WHY CAN'T I GET THIS SONG OUT OF MY HEAD?

"...Cops in cars, the topless bars ... Never saw a woman so alone... So alone ..."
- Jim Morrison

Let me say that up until recently I was never a fan of The Doors. Their surface sound of the '60s and frontman Jim Morrison's hippie-eqsue vibe was something that I never really responded to, so I never really gave the group more than the "surface" listen.

Well... We get older and tastes change. Not only have I come to appreciate the group as artists, but completely have fallen hook, line and sinker for their dreamy, jazzy, bluesy world of yearning, wretched excess and lust.

It all started when I was baking in the Nevada sun at the Hard Rock pool in Vegas when I first really heard "L.A. Woman." I mean, I've "heard" most of the Doors tunes at bars in the past, but when you're poolside at one of the sexiest hotels in Sin City, you hear things differently. Perspectives shift. The song engulfed me. Come to think of it, I've gotten my best ideas on vacation but that's a whole 'nother post...

In any case, the more I listen to "L.A. Woman," the more its subject - the City of Angels - comes alive. Being a born-and-bred East coaster, the allure of the left coast has always appealed to me. Palm trees. The vintage decadence of the Sunset Strip. The L.A. Noir of "Chinatown." Hollywood. You name it ...

For the three people who don't know, the tune was written by Morrison and describes a journey through Los Angeles, mentioning the city's trademark bungalows, strip clubs, cops, and various other sights the famed town has to offer.

Here's some trivia: L.A. is referred to as "City of Night," the name of a book by novelist John Rechy. Near the end of the song, Morrison introduces his alter ego, "Mr. Mojo Risin'". (actually an anagram of "Jim Morrison.") It is also theorized that the lyrics refer to Diane Gardner, publicist for the Doors, to whom Morrison addressed many of his poems.

The video below was filmed in 1985, 14 years after Morrison's death. Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek directed it for MTV and included in the Doors film "Dance on Fire." While the video may seem sort of cheesy for its obvious '80s hair and apparel, most of the images drive the tune home.

Enjoy...