A SOUTH AMERICAN BREEZE: THE DOORS’ "I CAN'T SEE YOUR FACE IN MY MIND"

The Doors were very open to the musical influences around them, particularly in the early stages of their career.

They used to reach out for artistic cues that would complement their music and creativity, from blues and rhythm and blues to hard bop jazz and modal jazz.

Their second album, "Strange Days" (released in September 1967), showcases their ability to listen to and integrate other musical genres.

One example of this is the influence of bossa nova music on the chorus of "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind", the ninth track on the aforementioned LP.

This style of music originated in Brazil in the second half of the 1950s and combined traditional Brazilian sounds with North American cool jazz.

By the early 1960s, this languid, meandering music had begun to be imported into the United States by jazz performers such as Cannonball Adderley and Ike Quebec.

One of the first to experiment with it was one of the most important figures in the history of jazz: Coleman Hawkins.

By September 1962, the tenor saxophonist was nearing the end of a career that had reached its peak in the 1940s and early 1950s, spanning three different jazz styles: swing, bebop and hard bop.

In 1962, he recorded "Desafinado", an album entirely devoted to bossa nova, which he played with American instrumentalists. This was a significant development, given that other artists typically opted for Brazilian accompanists for this type of recording.

On this album, Hawkins' talent is evident in the way he effortlessly and confidently masters a musical language that is not his own.

His improvisations are both articulate and immediate, propelled by the assertive yet sensitive tone of his saxophone.

Bossa nova slowly seeped into the pop sphere from this and other jazz albums, eventually climbing the US charts with tracks such as 1964's "The Girl from Ipanema" (link here).

This exotic influence could soon be detected even in pop-rock, as can be heard in The Beatles' song "And I Love Her” (link here), included in their third LP, "A Hard Day's Night" (released in July 1964).

Written by Paul McCartney, the song features Ringo Starr's percussion, including claves, which are typical of Latin America. Additionally, Lennon's rhythmic acoustic guitar and McCartney's nostalgic vocal delivery both suggest a close relationship with bossa nova.

Thus, we can see how this musical context captivated both audiences and musicians of the time.

The Doors were also influenced by it, incorporating bossa nova elements into their early compositions.

An example of this trend is the drum pattern that opens their debut single, "Break on Through (To the Other Side)", an electrifying rock song that appeared on the band's debut album, "The Doors", released in January 1967.

At the beginning of each verse of this great composition, drummer John Densmore leads the tune down the syncopated path of a distinctly bossa nova beat played on the edge of the snare drum and on the ride cymbal.

The chorus of “I Can't See Your Face in My Mind” (included on the band's second album, “Strange Days”) is another, even more explicit step in the same direction.

This time The Doors incorporated bossa nova into the distorted psychedelic rock that characterized the tune, demonstrating their ability to absorb and originally adapt the music of the time to their own sensibility.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”