L.A. Woman

Zoo Freaks, get ready to cruise down the Sunset Strip with The Doors as we spin the iconic track "L.A. Woman" from their 1971 album of the same name. This song, often hailed as the quintessential Doors track, is packed with stories that capture its raw energy. Guitarist Robby Krieger has called it the "quintessential Doors song," noting its magical creation process in a 2021 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. The track's driving rhythm and Jim Morrison’s poetic lyrics personify Los Angeles as a seductive, gritty muse. One juicy tidbit comes from drummer John Densmore, who revealed in a 2009 interview that the song’s bridge, featuring the phrase "Mr. Mojo Risin’," is an anagram of Morrison’s name. Densmore explained, “After we recorded, Jim wrote ‘Mr. Mojo Rising’ on a board and said, ‘Look at this.’ I knew mojo was a blues term for sexual energy, so I suggested a slow, dark tempo that builds like an orgasm.” This playful wordplay became a defining moment, with Morrison’s handwritten lyrics for the song later auctioned in 2009 for £13,000 in Berkshire, UK.

Another wild story from the recording sessions, shared in a 2016 Rolling Stone article, highlights the chaotic vibe. The band set up in their rehearsal space, The Doors Workshop, a former antique store on Santa Monica Boulevard, as posted by @TheDoors on X in 2021. Morrison, battling personal demons, sang in a bathroom to capture that raw, echoey vocal sound. Producer Paul Rothchild, frustrated with tracks like “Love Her Madly,” famously walked out, calling the material “cocktail music.” The band, undeterred, co-produced with engineer Bruce Botnick, bringing in Elvis Presley’s bassist Jerry Scheff for that funky low end. Scheff’s groove, as Densmore told Classic Rock, kept Morrison’s vocals and Ray Manzarek’s keys in check. The song’s lyrics also draw from John Rechy’s 1963 novel City of Night, weaving a tale of L.A.’s underbelly, which LA Weekly crowned in 2014 as the best song ever written about the city.

Now, let’s rewind to how The Doors got their start, a tale as mythic as their music. Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, the band—vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore—met through a mix of chance and destiny. Morrison and Manzarek, both UCLA film school students, connected on Venice Beach when Morrison recited his poem “Moonlight Drive” to Manzarek, who insisted they form a band. As detailed in a 2006 Britannica bio, they named themselves after Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, inspired by a William Blake quote about opening the mind. Krieger and Densmore, with their jazz and blues roots, joined soon after, creating a sound that blended Morrison’s dark poetry with psychedelic rock. Their big break came in 1966 when Elektra Records president Jac Holzman signed them after catching their set at the Whisky a Go Go, as noted on The Doors Fan Club site. Their 1967 debut album, featuring “Light My Fire,” skyrocketed them to fame, cementing their place as counterculture icons.

Zoo Crew’s got you covered with all the ways to stay connected to The Doors. Check out their official website at thedoors.com for news and merch. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates and throwback pics, like the 2022 post from @TheDoors quoting Krieger on the band’s collaborative recording process. For fan communities, dive into The Doors Fan Club for photos, discographies, and forums. You can also join the vibrant The Doors Fans Group on Facebook, where Zoo Freaks can geek out over Morrison’s poetry or debate the best live performances. So, crank up “L.A. Woman,” let that mojo rise, and keep it freaky with THE ZOO!