allowed to put this on their first album.

[@vovindequasahi]

To put a face from the ancient gallery is reflective of consciousness really being androgenous. Everybody puts on their faces to be somebody, whether it be a lover, a father, a sister, a co-worker, or a friend. The Killer has no Face. He or She is Pure Consciousness, Insane. Puts on a face from the Ancient Gallery, indeed. Any face you'd like.

[@ramonalfaro3252]

I play percussion and never really cared much about the content of the lyrics as long as it served the melody and didn't mess up the Rhythm I prefer instrumentals generally ( I like to jam!!!). I was born in '68 and grew up with these songs and in all that time I've never bothered to understand the meaning if it wasn't obvious (Again... I like to jam). But this channel in particular has given me a much deeper appreciation for the songs I've loved my whole life. Quite impressive for such a young man. Keep up the great work Brother Syed... Can't wait to hear your take on The Soft Parade Album!

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Wimpy boy album...this way better

[@ramonalfaro3252]

@@DENVEROUTDOORMAN Artistic... You wouldn't understand.

[@mikepiccione886]

Great reaction to the end , so glad there are reactors that'll do real lyric brake downs

[@SantamanitaClauscaria]

I think that during the recording of the song, when it came to the Oedipal part, the band was just kind of jamming and Jim grabbed his notebook and started reading out of it. Another great unplanned improv moment was the breakdown during LA Woman.

[@IvanPolyansky]

breakdown and slowing down was suggested by Densmore

[@SantamanitaClauscaria]

@@IvanPolyansky the version of events I shared came from Densmore's own book, "Riders On The Storm", so it would appear he has contradicted himself.

[@toddmcclellan979]

You should read "No one here gets out Alive". Very good book about Jim Morrison and the band, and how Jim just abused his body with drugs and alcohol.

[@donfette5301]

Not sure about that book. Sugarman was a weaseling lackey boy hanging around the band trying to get into Pamela’s pants, which he did after he was no longer a legal minor and Jim died. I’d recommend reading the autobiographical stuff written by the actual Doors band members.

[@surfrunnerd8457]

One theory goes along with the mythical legend of selling one's soul for fame. Morrison went from living homeless on Venice Beach to being a rock star writing songs although he played no musical instrument in a very short period. Went to Paris when he knew his time was near ("The man is at the door" - from The Soft Parade). Then lying in a bath tub in Paris waiting for "the moment." Listening to the Doors debut album earlier that evening with Pam. In one of the poems he wrote regarding his time in Venice Beach: “In that year there was an intense visitation of energy. I left school & went down to the beach to live. I slept on a roof. At night the moon became a woman’s face. I met the spirit of Music.” ~~~ An appearance of the devil on a Venice canal. Running, I saw a Satan or Satyr, moving beside me, a fleshy shadow of my secret mind. Running, Knowing."

[@benhinds2971]

There was Jim and there was Jimbo. I've read they were really like 2 different people.

[@benhinds2971]

I know there were people who wrote successfully in the throws of heroin addiction, but they were writing fiction. I think Sugarman weaved a little heroin fiction into that tale

[@chrisdaccardi8821]

10,000 mics...

[@vetti2u]

Every time I hear this song I'm brought back to the Spring of 1986 when me and a couple of college friends got baked right before watching "Apocalypse Now" (for the first time...) in the college movie theater at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Under those conditions, this song was a PHENOMENAL prelude to the amazing movie that Apocalypse Now is!!!

[@benmaxwell4422]

Soft parade, Morrison hotel, LA woman, all stand alone works of art! I have all their albums on vinyl, just puts me in that mood!

[@Scott-hq3jq]

Yeah... if doing an album run the problem presents itself, which amazing album to choose! Their library is deep and varied. 😃

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Nope not as good as 1st 2 albums

[@kentclark6420]

There's something very cold and lonely about thinking the end is near. The end is just an opening to another reality, is what he's saying.

[@robertweilmuenster1178]

Jim was a very well read person, not just Kerouac, but many many other authors, it definately influenced his writing style......

[@vivectelvanni]

yes... he was a huge fan of Norman O. Brown's book Life Against Death, which "tries to provide a theoretical rationale for a nonrepressive civilization, explores parallels between psychoanalysis and Martin Luther's theology, and draws on revolutionary themes in western religious thought, especially the body mysticism of Jakob Böhme and William Blake" who Jim was also obsessed with. I saw an interview somewhere or read in some biography that his high school teacher had to research the books that Jim was reading to make sure that they were real because he was reading at such a high level already. The whole album this is on is so heavily with literary references it's nuts. End of the Night is straight up just about Celine's Journey to the End of the Night. I had been a fan since I was a kid and when I got older and well read I started to pick up on some extremely specific references the man was making. He was literally obsessed with Antonin Artaud and Nietzsche's thought of Eternal Recurrence. Really interesting person. Total genius.

[@VintageWanderer]

I did a paper on this back my senior year of high school! I had to listen to the song over and over to write the lyrics down. To analyze them. No internet in 1985.

[@barrycohen311]

The Indian / Middle-Eastern vibe to the music was insane in itself. You made a good point- The rest of the band is perfectly in sync with Jim's vocals. They kind of follow his lead, and whatever Jim is doing, they reciprocate. Jim studied Shamanism and ancient cultures and this really comes out in the lyrics. IMO this song is The Doors' Magnum Opus.

[@gloriacurran4601]

I totally agree with your list of incredible songs that are on another, (almost astonishing) level. "Comfortably Numb", "When the Levee Breaks", "Give me Shelter" and this Doors' song all fit into that category for me too -- exact picks. I have not heard the Tool song you mentioned yet but will check it out. I could not imagine anyone coming away unaffected after listening to "The End".

[@idalily3810]

I think McLean's masterpiece, American Pie, fits into that list as well.

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

The spookiness of psychedelic music is based in something that's hard to explain if you haven't had certain experiences. Basically, time can go a lot slower than in a normal state, and a person who's had a lot of these experiences is older...much older...than their age would suggest. So a song like this sounds like something from the ancient world, with dizzying vertigo perspectives into deep time.

[@anthonyblakely399]

I think...I am not sure.....I think The Doors is your band!!!

[@donfette5301]

Dylan and The Doors. No doubt!

[@srt8rocketship241]

About time someone reacted to this. Great job muh man. Watch them perform this live. You'll love it. Jim was a poet and there is a book of his poems if you look for it.

[@deejayturtle]

@SyedRewinds The more of your breakdown / reactions I listen to the more I dig your channel. This music was well before my time but thanks to Oliver Stone The Doors were back on the radio just in time for me to take parts of Jims persona and mix it with parts of Prince's persona as I was a fan of both and mix that in with a lil bit of my authentic self as I had been writing since 5th grade, I combined these elements and constructed the mask, the armor I would hide behind in jr high school. I'm really enjoying your stuff.

[@kevocarroll3297]

Syed - glad to see someone (young !) like you taking the time to listen to, learn from and enjoy this with a bit of sensible analysis thrown in for good measure. I've been a "student" of all things Doors for a very long time now (I'm in my 70's) and have been there, done it, got the t-shirts, bought the bootlegs, the books, been to Cemetaire Pere Lachaise, etc etc.....AND had the privilege to have seen them live . The music is timeless - there has never been a band like them - apart from many tribute bands, both good and bloody awful - nor will there probably ever be. So.....keep up the good work, I shall keep watching you enjoying it and keeping the interest alive. Thanks, and well done.

[@diegopuga5043]

This song single handedly inspired me to disconnect from the 9 to 5 reality or future and made me seek spirituality. My life has changed ever since. I now see the Ourobourus as a way of life and have found inner peace knowing it. This song i’ll kick on during meditation sometimes too.

[@remmymafia3889]

Syad? incredible introspection on this classic by the Doors. One of your top reactions.

[@michaelhall2709]

Kudos for your coming up with your own imagery inspired by this song, it being so associated with Martin Sheen’s psychotic breakdown in the opening minutes of APOCALYPSE NOW.

[@robertasirgutz8800]

You intuited it. This song was brilliantly chosen for the title sequence of the film, "Apocalypse Now", so haunting and appropriate.

[@Scott-hq3jq]

The Doors are the best. This song is so incredible. So primal in parts. Like the Oedipus thing (Which, I don't know why people get so worked up about - the entire section is just figurative, not literal, to take us into that Primal place, which one might expect to go, as they do near The End. At least, I think of that entire section more generally like that. No doubt they would have taught not only the mythology of Oedipus but also Freud using that in his Psychological writing in Jim's time). Jim always seemed to be standing off, near a seaside cliff, staring into the sunset, always and forever thinking about The End. A 'Moth to a Flame' kind of fascination. It's hair raising, spine tingling, mesmerizing, scintillating. I relate. After all, It is the one, the only, the final experience we all have - to lose our consciousness forever - that which we did not ask for (our life) but that which we are all obligated to relinquish. 17:24 More primal stuff- Tribal, really, spinning and reeling around a bonfire in the wind at Twilight. Into an almost ecstasy on the edge of the blackest and final and only real experience. Then, Into a sighing decrescendo finally of acceptance. Truly, an EPIC experience - this song! I think you did a good job describing the music as 'Mystical' etc.

[@scottk7515]

"He took a face from the ancient gallery ..." That face was the face of Oedipus.

[@damonhines8187]

Another shrewd, perceptive and profound listen and analysis on a piece of music history...especially so for a first take, imo. Though I suppose most of us were considerably younger and less well-educated, broadly exposed when we first encountered most of this stuff. Cheers, mate. ;>D

[@johnlangis9313]

Powerful! Amazing!

[@mikepiccione886]

An American prayer The lizard king When the music's open The soft parade

[@dariootero6555]

" the Soft parade live in PBS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@steveullrich7737]

Such a fantastic song nothing else comes close to this wonderful psychedelic music and Jim's lyrics. The eastern sound was Bobby Krieger's guitar tuned to imitate a sitar sound. Door's drummer, John Densmore and Bobby Krieger the Door's guitar player studied meditation with Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar in LA as they were both interested in this eastern practice and probably influenced their playing. Your shaman reference is interesting as John Densmore says in his autobiography (Riders on the Storm) that Jim claimed to be possessed by an Indian shaman which happened the night when 4 year old Jim and his parents passed a car accident in New Mexico and a dying old Indian lying on the side of the road. Also, Ray called Jim an electric shaman and that sometimes the rhythmic drumming, guitar playing and keyboard would bring this out in Jim. Jim certainly had an eye for seeing things differently as is reflected in his poetry and lyrics.

[@claymmore]

It added another layer to the movie.

[@kathleensmith3555]

Look up images of the marble bust of Alexander the Great and you will see what the inspiration for taking a face from the ancient gallery and Jims famous haircut he wore came from -- Jim was very well read and Im sure he noticed how much he resembled him -- Aristotle was Alexanders teacher --- Aristotle was taught by Plato and Plato was taught by Socrates -- I find that interesting -- Alexander was thought to perhaps be the reason why his father was assonated so he could rise to rule

[@kelvinkloud]

no doubt that line is harkening back to ancient greek tragedy & art. part of the theme of the song is a long view of the arc of western culture, from ancient greeks/rome to modern LA. How that molded him & our culture. yet, also how it was playing out a cycle wh/ he warns is nearing an end (seeping into the ancient lake, w/ the snake representing time, wisdom & movement forward). joseph campbell territory for jim. hes staring down at it & also breaking from it, just as he does the personal relationship (never look in your eyes again) & as the youth are (parched, insane & seeking enlighment-summer rain).... on a sidenote, this song has impacted several film makers and writers. i noticed most recently in the movie ex machina. have you seen it? if not, you should. its a modern frankenstein. There is a key scene when eva walks down the hall & stares very close at the ancient masks and touches them as they're propped up on the wall. id bank on it, the screenwriter took that idea from the passage you mention.

[@kathleensmith3555]

@@kelvinkloud No I have not even heard of that movie -- I watched a couple videos just now and it looks very interesting -- Its been out for over 7 years and I see in the comments that its very very good -- I will make a point to watch it soon -- as for Joseph Campbell I might look into his work too --- Never too old to learn something new -- Until the End lol

[@kelvinkloud]

@@kathleensmith3555 campbell was a great thinker jim liked and may have met. very into the symbolical use of myth thru history and literature.... re ex machina, its one of the best thinking sci fi's in a long time... very well made. must see. you will definetly get the scene im talking about... I swear its gotta be end influenced. let me know what you think... liked your comments..

[@kimn9802]

Interestingly the Romans made statues of emperors where the head of the old/dead/deposed emperor could be easily be replaced with that of the new one without having to sculpt a brand new statue. "He took a face from the ancient gallery..." He replaces his father?

[@guichogf5636]

Nobody reacts to The Soft Parade. Definitely worth checking out. Jim was a poet.

[@stevewebster973]

In those days when you got hold of an album like The Doors and put it on your turntable you had no idea what you were about to hear. No media played such stuff. I was 14 …

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Nope top 40 garbage AM Radio only played short stuff all sounding the same and repeated every 15 minutes for 12 yr old wimpy boys

[@bobdelp2023]

THE GREAT AMERICAN POET!!!😊😊😊 R.I.P. TO JIM 🙃 JUST INSANELYYYY AMAZING SYED

[@kelvinkloud]

I was waiting for you to get to this.... you have a good ear for the cinematic atmosphere the doors could create. to those who scoff at the doors, I will concede they were inconsistent. however, when dialed in, as here, no one at that time (& that was a helluva era) was in their zipcode. this was a quantum leap in music & opened up the door for what bands like floyd would morph into. remember this was actually being performed in full form in the summer of '66. again, no one was yet in this zipcode of combined feel, broad sound scape & journey lyrics. this was joseph campbell meets rock.... re meaning, its written in epic form & is meant to be large scape in meaning taking on universal themes & transcending imo across even centuries. yet, what morrison could be underrated at is how the lyrics and narrative like a hawk could go very high concentrically, yet then hone back to the ground on a singular level. this song does that. its both personal, yet also universal.... I dont think he was talking to a dying person, I think its sparked as a break up song w/ his first true love, mary werebelow. that intensity of loss, along w/ a coming of age at 21 yrs old also spurs on a personal declaration of flight and freedom. a breaking of the past relation & past taught conventions (hence the odepious section). then the song spires higher to a view of the Western culture & its progress from past to forward across time & the north amer continent. from roman influence to modern West. the snake representing ancient wisdom & movement west eventually to the greed (gold mines) & to the pacific & eventual collapse (the ancient lake). the cycle of life & cultures. biblical hints like book of danial of prophesy (the snake 7 miles long) & falling of culture.... A prescient view into his present culture that the youth are confused & seeking enlightment & vulnerable to destruction... in the end it circles back to the indiv that he is strong & certain now, that he must make his stand & seek his truth (his only friend) forward.... doors in peak form.

[@donfette5301]

This song provides a nuanced take on the classic Eros/Thanatos dyad.

[@vovindequasahi]

A true masterpiece, and Jimbo being the true Dionysis poet! If you don't understand what Jimbo is saying, you need to take some Ayahuasca!

[@PeterMasi_Son_Tile]

"The gulf of Tonkin" incident, the excuse used to enter the Vietnam war, the captain of the ship that was "attacked" in that incident was Jim Morrisons father.

[@ramonalfaro3252]

The most amazing ability to go from Chaos back into straight feel ever.

[@shakypuddin9857]

I suggest the song soft parade.. from the album the soft parade.. it’s excellent!

[@danchristopher7957]

Morrison's father was the United States Naval Admiral who lied about the Gulf of Tonkin (USS MADDOX)... causing the escalation of the Vietnam war

[@thebigdaddyo]

I believe the "Ride the Snake, it is 7 miles long" is the twisty part of Sunset Blvd from the flats going "WEST" to Santa Monica and then the "Blue Bus" is the transit in Santa Monica since the 20's. Just my opinion...

[@redzone77p]

Jim Morrison was definitely a cryptic, fatalistic character which is why life ended in a drug induced stupor.....very troubled and talented.

[@johngibson7693]

Really enjoy you're interpretations of the Doors. One of the greatest bands ever.

[@cassyvorster466]

Ray (keyboard) and Robby (guitar) were classical musicians first. They knew how to compose songs. With Morrisons lyrics it was heaved. Dresmores drums were also unique

[@robertasirgutz8800]

You're spot on. Atmospheric. Has a Middle Eastern urgency about it. I'd never appreciated his great lyricism. I'll never forget the title sequence of Apocalypse Now, and the use of this song. We have a very similar take on these evocative pieces. As I write my comment, you're echoing me!

[@markroberts8864]

Not sure if it has any meaning to the lyrics, but back in the day, the 60's and early 70's, we use to take hits of acid that were called, Blue microdots....

[@marcomuiretta362]

The guitarist use of indian raga scales and flaminco is very mystical and unique

[@thomasdreher8221]

The song was originally a simple love song about the end of a relationship. It had a long instrumental middle section. Morrison would start ad libbing poetry or spoken verse during the instrumental. Eventually generating the Oedipal middle section. Again Morrison, in line with Frued, Ferenzci and other psychologists, as well as with certain poets tended to focus on the acceptance of death and surrender to sex as the path to achieving mental freedom and removing society's shackles

[@williamkirby3552]

I don't think any other band put their listeners though such a visual and psychic journey.

[@lisarainbow9703]

"Freud would have a field day with this..." Indeed! 🤣 Actually, so would Jung, if you really think about it...

[@thomasdreher8221]

Note it was originally a simple love song about the end of a relationship. Morrison used to ad lib in the middle as the band did a jam session. One night very high in LSD Morrison did this lyric and lib morphinginto the Oedipal complex section. It got the band fired from the Whiskey A Go Go. But Electra rep saw it and signed the Doors

[@aaroncole3941]

I like how you said when Jim erupts, the band erupts... and when he simmers, the band simmers. They play this both ways. I remember hearing somewhere that on stage the bands playing would bring Jim along either up or down if he was out of control from drugs.

[@vovindequasahi]

Every morning begins in the East and then the Sun travels to the West, the sunset. Ra-Hoor on his bark across the heavens. The West is the sunset, ie Death and Rebirth in the East.

[@kelvinkloud]

What’s cool about Morrison’s poetry is he inserts these philosophical concepts into universal symbolic features of nature. Like yeats did he also uses animals and a hawks perspective to dial these meanings up to a larger time view and in turn apply these metaphors and concept to the sweeping movement and arc of a civilization, ie., the west as he does here. Almost book of danial like sweeping the arc from the Greeks and romans to modern LA as the snake moves across this time represent ancient wisdom and shifting evolvement leading to eventual death as it seeps back to the ancient lake as it heads west. It’s a metaphor for western civilization found near the end of this cycle with its children parched and desperate seeking enlightenment (summer rain)…. As the song finishes the cycle, like the hawk it returns back to ground and the singular, involving his own separation yet new found truth to move in the present w/ this deeper realization and truth.

[@danrumble74]

Great analysis, man 👍 Forever, my favorite band of all time 😎

[@EMal-mf9pc]

The music is literally a TRIP in itself... i always picture in my mind an inebriated stranger walks past a crowded street bazaar full of middle eastern merchants. Finally coming to a dark vacant domicile low lit from heavily scented candles, smoking hookahs and Bali Dancers

[@Ozarkprepper643]

Had the opportunity to see them in 1968. It was the song that got them fired from Whiskey A Go-Go. In Nam it was always playing on someone's tape machine. And drug use there was rampant. So the use of it in Apocalypse Now was a natural fit for two reasons. The first attempt at recording this song Morrison was too high on acid. But when Morrison came down and showed up they recorded this song in just two takes.

[@BalbazaktheGreat]

Iconic Doors, up there with Riders on the Storm. Edit: The song is basically conflating the end of a relationship with death/the end of the world (at least before the freeform chaos and questionable family relations). In a sense, the end of a relationship IS the end of the world, or at least the world you knew and your dreams of what the future would be.

[@williamlovett619]

I so love your perspective

[@peanisface3950]

Syed, please consider doing Waiting for the Sun - The Doors =D

[@danielmarone5757]

Hey we were in this house and there was. A sound like silverware being dropped on minoleum and then somebody ran through the room. And they said have you seen the accident outside and everybody said? Hey man did you see the accident outside.

[@Sardarescu_Cristina_Andra]

"He took a face from the ancient gallery". Yeah he did..he took the face of the mythical Greek king Oedipus..so Freud would indeed have a field day with this

[@christophercottrel7942]

All the comments below much appreciated. Don’t forget the historical context, the unrepeatable time which saturates the track from beginning to end though never directly alluded to, providing an unconscious backdrop against which the song’s manifest content resounds even more powerfully. Did you have to be there to appreciate The End’s strange power? No. But it helps.

[@subpotentmage8048]

LOVE the reactionn, *thanks :D*

[@PUNKinDRUBLIC72]

In the '80s my best friend and I did our first trip to this album ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@huascar66]

Mr. Syed, I would love to see your reaction to "Moonlight Mile", which is also from The Doors' second album, Strange Days. It is probably my most favorite Doors song.

[@douglasmorrison777]

Very insightful and in-depth, while I don't agree with it all, the issue with Jim is always more layers than one person understands or can comprehend. But great effort and a joy to listen to! I did read that the blue bus references was the colour of the school bus when he was a teenager, so much imagery throughout his time mixed in.

[@stevebengel1346]

It probably sounds like an improvised performance because Jim often would improvise on stage, thats how the little 2 minute song became this masterpiece which BTW was recorded live in the studio in 2 takes with no overdubbing

[@BridewellSeniorTube]

This song reminds me of The Doors movie. A good watch once you've edited The Doors Rabbit Hole 😉

[@julianmarsh8384]

In an interview, Morrison said the song had textured meanings including the idea that 'the end' was really about the end of childhood....

[@marcguidetti3081]

Most of Morrisons lyrics on most Door's songs are dealing directly with concepts taken directly from Nietzsche's "Beyond Good & Evil" "The Birth of Tragedy" and "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"

[@brionesmx]

Nice job!

[@zucods]

18:31 The moment you realize you've been taken on an amazing journey... hahaha!

[@idalily3810]

"Let's see how this thing unfolds," he said. LOL.

[@jackb4344]

Love the Doors , sounds better the older I get.

[@chrisbrimhall6323]

Image seeing this performance at the Whiskey when they were the house band? Wow

[@thomasdreher8221]

Also note when you state you "listened to a movie" bot Morrison and Manzarek were at the UCLA film school. They both liked Antoin Artaud. Add to that Morrison deep interests in poetry, mythology, origins of demonology, and psychology and you can easily see the idea...they were a "theatrical" band.

[@bargell]

“This is the end. Beautiful friend, the end.” To me, he is calling “the end” his beautiful friend. And he is implying for each of us alive today, we will have to face and embrace the inevitable end that will come one day.

[@stevewebster973]

If you’re looking at reacting to a whole Doors album I’d suggest Absolutely Live. No band in that time freaked out the authorities like the Doors. Oliver Stone’s movie is good too, although he’s hard on the rest of the band. Within weeks after Jim died they tried to relaunch the Doors without him, and that pissed off a lot of us. LA Woman is a great album too, their last.

[@b3u3g3g3y]

It's impossible to understand this song without understanding the Vietnam war, which was going on at the time.

[@dbcruser3133]

I would almost think the blue bus is viagra needed with all the fucks but viagra wasn't invented way back then. Dude you have some fascinating insights on his lyrics.