Song of the Week #129 – “Hello, I Love You”
Written by admin on October 22, 2012 – 10:57 pm - |
The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons.
“Hello, I Love You” was released on single in June 1968, backed with “Love Street”. Both also featured on the band’s third album, “Waiting For The Sun,” which debuted the following month. |
“Hello, I Love You” was first recorded by the Doors as one of six demos in September 1965, almost three years before the formal recording of the song. The demo appeared on “The Doors Box Set” in 1997 and subsequently on “The Complete Studio Recordings” (1999) and “Essential Rarities” (2000).
“Hello, I Love You” (1965 demo) – The Doors
The song has received criticism for its similarity to the Kinks hit “All Day and All of the Night,” with some justification as the melodic similarities are strong enough to make it obvious that the Kinks song was the template. Jim Morrison and Doors keyboard player, Ray Manzarek, have both acknowledged the influence of the Kinks track. Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger, has claimed that Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” was a bigger inspiration for their recording, but as the Doors song was written more than two years before the release of the Cream track, Krieger was presumably referring to the production choices, including the use of fuzz tone guitar.
Kinks frontman, Ray Davies, commented on the issue in an interview with Mojo last month:
| “The funniest thing was when my publisher came to me on tour and said The Doors had used the riff for ‘All Day And All Of The Night’ for ‘Hello, I Love You.’ I said rather than sue them, can’t we just get them to own up? My publisher said, ‘They have, that’s why we should sue them!’ (laughs) Jim Morrison admitted it, which to me was the most important thing. The most important thing, actually, is to take (the idea) somewhere else.” |
Kinks guitarist, Dave Davies, seemed a little more aggrieved about the Doors song when interviewed by the L.A. Times in April 1997:
| “That one is the most irritating of all of them. The other night I did a show where I played “All Day and All of the Night” and stuck in a piece of ‘Hello, I Love You.’ There was some response, there were a few smiles. But I’ve never understood why nobody’s ever said anything about it. You can’t say anything about the Doors. You’re not allowed to.” |
The band might have relied strongly on an existing song for the “Hello, I Love You” melody, but the lyrics include some early examples of Jim Morrison’s unusual, poetic flair, with lines such as “Sidewalk crouches at her feet/Like a dog that begs for something sweet/Do you hope to make her see, you fool?/Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel?”
The “dusky jewel” was reportedly a young woman who Jim saw at the beach and was attracted to but didn’t approach. Instead, he went home and wrote a song about her.
With almost three years between the composition of “Hello, I Love You” and the recording of it for “Waiting For The Sun,” it might be fair to say that it wasn’t a song that the band were particularly enamoured with. Morrison’s apparent indifference to the song during some live versions is a clue that it wasn’t a favourite. Perhaps the lack of originality of the melody played a role in that. In any case, the record company correctly perceived it as a strong, commercial pop song and were rewarded with an impressive chart run.
“Hello, I Love You” – The Doors
Authorship
“Hello, I Love You” is credited to all four members of the group: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore.
Recording date/location
“Hello, I Love You” was recorded in the spring of 1968, most likely at Los Angeles’ Sunset Studios.
Musicians
The following musicians appeared on “Hello, I Love You”:
- Jim Morrison – vocals
- Ray Manzarek – keyboards
- Robby Krieger – guitar
- John Densmore – drums
- Douglas Lubahn – bass guitar.
(Left to right) – Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore
All but Lubahn were regular members of the band. With no full-time bass player, Lubahn was one of several bass players who guested on the band’s albums. He was a also a member of the band Clear Light.
Chart performance
“Hello, I Love You” was the Doors’ second and final US number one, hitting the top spot on July 28, 1968.
The single was also the first of the band’s two Canadian number ones. It peaked at number 15 in the UK.
Other notable recordings
“Hello, I Love You” – Adam Ant
Adam Ant featured “Hello, I Love You” on his 1982 debut solo album “Friend Or Foe”. Ant does a good job of putting his own stamp on the song, with a distinctive guitar riff, strong horn section, and a pleasingly over-the-top vocal.
“Hello, I Love You” – Simple Minds
“Hello, I Love You” was included on Simple Minds’ 2001 covers album “Neon Lights”. Some will love this in-your-face recording, but the busy arrangement does threaten to overpower the song, and Jim Kerr’s excellent vocal performance is a little swamped by electronic effects.
There will be a new Song of the Week on October 29.
A live version of “Hello, I Love You” is one of the bonus tracks on the excellent “The Doors – Live at the Bowl ’68” which is released this week in multiple formats, including CD, DVD and Blu-ray. Click here for further information on “The Doors – Live at the Bowl ’68“.
The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” is available on “Waiting For The Sun” and the 2-CD collection “The Very Best of the Doors”.
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Waiting For The Sun (CD) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
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The Very Best of the Doors (2 CDs) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Tags: Adam Ant, Hello I Love You, Simple Minds, The Doors, The Doors Hello I Love You
Posted in American Rock, Song of the Week |
