THE DOORS' "PEOPLE ARE STRANGE" AND DETACHMENT FROM SOCIETY


During the 1950s and early 1960s, pop music and rock'n'roll were the two most popular musical genres in the U.S. and England. During this historical period, they were the genres that played a collective entertainment role.

They functioned as a means of aggregation for young people and as a celebration of sociality in general. The personal dimension was also touched by this music. In fact, it accompanied the moments of joy and melancholy of individuals.

The themes of the lyrics at the turn of the two decades were mainly about moments of personal sadness caused by disappointments in love or about the happiness aroused by romantic relationships.

Several artists changed this picture from 1963, when the two genres mentioned above were joined by two new musical forms that found wide public acceptance. These were singer-songwriting format derived from folk as interpreted and modernized by Bob Dylan, and the pop-rock of the Beatles.

From here on, we speak conventionally of modern (or contemporary) music, within which numerous different artists and genres flourished during the 1960s.

The latter musical evolution also brings with it a greater complexity of the lyrics accompanying the songs, which also begin to deal with deeper social issues.

Such is the case with "People Are Strange", which appeared on The Doors' second LP, "Strange Days," released in September 1967. Here, Jim Morrison's lyrics speak of how, at certain times in his life, we feel uncomfortable with the presence of other people.

In the words that the poet/singer writes for the tune, this theme expands to embrace the whole of society with its bitter reflections. Above all, the difficult and sometimes contradictory relationship between the individual and the people around him emerges here.

Morrison was not the only artist to explore these reflections and difficult themes in his compositions.

About a year earlier, a songwriter with strong folk influences, but projected into the modern era, also recorded a song with similar themes.

This was the case with Fred Neil and one of his most famous songs, "Everybody's Talking", released in December 1966 as part of the album "Fred Neil". The song will be much more successful in Nilsson's 1968 version, but the original is characterized by the naked emotion that Nilsson’s more commercial and famous arrangement lacks.

Fred Neil essential musical arrangement is well handled in its simplicity, featuring an airy acoustic guitar arpeggio in the foreground, accompanied by double bass and the author's passionate voice.

As well as being a beautiful song, the lyrics develop several points in common with "People Are Strange".

The most important is the feeling of being an outsider compared to the mass of people that make up society. We see this clearly in the lyrics of "Everybody's Talking": "Everybody's talking at me / I don't hear a word they sayin’ / Only the echoes of my mind".

We can also see it in the words, "People stoppin’, starin’ / I can't see their faces / Only the shadows in their eyes”.

Similarities to the alienation from community also expressed by Morrison in "People Are Strange" are evident here, underscoring how a proliferation of reflective lyrics and problematic themes was taking place in 1960s music.

Hand in hand with the developments and setbacks experienced by modern music in the following decades, the relationship between the individual and society will be analyzed and explored from additional perspectives.

The latter have their roots in the 1960s and especially in the pen of artists of immense artistic importance, as in the case of Jim Morrison and "People Are Strange".


Comments