LOVE ME TWO TIMES AND THE SPREAD OF ROCK BLUES

 

When 'Strange Days' was released in September 1967, the Rock Blues genre was still new to the musicians of the time. A little over a year had passed since Cream had laid its official foundations in the early summer of 1966. An evolution of great importance for modern music that blended the electric blues, in particular the so-called 'Chicago blues', with rock.

Cream first album ("Fresh Cream", released in December 1966) took a step further the electric blues that British bands had already been playing for several years. Manifesto tracks such as 'Sleepy Time Time', 'N.S.U.' and 'Sweet Wine' constituted the exciting beginning of a new way of interpreting modern music.

In this way, 'Fresh Cream' opened up new perspectives for those who loved the blues but wanted to transcend the stable balance of its form. The greater freedom given by the rock component allowed new sound and instrumental possibilities to be explored while still remaining in the expressive and emotional territory of the blues.

So began to spread a musical current that would have important repercussions on the entire British and American music scene in the years to follow, marking the future of many leading artists and bands.

Rock Blues soon caused creative turmoil in many groups, from London to Los Angeles. During 1967, its musical influence was still barely visible from the outside, yet it would manifest itself from 1968 onward in a stronger way on both the music and the musicians of the time.

Among the first to pick up on this new trend and to intercept its dynamic vibrations were The Doors. By the beginning of 1967, the group was already playing the blues since a year, both in their live repertoire and on their first LP with the cover of 'Back Door Man'.

In their next work, "Strange Days", psychedelia represents the main sound reference point, transported towards the listener by a sometimes sinuous, sometimes combative rock. However, there is also room on the album for a track that fits into the newly emerging Rock Blues genre: 'Love Me Two Times'.

Written by guitarist Robby Krieger, its unmistakable riff looks back to the country blues that in the south of the United States experienced its heyday in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. From this matrix, the song evolves, adding to it the tight and swift rhythm typical of rock.

Moreover, the vocals find in Morrison a perfect synthesis between the captivating depth of tone and the biting sexual desire openly manifested. A combination of characteristics that places the composition more in line with modern musical canons than with the blues.

Most of all, it is the refrain that denotes how black music is accompanied and at times overpowered by the transgressive rock charge typical of the band (listen, for example, from min. 1.12 to min. 1.23).

These elements added together make “Strange Days” one of the earliest examples of Rock Blues after Cream’s debut, anticipating the spread of this very important musical genre.

The song was in fact developed during the spring and summer of 1967, bucking the trend of both the rest of the 'Strange Days' album and what was being recorded at the time by the more famous bands.

Therefore, we can say that this tune adds one more factor to the already well-known innovative talent of The Doors, who were skilled and inspired in readily perceiving and internalizing the new trends that were passing through the musical atmosphere of the time.