Soul Kitchen (The Doors song)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soul Kitchen
The Doors
publication 4th January 1967
length 3:30
Genre (s) Psychedelic rock
Author (s) The Doors
text The Doors (Jim Morrison)
music The Doors
Producer (s) Paul A. Rothchild
Label Elektra Records
album The Doors

Soul Kitchen is a song by the Doors from 1967 from The Doors album . It's one of the group's early songs.

History and background

Development of the text

Jim Morrison wrote the lyrics of the song Soul Kitchen in July 1965. The song is dedicated to the soul food restaurant Olivia’s on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, which Morrison liked to visit like many UCLA students . John Densmore wrote about this in his autobiography ... the diner looked like an Amtrak dining car that had landed on the beach. Morrison was often one of the last guests to leave the place and often had to be kicked out at curfew. Well, the clock says it's time to close now [ Well, the clock says it's time to close ] , I guess I'd better go now , I'd really like to stay here all night [I'd really like to stay here all night] , this mood is expressed. The text developed over a long period of time. First Morrison wrote the third stanza, then a draft of the second, then the first, which, like the third, he later left almost unchanged. This was followed by a draft of the chorus, a variant of the third stanza and the last stanza. A second version was almost identical to the version of the album in structure and wording. At last he only tried out other variations of the chorus and the second stanza.

Studio shot

The recordings for the album The Doors took place from August 19 to 24, 1966 in the Sunset Sound Recorders studio in Hollywood. In addition to the band members Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger , Ray Manzarek and John Densmore, Larry Knechtel took part in the studio recording of Soul Kitchen as bassist at the instigation of producer Paul A. Rothchild . Rothchild felt the song needed a bass player. Usually the band played without a bass player, as Ray Manzarek performed this function on the organ. Knechtel is not listed on the album as a studio musician. Jim Morrison sang two tracks: a lead and a harmony voice , which were overdubbed in the finished song . Although the song has been shortened considerably compared to live performances, only the songs Light My Fire and The End are longer on the album .

Versions when performing live

Soul Kitchen has been part of the regular repertoire of the Doors' live performances from the start. As early as the summer of 1966, it was part of a typical set at their appearances together with Light My Fire , Break on Through (To the Other Side) , Take It as It Comes and The End . An example is the version of the March 7, 1967 concert at The Matrix in San Francisco , which was newly published in March 2017 . They played it for the last time on December 12, 1970 at a public appearance in New Orleans , Jim Morrison's last concert before his death. After the guitar solo, the Doors often repeated the third verse and chorus at concerts. Ray Manzarek often played an organ solo on it. For the studio recording, the band played a shorter version. When performing, Morrison often sang other prayer-like stanzas before the last stanza.

Interpretations and reviews

According to Paul A. Rothchild, Soul Kitchen is full of sexual metaphors. Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen. Warm my mind near your gentle stove . [Let me sleep in your soul kitchen all night. Warm my soul by your tender stove]. The key to the song is the line Learn to forget , which Morrison repeats many times. Even Greil Marcus points out the importance of this line of text. Thomas Collmer also dealt with the song. He points out the contrast between the cosiness of the kitchen for the soul and the inhospitability of the outside world. Morrison, who was without a permanent residence at the time the song was written, shows himself here as being thrown out and wandering around. He also points out the erotic facets and images. Your fingers weave quick minarets, an image that Anaïs Nin used in her novel A spy in the house of love , which inspired Morrison for his song The Spy . Secret alphabets remind of Arthur Rimbaud's magical-alchemical theory of phonetics and the line Street lights share their hollow glow refers to the line Dix nuits, sans regretter l'oeil niais des falots! in Rimbaud's most famous poem Le Bateau ivre . The mythological level can be pursued even further and Soul Kitchen is a truly occult song with many secret references.

Paul Williams wrote in his May 1, 1967 review in Crawdaddy Magazine : Soul Kitchen is nice. [Soul Kitchen is nice]. The song reminded him of Blowin 'in the Wind and Peter, Paul and Mary would make it number one on the country charts. A nice little song about desire . It describes the dichotomy in Morrison. On the one hand he knows that he should go, on the other hand that he wants to stay. All of these lead to the revelation of sexual desire. Williams also pointed out the meaning of the line Learn to forget , which he compared to The answer is blowin 'in the wind . He then pointed out that Soul Kitchen was neither a hit single nor a radio hit, and that the song was not even heard by an estimated twenty thousand people at the time. But he realized that the song was more complex than it appears at first glance. After further elaboration, he concluded that Soul Kitchen was a catalyst with more potential for producing the truth than anything since the middle Faulkner .

Recordings from The Doors (selection)

  • Studio recording released on page 1 of the LP The Doors on January 4, 1967, Elektra Records EKS 74007-A
  • Recorded live on March 7, 1967 at The Matrix, San Francisco on the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of The Doors, released March 17, 2017. Rhino Records
  • Recorded live on July 21, 1969 at Aquarius Theater, Hollywood, released on Live at the Aquarius Theater: The First Performance , Bright Midnight Records RHM2 7906
  • Recorded live on July 21, 1969 at Aquarius Theater, Hollywood, Live In Hollywood (Highlights From The Aquarius Theater Performances) The second Performance, Elektra Records

Use of the song

Soul Kitchen found its way into the soundtrack of the film Forrest Gump in 1994 . The song is played during the rainy scene of the Vietnam sequence. The  song is also used in the 2003 documentary Mayor of the Sunset Strip . Imani Coppola sampled Soul Kitchen in her song I'm a Tree. As a result, the song found its way into other soundtracks from films and TV series.

Cover versions (selection)

  • In 1967, the American band The Dynasty released the single Soul Kitchen on the Westchester W-1156 label, A-side
  • In 1967 the American band The Lime released the single Love a Go Go with the B-side Soul Kitchen on the label Westwood Record Co W-12367
  • In 1969 Buddy Rich released an instrumental version on his album Buddy & Soul on the World Pacific Jazz ST-20158 label
  • In 1978 the American band The Knack Soul Kitchen played live with Ray Manzarek on the organ. The recording was released in 2002 as a bonus track on the new edition of … But The Little Girls Understand on Capitol Records 72435-38112-2-8.
  • In 1979, Mitch Ryder played Soul Kitchen live in the Grugahalle and released it as the B-side of the single Rock And Roll on Line Records 6.20 047, LMS 3004.
  • 1980 Soul Kitchen was covered by the American punk band X on the album Los Angeles , label Slash SR-104.
  • In 1986 the British rock band Echo & the Bunnymen recorded the song Soul Kitchen at Amazon Studios in Liverpool. The recording was released in 2003 as a bonus track on the reissue of the album Echo & the Bunnymen on the Warner Strategic Marketing label 2564-61164-2
  • In 1990 Adamski released a version on his album Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy on MCA Records MCAD-10130
  • In 2003 David Lee Roth released a version on his album Diamond Dave on Magna Carta Records MA-9069-2
  • In 2007, Patti Smith released a version of Soul Kitchen on her album Twelve, Columbia 82876 87251

literature

  • Heinz Gerstenmeyer: The Doors - Sounds for Your Soul - The Music of the Doors . BoD - Books on Demand, 2001, ISBN 978-3-8311-2057-4 ( google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  • Greil Marcus: The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years . PublicAffairs, New York 2013, ISBN 978-1-61039-330-0 (English, google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  • John Densmore: Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors . Random House Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-0-307-42902-5 (English, google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  • Ray Manzarek: Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors . Penguin, 1999, ISBN 0-698-15101-1 (English, google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  • Rich Weidman: The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock . Backbeat Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-61713-110-3 (English, google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Doors - The Doors. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  2. ^ A b Greil Marcus : The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years . PublicAffairs, 2013, ISBN 978-1-61039-330-0 ( google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Heinz Gerstenmeyer: The Doors - Sounds for Your Soul - Die Musik Der Doors . BoD - Books on Demand, 2001, ISBN 978-3-8311-2057-4 ( google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  4. ^ A b John Densmore: Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors . Random House Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-0-307-42902-5 ( google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  5. ↑ a b c d Rich Weidman: The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock . Backbeat Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-61713-110-3 ( google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  6. ↑ a b The Doors - The Doors: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  7. ↑ a b The Doors: To the day 50 years ago today: “Soul Kitchen” live in the Matrix in San Francisco . In: Warner Music Germany . March 7, 2017 ( warnermusic.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Soul Kitchen by The Doors Songfacts. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  9. ^ Ray Manzarek: Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors . Penguin, 1999, ISBN 0-698-15101-1 ( google.de [accessed July 15, 2017]).
  10. ^ Rock is Rock: A Discussion of Doors Song - The Doors. Retrieved July 15, 2017 (American English).
  11. ^ The Doors - Live At The Aquarius Theater: The First Performance. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  12. ^ The Doors - Live In Hollywood (Highlights From The Aquarius Theater Performances). Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  13. ^ Forrest Gump (1994). Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  14. ↑ The Lime - Love A Go-Go. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Buddy Rich Big Band - Buddy & Soul. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  16. ↑ The Knack - ... But The Little Girls Understand. Retrieved July 16, 2017 .
  17. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/de/Mitch-Ryder-Rock-And-Roll-Soul-Kitchen/release/2545171
  18. ^ X - Los Angeles. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Echo & The Bunnymen - Echo & The Bunnymen. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  20. ^ Adamski - Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  21. ^ David Lee Roth - Diamond Dave. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
  22. ^ Patti Smith - Twelve. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .