A Remembrance of the Doors In 72

The year was ‘72; Morrison had died, yet I felt little sorrow, for when he was in his prime, I was a pre-teen junkie for bubble-gum rock like the songs of Herman and his Hermits, Grass Roots, Bread and whatever else became hot tunes on the radio. Knowing little about Jim Morrison, I was aware of his name, however, and was a fan of three famous songs: “Light My Fire,” “Hello I Love You,” and “People are Strange.” Stopping by Woolworth’s later on in ‘72, I came upon a compilation album of the Doors named Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine. I had been collecting albums but never one of the Doors. The album was a very good price, so I nabbed it! At night I lay in bed listening to the album’s tunes, some of which were, as the album’s name implied, indeed weird. However, I enjoyed lifting the needle of my record player again and again to spin on the turntable two of my favorite songs from that album: “Don’t You Love Her Madly” and “Riders on the Storm.” Listening again after all these years and knowing now what I know of Jim Morrison and his demise, I sense the irony as I listen to the last lines of “Riders on the Storm” - “Girl you gotta love your man. . .” up to this incongruous lyric: “Our Life will never end.” May 13, 2019 for Chantelle Anne Cooke's "Writers on the Storm" Contest