The Soft Parade (song)
| "The Soft Parade" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Doors | |
| from the album The Soft Parade | |
| Released | July 18, 1969 |
| Studio | Elektra Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California |
| Genre | |
| Length | |
| Label | Elektra |
| Songwriter(s) | Jim Morrison |
| Producer(s) | Paul A. Rothchild |
"The Soft Parade" is a song composed by the American rock group the Doors. It was recorded for their fourth studio album, also titled The Soft Parade (1969), appearing as the closing track. It has been considered as one of the most musically diverse compositions by the band.[5]
The 40th Anniversary remastered edition of the album reinstates an intro before the 'Petition the Lord with Prayer' section of the song, where lead singer Jim Morrison laments that he's "troubled immeasurably" by the eyes of an unknown figure or subject.[4]
Composition
The main body of "The Soft Parade" is notated in 4/4 time.[6] The song was completed with the help of record producer Paul A. Rothchild by helping Morrison to organise pieces of his poetry books.[7] The lyrics draws comparison to William Blake as well as T. S. Eliot's poem "Ash Wednesday",[8] much like many other selections of Morrison's poetry, which are heavily influenced by other poets and authors, notably "Break On Through (To the Other Side)", "Not to Touch the Earth", and others.[9]
The lyrics express need for sanctuary, escape, and pleasure from a person's point of view.[7] At the beginning of the song, Morrison starts out with spoken words reminiscent of a Christian revivalist preacher. The song then goes into a harpsichord driven semi-introductory piece with lyrics such as, "Can you give me sanctuary, I must find a place to hide" referencing Morrison's then-current problems, such as his arrests, most notably his arrests during the Miami and New Haven concerts. Afterwards, the beat picks up and the song progressively gets faster, followed by an upbeat, soft section before going into a wild blues rock part that ends the song.[4]
Live performance
A rare performance of the song in its entirety was filmed for a PBS Doors television documentary, and later included on other Doors compilation DVDs. The band performed it along with "Tell All the People" and "Wishful Sinful".[10] Keyboardist Ray Manzarek later called the performance "A mother ... all four Doors in perfect sympatico".[4] The performance also features a rare filmed appearance of a bearded Morrison, who usually shaved off his beard for publicity shots and television appearances. After the show, the band were interviewed by host and Village Voice music critic Richard Goldstein.[10][11]
Critical reception
In a contemporary review of The Soft Parade, Rolling Stone critic Alec Dubro found the title track to be a highlight of the album; however, he also expressed that "the thing is so mangled, so jammed together and frequently so silly that it’s kind of hard to listen all through its 8:40 for the good."[12] The English band the Electric Soft Parade borrowed their name from the song's title.[13]
Writing for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger described "The Soft Parade" as "a multi-part suite" and praised it as "one of the band's best attempts to mix rock with poetry".[2] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, negatively derided the lyrics to the final segment as "probably the most insightful of all".[14] Stereogum's Ryan Leas found it one of the Doors' weirdest lengthy album closers, adding that its final section sounds "like the kind of thing that should've soundtracked a lot of weird druggy late-'60s parties in the woods, or something".[15] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide dismissed the effort as a "long concept" that "doesn't work".[16]
Personnel
Details are taken from the 2019 The Soft Parade reissue album booklet and The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors book:[17][18]
The Doors
- Jim Morrison – lead and backing vocals
- Ray Manzarek – Hammond C-3 organ, harpsichord
- Robby Krieger – guitar
- John Densmore – drums
Additional musicians
- Harvey Brooks – bass guitar
- Reinol Andino – congas
References
- ^ Pipes, Rusty (January 2002). "Part 4 of the Golden Age of Art Rock". Cosmik Debris Magazine. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "The Soft Parade – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ The Soft Parade (Liner notes). US: Elektra Records. July 18, 1969. EKS-75005.
- ^ a b c d Fricke, David (2007). The Soft Parade (Album notes). The Doors. Rhino Records. pp. 7, 11. 8122-79998-1.
- ^ Sundling, Doug (1990). The Doors: Artistic Vision. Castle Communications. pp. 115–116. ISBN 1-86074-139-8.
- ^ "'The Soft Parade' Sheet Music by the Doors". Sheet Music Now. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Riordan, James (1991). Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison. Harper Collins Publishing. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-688-11915-7.
- ^ Knap, Joe. "STI Lesson 23 - Break on Through: The Poetry of Jim Morrison". Summer Teacher Institute Lesson Plans. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
- ^ Sugerman, Danny; Hopkins, Jerry (1995). No One Here Gets Out Alive. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-60228-0.
- ^ a b Weidman, Rich (2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Backbeat Books. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-61713-017-5.
- ^ "Soundstage Performances". Raymanzarek.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ Dubro, Alec (August 23, 1969). "The Soft Parade – Review". Rolling Stone. No. 40. New York City. p. 35. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music. Virgin Books. p. 918. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (April 18, 2007). "The Doors: The Soft Parade – Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ Nelson, Michael; Leas, Ryan (July 29, 2015). "The Doors Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (January 2008). "The Doors". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 255. ISBN 978-1439109397.
- ^ Gerstenmeyer, Heinz (2001). The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors (in German). p. 97. ISBN 978-3-8311-2057-4.
- ^ Botnick, Bruce; Fricke, David (2019). The Soft Parade (50th Anniversary edition CD booklet). The Doors. Rhino Records & Elektra Records. R2-596001, 603497851324.
