THE DOORS' "RIDERS ON THE STORM": JIM MORRISON'S VOCALS
The last vocal track recorded by Jim Morrison is the one we can hear in “Riders On The Storm”, the closing track on The Doors’ sixth album, L.A. Woman (recorded between late 1970 and early 1971). In fact, shortly before the LP's release, the frontman left Los Angeles for Paris and tragically died in the French capital in early July 1971. The different musical facets of “Riders On The Storm” (just over seven minutes in length) have been reviewed on this blog in four in-depth articles: the role of Robby Krieger's guitar ( link here ); Ray Manzarek's electric piano and his solo ( link here ); the electric bass and drums ( link here ); the studio effect that immerses the arrangement in a storm ( link here ). In this article, we will analyze the last sonic element yet to be explored: Jim Morrison's lead vocals, along with the words he conveys with dark intensity. The vocal line of this composition grows stronger as it unfolds through the song’s structure: a verse, bridge...
