THE DOORS' "INDIAN SUMMER": A FASCINATING BALLAD FROM 1966

 

“Indian Summer” is an obsolete expression once used in the United States to indicate a brief and unusual period of mild temperatures that sometimes occurs in the autumn months.

Jim Morrison captured the evocative power of this term to write The Doors’ song of the same name, which can be dated to the early months of the band's career: the first part of 1966.

It is a sweet rock ballad in which a tender feeling of love is cloaked in dreamlike soft sounds, making its appearance on the threshold of psychedelia.

The lyrics reflect a significant facet of the sentimental personality of The Doors' singer.

In fact, the concise verses of the tune make explicit Morrison's tendency to favor his relationship with one girl without excluding a series of other love affairs.

Here are the lyrics: “I love you / The best / Better than all / The rest / That I meet / In the Summer / Indian summer”.

However, the title “Indian Summer” also emphasizes an arrangement inspired by the growing interest of American and British musicians in the music of the Indian subcontinent.

From “Norwegian Wood” by The Beatles (December 1965) to “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones (May 1966), Indian music had become part of Pop-Rock and Rock music. Shortly after, it officially became an important component of psychedelia with “Love You Too” (again by The Beatles, August 1966).

This trend was therefore well established by the time The Doors were on the verge of their first LP recording sessions (“The Doors”) at the end of August 1966.

Among the songs rehearsed and recorded for the Californian band's debut album, there was also “Indian Summer.”

The latter comprises at least three elements that recall Indian music.

The most obvious is Robby Krieger's languid guitar line, which consists of subtle phrasing inspired by the sound of the sitar (the most famous Indian stringed instrument).

The same style continues with lively eloquence in the short solo: an engaging yet fleeting excursion into the raga rock themes that Krieger was exploring at the time from both technical and cultural perspectives.

Less evident in its connection with Indian music, but equally evocative in unfolding its exotic charm, is the trajectory followed by Morrison's vocals in the verses.

With its solemn yet oscillating accents, The Doors frontman's singing gently alludes to the seductions of the East (from 0:17 to 1:02 and from 2:00 to 2:26).

Finally, worth noting are the percussive shapes drawn by John Densmore's drums and hi-hat. The drummer places deep rhythmic counterpoints in the background of the verse with measured sensitivity, vaguely simulating the pattern of what is known in Indian music as tabla.

The chorus differs from the verse on one hand by means of a slightly more animated overall rhythm and, on the other hand, with the resounding beats played by Densmore on the edge of the snare drum.

While abandoning references to Indian music, the chorus leaves the song's overall ethereal feeling unchanged. At the same time, it uncovers unprecedented nuances of ecstatic inner rapture new to the Rock genre.

The simple musical elements that make up “Indian Summer” are effectively combined to enrich and diversify its structure: verse – chorus – solo – chorus – verse.

This framework is supported by the dark and soft notes of the Fender Rhodes Piano Bass played with the left hand by Ray Manzarek (a short keyboard that reproduces the frequencies of the electric bass and, in this case, replaces it).

The resulting slow-paced bass parts have a smooth quality that gives the entire composition an aura of nostalgic tenderness.

In addition, the keyboardist intervenes with delicate expressiveness on the electric organ (Vox Continental) during the central section of the track (from min. 1:03 to min. 1:58).

For less than a minute, the instrument emits a feathery and intangible stream of high-pitched sound, like a thin ray of light falling on the intimate awakening of two lovers.

An intense reverberation permeates the entire tune, smoothing out any rough edges in its sound and enveloping the music in a warm glow.

Morrison's voice benefits greatly from this slight distortion.

In this way, the vocals on “Indian Summer”, recorded in a room designed specifically to accentuate the reverb, seem to be wrapped in a sentiment at once heartbreaking and elusive. It transcends the love expressed by the lyrics to outline the secret texture of a vulnerable soul.

The singer succeeds in the arduous task of conveying a wide range of emotions that sometimes diverge from each other, filling every single word with multiple meanings.

He achieves this remarkable result with surprising and vivid spontaneity. Without forcing his singing in any way, he documents for posterity the natural talent of a musical genius.

It’s a performance that ranks among the best in his career, bringing together passionate affection, melancholic sadness, and a mystical vibration that embraces all the griefs and delights of life itself.

Despite its high quality, “Indian Summer” was not considered suitable for inclusion in the track list of The Doors’ debut album (“The Doors”, later released in January 1967).

There were two distinct reasons for this exclusion.

First, the album already contained two other wonderful ballads, both objectively superior (“The Crystal Ship” and “End Of The Night”).

The second reason can be traced back to the amazing closing song of the album (“The End”). This absolute masterpiece featured the same mysteriously floating introductory chord, sitar-influenced guitar and bass line that also characterize “Indian Summer.”

Considering this context, it is not surprising that the composition we are discussing was sacrificed.

Unfortunately, it did not make it onto any of the three subsequent LPs of the band, finally being recovered for the group's fifth album, “Morrison Hotel”, released in February 1970.

Here, the best of the “Indian Summer” recordings made in August 1966 (link here) was included without any changes. This circumstance allows us to appreciate, albeit out of context, the enchanting soundscapes created by The Doors at the beginning of their career.

An alternative take, also dating back to '66, remains in the archives (link here). It’s a little faster and decidedly worse in sound quality than the one destined for “Morrison Hotel”, and in it, producer Paul Rothchild can be heard giving suggestions.

Despite the three-and-a-half-year gap between its recording and release (August 1966 - February 1970), the official version of “Indian Summer” found on “Morrison Hotel” remains an extremely fascinating song.

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