‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.
This month marks the 55th anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison, the front man for the Doors. His importance in rock history, then as now, is a matter of debate – and there has been a lot of debate. Just this spring, BBC Music Magazine named the Doors the most overrated band in history, calling them “the ‘starter’ band for teenagers that one is supposed to outgrow.” Journalist Jimmy Guterman claimed that “Jimbo was a stillborn doggereler and an overwrought singer [and] his cohorts sounded like a group on loan from the local Econ-o-Lodge cocktail room.” Another critic called them “…yet another example of why one should always avoid people with messianic delusions.” And comedian Moshe Kasher says that “part of the process of becoming an adult is admitting to yourself that the Doors were a shitty band.”
But for every basher who makes merry of Morrison’s pretentious-shaman-in-leather-pants pose and calls his bandmates’ competence into question, you’ll find two who’ll defend them, in even more full-throated form than Morrison himself. The Sunset Boulevard Records label made an excellent post soon after the BBC put the Doors at number one:
The Doors have long occupied a strange position in rock history—too theatrical for purists, too serious for casual fans, and too iconic to ignore…. If anything, the renewed debate proves a simple point: truly irrelevant bands don’t inspire arguments nearly six decades after their debut. The Doors remain a lightning rod because they sit at the intersection of music, myth, and culture. Strip away Morrison’s legend, and you still have a band that redefined how rock could sound and feel. Embrace the legend, and you have one of the most enduring icons in popular music history. Either way, “overrated” might say less about The Doors—and more about the impossible standard we set for bands that refuse to fade quietly into the past.
Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, and John Densmore have spent the last sixty years not fading away. They may be polarizing to the world, but the four of them were unifying to each other. They created a sound based in blues, jazz, and flamenco, and their songs continue to bring attention on their own merits. We’ve found forty covers that demonstrate the worthiness of what the Doors brought to the world. They won’t end any debates – in fact, we expect them to start a few more in the comments section – but they’ll prove that the Doors and their music continue to be not just relevant, but as vivid, compelling, and preternatural as when they first arrived.
— Patrick Robbins
Features Editor
