THE DOORS' "SHE SMELLS SO NICE": AN OUTTAKE FROM THE LP "L.A. WOMAN"

The recordings for “L.A. Woman”, the last LP by The Doors featuring singer Jim Morrison, took place from December 1970 through January 1971.

In addition to the three blues tracks included on this record (“Been Down So Long”, “Cars Hiss By My Window”, and “Crawling King Snake”), the band rehearsed several other songs in the same genre, which were ultimately discarded.

Among them is the virtually unknown “She Smells So Nice”, a raw and lively outtake.

This song is the result of a moment of tumultuous vitality involving all members of the Californian quartet. However, the tune can be attributed to Morrison’s love of the blues, which had reached its peak by the end of 1970.

In this case, the blues is played with a faster tempo than is typically found in this charming musical form.

The somber and fascinating pace that slowly captivates the listener in most blues songs gives way here to an animated and carefree rhythm.

However, this technique was not new in 1970. In fact, since the late 1920s several blues musicians had begun to speed up some of their compositions in order to vary their sound and increase their appeal to the public.

Drawing on this tradition, “She Smells So Nice” is driven for about three and a half minutes by the busy interplay between session musician Jerry Scheff’s electric bass and John Desmore’s drums.

Against this neatly agitated backdrop the dynamic contributions of Robby Krieger’s undistorted electric guitar and Ray Manzarek’s electric piano emerge.

It’s worth noting that the Doors’ keyboardist plays the same instrument here (a Fender Rhodes piano) that he used for the songs “L.A. Woman” and “Riders on the Storm” in those same weeks.

Three straightforward and not particularly notable solos punctuate the tune’s progression: the first shared between guitar and electric piano, the second handled by the guitar, and the third performed by Manzarek.

The most interesting element of this outtake is undoubtedly Morrison’s voice, whose timbre is furrowed by far greater roughness than it was just a few years earlier.

He sings with a fierce and jagged intensity, almost as if he were on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience, occasionally bursting into excited exhortations such as sharp shouts and a couple of rousing “C’mon!”.

The frontman’s vocal trajectory outlines the song’s structure with combative passion. It makes equal use of two of the blues’ foundational structures, alternating between them with chaotic ingenuity.

On the one hand, there is a short verse consisting of two lines followed by a concise chorus (all in rhyme). On the other hand, a distinctly rhythmic verse is followed by a more melodic and relaxed section, ending with a brief chorus.

It’s also worth noting that the audio starts a few seconds into the track.

The lyrics, at least partially improvised by Morrison, hold no surprises. They describe the girl mentioned in the title as the most attractive around, capable of outshining all other women thanks to her sensuality and sweetness.

Although performed without the conviction required for an official recording attempt, “She Smells So Nice” offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the “L.A. Woman” sessions.

The song’s limited artistic interest is partially compensated for by the chance to hear these excellent musicians having some lighthearted fun.

Here’s the link to “She Smells So Nice”.

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Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”