THE DOORS RECORD "MONEY": AN OUTTAKE FROM THE LP "MORRISON HOTEL"

The Doors performed “Money (That’s What I Want)” throughout their career, frequently incorporating this cover into their live sets as a transitional piece between original compositions.

Written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, the song was first released in the summer of 1959 by American singer Barrett Strong (link here).

The original arrangement captures the energy of a lively rhythm-and-blues number, driven by urgent electric guitar notes and punctuated by the ringing tone of a tambourine.

The modest, temporary success of Strong's track was considerably amplified four years later by The Beatles' version on their second album, “With The Beatles” (November 1963). While the English band maintained the rhythm-and-blues foundation, they brought Ringo Starr’s bass drum and John Lennon’s gritty vocals to the forefront.

A few years later, several British and American musicians followed in the Fab Four’s footsteps, frequently adding “Money” to their live shows.

By the spring of 1966, The Doors had also developed their own arrangement, boldly choosing to drop the riff that had characterized the song up to that point. Furthermore, they substantially reworked the distinct vocal line originally conceived by Barrett Strong in '59 and later cemented by John Lennon in '63.

The result was a fast-paced blues tune that stripped away the catchy musical elements of the original track in favor of a simpler and more straightforward execution.

After performing it live for about three and a half years, The Doors decided to cut “Money” in the studio. The perfect opportunity arose in November 1969, during the recording sessions for the group’s fifth album, “Morrison Hotel”.

Here, the band maintains the linear musical blueprint established for this cover back in 1966, characterized by a tight, driving blues and a four-piece arrangement.

Session musician Ray Neapolitan on electric bass and John Densmore on drums are joined by Ray Manzarek’s electric piano and Robby Krieger’s moderately distorted electric guitar.

The latter instrument plays the most prominent role in the song, thanks to inflections and phrasings drawn directly from the blues tradition.

In this regard, it is worth noting the classic boogie-woogie figure, popular during the 1920s and 1930s within Country Blues genre, which recurs frequently during the first half of the track (from min. 1:09 to min. 1:46).

Particularly significant is the solo that Krieger plays using the “slide guitar” technique, in which a glass cylinder is slid along the guitar’s fretboard.

The dynamic accents he draws from the electric guitar are simultaneously sharp and undulating, continuing into the song’s frantic coda. They are firmly rooted in the artistic legacy left by the renowned slide guitar player Elmore James from 1954 to 1962 (whom The Doors' guitarist explicitly references from min. 3:09 to min. 3:14).

Morrison’s vocals are raw and spontaneous, soaring toward higher pitches in the song's final segment. The frontman's vocal performance, still clearly at a provisional stage, reveals that the entire track required further refinement before any official release.

The tune was subsequently omitted from the album then in the works, “Morrison Hotel”. It therefore remained unreleased until its debut as a bonus track on the 2020 edition celebrating the LP’s 50th anniversary.

However, the band continued to perform “Money” with some regularity during the “Morrison Hotel” promotional tour, which took place in the United States from January to August 1970.

It is worth pointing out that the song's lyrics, a brash declaration of love for money, clash curiously with Morrison’s persona, given his notorious skepticism toward material wealth.

It is therefore surprising that “Money (That’s What I Want)” remained in The Doors’ live setlists for over four years, from 1966 to 1970.

This cover represents the studio rendition of a song that spanned the entire turbulent and compelling history of the band’s concerts. Despite some interesting aspects revealed by this “Morrison Hotel” outtake, it will be remembered more as a live performance than as a studio track.

Here is the link to “Money” recorded in the studio by The Doors in November 1969.

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