THE DOORS’ “UNIVERSAL MIND”: A JIM MORRISON’S POETIC ROCK SONG

 

"Universal Mind" is one of the dozen or so songs by The Doors that were never used on any of their albums, even though they spanned several years of their musical journey. Those are compositions that appear and disappear among outtakes, bootlegs and live performances, and that in several cases would have deserved greater consideration.

Prominent among them is "Universal Mind," which Morrison conceived roughly in the first half of 1969. He was then chaotically navigating the most turbulent and unstable period of his life, largely due to a deep personal crisis and artistic disagreements with the rest of the band.

In addition, his role as a rock star, which had turned into a mask that was no longer his own, weighed unbearably on his own individuality.

From these premises emerges a rock song with a strong poetic and suffering imprint, revealing the difficult internal and external contradictions just outlined.

The lyrics of the song lend themselves to a variety of interpretations, all of which have in common the theme of the bewilderment of a twenty-five-year-old men endowed with extraordinary abilities but placed in a fatally self-destructive context.

This condition is summed up by the apparent, disoriented unhappiness that is made explicit by the sad line that closes the song's verses: "Now I'm so alone / Just looking for a home / In every place I see”).

A sadness that is also underlined by the first part of the verse, in which, by contrast, a happy past is briefly and melancholically evoked ("I was doin' alright"; "I was alright" in Italian).

The bitterly sarcastic refrain describes his current situation (1969), marked by fame and abundant material possibilities, but empty of meaning compared to the brighter moments of his existence, perceived as distant in time ("I'm the freedom man .... That's how lucky I am").

This mournful lyricism is matched by a musical structure in which both verse and chorus find Morrison midway between singing and spoken narrative, supported by a rhythmic instrumental accompaniment specifically designed not to distract the listener from the singer. Between the lightly floating chords of Manzarek's electric organ and the embellishments of Krieger's electric guitar, Densmore's dynamic drumming emerges, beating an ostinato broken rhythm reminiscent of the hardships told by Morrison's words.

The voice is certainly the most intriguing element of "Universal Mind”. It sails painfully over the instruments, like a ship hopelessly damaged, struggling along without a destination, waiting to sink.

The sound of the vocal line is not only imbued with resigned sorrow. We can also detect in it a nostalgic and sad determination to point out how an event related to the world of music has changed for the worse his personal situation, which, as already mentioned, was initially pleasantly stimulating. A situation, the latter, defined by a term belonging to the "hippie" culture of the time: the "Universal Mind".

The definition of "Universal Mind" probably refers to a state of consciousness enhanced by spiritual communion with other people and the whole environment. Whether induced by LSD use or not, this relational state is portrayed by Morrison as extremely rewarding and ideal for making his talents available to those around him.

The song had been included in The Doors’ live performances since the summer of 1969, most notably beginning with the performance held at the Aquarius Theatre in Los Angeles in July of that year (link here).

A performance that is particularly notable for the interesting instrumental transition that occupies the middle part of the song (min. 2:14 to min. 2:56).

Here Densmore, Manzarek and Krieger are inspired by a section of "Afro Blue" present in John Coltrane's fine reading (recorded in 1963) of this jazz tune.

At the time, the saxophonist stood between hard bop and modal jazz and was an inspiring and original musical reference for many musicians, including rock groups. The Doors were among those who listened most attentively to his magical sound evolutions and drew inspiration from them for the evocative instrumental passages scattered throughout some of their songs from the 1966-'67 period.

The quote from "My Favorite Things" that we hear in "Universal Mind" at the Aquarius Theatre is developed in its melodic part by electric organ (with the addition of the Fender Rhodes piano bass played by Manzarek's left hand) and electric guitar.

Under their tightly coordinated sound, Densmore's drums sweep between the drums, recalling, as much as it is possible, the percussive path we hear narrated by Elvin Jones in the original.

This version of "Universal Mind" will also become the most famous, as it was selected to be part of the only live album released during the band's career, "Absolutely Live". It will thus be more widely distributed than any other (the record sold a good number of copies in the U.S. in late 1970), but it will be surpassed in quality by the performance included in one of the two concerts The Doors played in New York in January 1970 (link here).

The nod to "My Favorite Things" made at the Aquarius Theatre in '69 is replaced here by a more traditional instrumental section consisting of a short solo played by Manzarek on electric organ. Despite this substitution, Morrison's voice at the Felt Forum in New York is more defined, incisive, convincing and dramatic than the Aquarius Theatre version, making the January '70 performance slightly preferable.

As mentioned above, "Universal Mind" appears occasionally in The Doors' live performances from the summer of '69 until almost a year later, but it was never recorded in the studio.

In a disappointing and frankly incomprehensible manner, it has been excluded from at least two albums ("Morrison Hotel" and "L.A. Woman", if not "The Soft Parade") in favor of tracks of clearly inferior quality (such as "Queen Of The Highway" or "Love Her Madly"). A musical waste to the detriment of the eminent expressiveness of this typically Morrisonian poetry in rock.  A waste that has been partly compensated over time by the various live versions that have fortunately become available.

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