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Music on Mondays — Girl, we couldn’t get much higher
I always love it when the planets align. Today the History planet and the Music planet have aligned.
On this date in 1967, The Doors appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The Doors were celebrating their #1 hit “Light My Fire,” and “The Ed Sullivan Show” was the top-ranked variety show.
“The Ed Sullivan Show” was done live, and Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors for those who don’t know) had agreed to alter the lyrics of their #1 hit “Light My Fire” for prime-time viewing. He had agreed not to sing “Girl we couldn’t get much higher” because of its veiled reference to getting high on drugs. When the cameras rolled during their performance, however, he sang the lyrics anyway. Ed Sullivan was furious and banned The Doors from any future performances on his show.
Ed Sullivan died in 1974, well before rap and hip-hop introduced not-ready-for-prime-time words and visuals to the pop music industry. Jim Morrison left The Doors in the Spring of 1971 and moved to Paris, France, with his girlfriend. He died on July 3, 1971, of what most historians believe to have been a drug overdose, specifically cocaine. However, France only performed autopsies if foul play was suspected, so an autopsy on Morrison was not performed, leaving his cause of death to be debated to this day.
Here is “Light My Fire,” The Doors’ second single, their first #1 single, and still their most popular song.
LYRICS
You know that it would be untrue;
You know that I would be a liar;
If I was to say to you;
Girl, we couldn’t get much higher
Come on, baby, light my fire,
Come on, baby, light my fire,
Try to set the night on fire
The time to hesitate is through,
No time to wallow in the mire,
Try now we can only lose,
And our love become a funeral pyre
The time to hesitate is through,
No time to wallow in the mire;
If I was to say to you;
Girl, we couldn’t get much higher
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Music on Mondays — #5: The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
#5
The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
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In the world of music on this date:
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In 1960 Elvis Presley was released from his two-year service in the Army with an Honorable Discharge.
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In 1969, Jim Morrison was charged with lewd behavior at a concert in Miami.
I’ve never been a fan of Elvis Presley, so let’s go with Jim Morrison for our Music on Mondays post today. Much more fun.
Morrison was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, indecent exposure, profanity, and drunkenness (one felony and three misdemeanors) for his onstage antics at his Miami concert days earlier. Remember that this was 1969, so it was before Madonna, Lady Gaga, Eminem, and all the other antics that are common at concerts in today’s world. Later they also charged guitarist Robbie Krieger for “simulated oral copulation.” Remember that this is also Florida; probably not much has changed in that state over the decades.
At the trial in September 1970, witnesses were trotted out who claimed that they were “shocked” at what went on at the concert. Many years later, though, it turned out that all the witnesses had connections to the police or the district attorney’s office. Morrison turned down a plea bargain that would require The Doors to play a free concert in Miami, so he was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison and a $500 fine. Morrison died in Paris before serving the sentence.
Morrison received a posthumous pardon by Florida Governor Charlie Crist in December 2010. Sometimes justice takes a few years.
The Doors are one of my Top 10 favorite groups of all time. I don’t know of a bad song, and I can’t decide which song is my favorite, so I’m going to leave you with a song about my native Texas: The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat), a song from their L.A. Woman album released in May 1971.
