THE DOORS’ "STRANGE DAYS" AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE ‘60s

 

"Strange Days" is the title track of The Doors' second album, released in September 1967.

It also opens this beautiful LP, marking the band's entry into psychedelia while maintaining the rock framework of their debut album, "The Doors" (January 1967).

With its poetic and cryptic lyrics, the song talks about the cultural changes taking shape in the United States at that time.

The central theme is the rise of the counterculture in the US and the attempt to free people from rigid, conservative value systems and oppressive social rules.

The elaborate arrangement of this composition reflects the transgression of rules and the desire of young people to explore new possibilities.

Jim Morrison captured these cultural shifts using obscure, metaphorical language, offering a perspective on society from the viewpoint of the American youth to which he belonged.

He was just 22 years old when he wrote "Strange Days" and 23 when it was released on vinyl.

Before The Doors' singer and poet, other songs vividly recounted crucial passages in the evolution of American and British society during the 1960s.

We would like to mention two of them in particular.

The first is "The Times They Are A-Changin'' by Bob Dylan, recorded in autumn 1963 and released on the album of the same name in February 1964 (link here).

In this stirring piece, Dylan plays acoustic guitar, harmonica and sings. In this way he unceremoniously invite the older generation (he was 22 at the time) to step aside.

The verses, which are strong-willed and impassioned, combine with a melody that is as simple as it is compelling. The songwriter resolutely demand the construction of a more just, supportive and tolerant society.

The other example is The Who's "My Generation" (link here), released as a single in October 1965 and on the British group's debut album the following month.

Once again, the social and cultural context being criticised is that of the older generation, whose habits and life goals are described as "awful cold".

The band's controversial and harsh lyrics take a shocking stance by loudly declaring “I hope I die before I get old”.

Right from the title, the song takes the lead in the generational conflict mentioned at the beginning and sets it alight with the raw sounds of rock, which was emerging as a well-defined genre in those very months.

It is a bold act of youthful defiance, driven by Townshend's almost percussive electric guitar chords and directed at the restrictive society of the early 1960s.

Jim Morrison adds a further dimension to the theme covered by these two songs with the lyrics of "Strange Days".

The Doors thus offer their own fascinating and poetic interpretation of the youth upheavals that shook U.S. society during the second half of the 1960s.

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”