Light On Dark Water

Driver, where you taking us?

In last week’s SNJ I mentioned The Doors’ first album as an example of the dark side of hippie romanticism. When I wrote that, I was operating strictly from memory. I hadn’t heard it for perhaps forty years, aside from the occasional presence of a greatly abridged “Light My Fire” on the radio. Well, I just finished listening to it, closely, from start to finish, and…goodness gracious, what a darkly brilliant piece of work it is.

I wasn’t much taken with it at the time–I thought it a little pompous and overblown–and I wonder if that wasn’t by the grace of God. Had I followed where it beckoned and pointed, I might not have returned at all. It’s a very seductive combination of the desire for transcendence and the simple love, or lust, for pleasure, and it doesn’t distinguish genuine transcendence from death. Musically and lyrically, it’s simply amazing for most of its 45 minutes—very alluring fleurs du mal, to say the least:

The days are bright and filled with pain
Enclose me in your gentle rain

Et effing cetera. Wow…I think I’ll listen to some Bach now.

Maclin Horton
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6 responses to “Driver, where you taking us?”

  1. Daniel Nichols

    I heard the Doors’ first album when it came out. Boy, what a time to be young; you were hearing things that had never been heard before, ever, every week!
    I have always been extremely ambivalent about the Doors: the music is truly compelling, and very skillful (I’m not talking about the a.m. hits like “Touch Me” but the stuff buried on the albums). But I have always sensed danger and evil, and hesitated. It is certainly a more attractive evil than, say heavy metal with its demonism, but that made it seem even more sinister…

    Reply
  2. Mac

    Yeah, and a lot of heavy metal is or was sort of comic-booky, and not really that serious. But I think the Doors were quite serious. That was part of why I didn’t listen to them that much at the time–they seemed overly serious and heavy-handed. I’m much more impressed with them now than then (as I guess I already said), but also more wary. Like I said, it’s a good thing I didn’t respond that much.

    Reply
  3. coach purses

    the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision.Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you.

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  4. Paul

    Bizarrest bit of spam I’ve ever seen!

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  5. Mac

    So amusing I’m leaving it, although I removed the url it’s supposed to lure people to.

    Reply
  6. Louise on the iPod

    I thought it was,like, really deep.

    Reply

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