Riders on the Storm

"Riders on the Storm" is a song by American rock band the Doors. It was released as the second single from their sixth studio album and last with singer Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman, in June 1971. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.,[2][3] number 22 on the UK Singles Chart[4] and number seven in the Netherlands.[5]

"Riders on the Storm"
Single by the Doors
from the album L.A. Woman
B-side	"Changeling"
Released	June 1971 (1971-06)
Recorded	December 1970
Genre	Psychedelic rock[1]
Length	7:09 (album version) 4:35 (single version)
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	John Densmore Robby Krieger Ray Manzarek Jim Morrison
Producer(s)	Bruce Botnick The Doors
The Doors singles chronology
"Love Her Madly" (1971) "Riders on the Storm" (1971) "Tightrope Ride" (1971)

Background and composition

"Riders on the Storm" is notated in the key of E Minor.[6] According to guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, it was inspired by the country song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend," written by Stan Jones and popularized by Vaughn Monroe.[7] Portions of the song's lyrics were allegedly inspired by spree killer Billy Cook,[8] whom Morrison referenced in a 1970 interview with The Village Voice, citing Cook as an inspiration for his short film HWY: An American Pastoral.[9] Cook had killed six people, including a young family, while hitchhiking to California.

It is popularly believed that "Riders on the Storm" is the song that longtime Doors producer Paul A. Rothchild disparaged as "cocktail music", precipitating his departure from the L.A. Woman sessions, as corroborated by guitarist Robby Krieger.[7][10] Rothchild himself denied this claim, stating that he actually applied this moniker to "Love Her Madly".[11][12] Following Rothchild's departure, longtime engineer Bruce Botnick was selected to take over production duties, alongside the Doors themselves.[13]

"Riders on the Storm" was recorded at the Doors Workshop in December 1970 with the assistance of Botnick. Morrison recorded his main vocals and then whispered the lyrics over them to create an echo effect. This was the last song recorded by all four members of the Doors, as well as Morrison's last recorded song to be released in his lifetime.[7] The single was released in June 1971, entering the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending July 3, 1971, the same week that Morrison died.[2][3]

Heidegger's influence

Speaking with Krieger and Manzarek, the German philosopher Thomas Collmer argues that the line "Into this world we're thrown" recalls Heidegger's concept of thrownness (human existence as a basic state). In 1963 at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Jim Morrison heard an influential lecture for him, in which were discussed the philosophers who critically dealt with the philosophical tradition, including Friedrich Nietzsche and also Martin Heidegger.[14] In 2009, Simon Critchley dedicated his column in The Guardian to Heidegger's thrownness and explained it using the aforementioned verse of the song.[15] The connection between the thrownness into the world and a dog's life was anticipated by the anti-Heideggerian author Ernst Bloch in his main work The Principle of Hope (1954–9).[16][17]

Legacy

The Doors' drummer, John Densmore, released a book in 1990 entitled Riders on the Storm,[18] detailing the story of his life and his times with the group. In November 2009, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame under the category Rock (single).[19][20]

Personnel

The Doors

• Jim Morrison – vocals, whispers[21]
• Ray Manzarek – Rhodes piano[22]
• Robby Krieger – guitar[7]
• John Densmore – drums[21]

Additional musicians

• Jerry Scheff – bass guitar[21]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1971) Peak position Canada (RPM) Top Singles[23] 5 Germany (Official German Charts)[24] 28 Ireland (IRMA)[25] 12 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 7 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 7 New Zealand (Listener)[27] 20 UK Singles Chart[4] 22 US Billboard Hot 100[2][3] 14 US Billboard Easy Listening[28] 11 US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[29] 12

Chart (1976) Peak position UK Singles Chart[4] 33 Chart (1991) Peak position UK Singles Chart[4] 68 Ireland (IRMA)[30] 12 Year-end charts Chart (1971) Rank Canada[31] 68 US Billboard Hot 100[32] 99 US Cash Box[33] 100

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Silver	200,000
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Annabel Lamb version

"Riders on the Storm"
Single by Annabel Lamb
from the album Once Bitten
Released	August 25, 1983 (1983-08-25)
Recorded	1982
Genre	New wave
Length	3:58
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	John Densmore Robby Krieger Ray Manzarek Jim Morrison
Producer(s)	David Anderle Wally Brill
Annabel Lamb singles chronology
"Heartland" (1983) "Riders on the Storm" (1983) "The Flame" (1984)

Track listings

7-inch single

1. "Riders on the Storm" – 3:58
2. "No Cure" – 4:50

12-inch Maxi

1. "Riders on the Storm" – 6:00
2. "Riders on the Storm" (dub version) – 5:36
3. "No Cure" – 4:50

12-inch Maxi

1. "Riders on the Storm" (remixed dance version) – 5:36
2. "Riders on the Storm" (dub version) – 6:00

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)[30]	16
UK Singles Chart[35]	27
Swedish Singles Chart[36]	18

References

1. "Forty Years on, Jim Morrison Cult Thrives at Paris Cemetery". The Independent. July 2, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2017. The Doors, who broke fresh ground in psychedelic rock with such hits as 'Riders on the Storm', [etc.]
2. "The Doors Riders on the Storm Chart History | Hot 100". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. September 4, 1971. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
3. Disco Top 100. Billboard. 83. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 4, 1971. p. 49. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. "Riders on the Storm – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
5. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Doors – Riders on the Storm" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
6. "Digital Sheet Music – The Doors – Riders on the Storm". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
7. "The Making of ... The Doors' Riders on the Storm". Uncut. September 18, 2014.
8. "COOK, WILLIAM EDWARD "BILLY" JR - Jasper County, Missouri | WILLIAM EDWARD "BILLY" JR COOK - Missouri Gravestone Photos". missourigravestones.org.
9. "The Village Voice Interview with Jim Morrison - November 1970". archives.waiting-forthe-sun.net.
10. Giles, Jeff. "Revisiting the Doors' Last Album With Jim Morrison, 'L.A. Woman'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
11. Riordan, James; Prochnicky, Jerry (2006). Break On Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison. First Harper. pp. 420–423. ISBN 978-0-688-11915-7.
12. "Bam Interview - Paul Rothchild". archives.waiting-forthe-sun.net.
13. "Bruce Botnick: The Doors, MC5, Pet Sounds". tapeop.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
14. (in German) Gerstenmeyer, Heinz (2001). The Doors - Sounds for Your Soul - Die Musik Der Doors. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-521-89615-3. ISBN 3-83112057-9.
15. Critchley, Simon (June 29, 2009). "Being and Time, part 4: Thrown into this world". The Guardian. Manchester. Retrieved May 27, 2013. As Jim Morrison intoned many decades ago, 'Into this world we're thrown'. Thrownness (Geworfenheit).
16. Korstvedt, Benjamin M. (2010). Listening for Utopia in Ernst Bloch's Musical Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-521-89615-3. ISBN 0-52189615-0.
17. Bloch, Ernst (1954). The Principle of Hope. 1. p. 3. [Hope] will not tolerate a dog's life which feels itself only passively thrown into What Is, which is not seen through, even wretchedly recognized. In German: "Sie erträgt kein Hundeleben, das sich ins Seiende nur passiv geworfen fühlt, in undurchschautes, gar jämmerlich anerkanntes."
18. Densmore, John (1990). Riders on the Storm. My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors (1st ed.). New York City: Delacorte Press. ISBN 978-0-385-30033-9. ISBN 0-38530033-6.
19. "Beach Boys Inducted Into Grammy Hall of Fame". Uncut. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
20. "Grammy Awards List". Retrieved July 29, 2020.
21. Planer, Lindsay. "The Doors: Riders on the Storm - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
22. Lenhoff, Alan; Robertson, David (2019). Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds that Launched Rock Music. University of North Texas Press. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-57441-776-0.
23. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1971-09-11. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
24. "Musicline.de – The Doors Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
25. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Riders on the Storm". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
26. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Doors" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
27. Flavour of New Zealand, 4 October 1971
28. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 75.
29. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles"". Cashbox. September 4, 1971. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
30. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Riders on the Storm". Irish Singles Chart.
31. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
32. Musicoutfitters.com
33. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971
34. "British single certifications – Doors – Riders on the Storm". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 1, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Riders on the Storm in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
35. Official Top 100, 11-17 September 1983.
36. "swedishcharts.com - Annabel Lamb - Riders On The Storm". swedishcharts.com.

External links

• Riders on the Storm at Discogs (list of releases)
• Usage in film and television: see "The Doors - Soundtrack. 'Riders on the Storm'" at IMDb
• Song lyrics at thedoors.com
• Accolades archived at Acclaimed Music