Historical Figure
Jim Morrison
1943–1971
American singer (1943–1971)
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Biography
James Douglas Morrison was an American singer-songwriter and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, and unpredictable performances, along with the dramatic circumstances surrounding his life and early death, Morrison is regarded by music critics and fans as one of the most influential frontmen in rock history. Since his death, his fame has endured as one of popular culture's top rebellious and oft-displayed icons, representing the generation gap and youth counterculture.
In Their Own Words (5)
When you're strange Faces come out of the rain When you're strange No one remembers your name When you're strange.
"People Are Strange" on the album Strange Days (1967) , 1967
It hurts to set you free, but you’ll never follow me.
"The End" from The Doors (1967) , 1967
People are strange when you're a stranger Faces look ugly when you're alone Women seem wicked when you're unwanted Streets are uneven when you're down.
"People Are Strange" on the album Strange Days (1967) , 1967
You know the day destroys the night, Night divides the day, Tried to run — Tried to hide — Break on through to the other side!
"Break on Through (To The Other Side)" from The Doors (1967) , 1967
Five to one, baby One in five No one here gets out alive, now You get yours, baby I'll get mine Gonna make it, baby If we try.
"Five to One" on the album Waiting for the Sun (1968) , 1968
Timeline
The story of Jim Morrison, told in moments.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 with the other Doors. His grave at Pere Lachaise is one of the most visited sites in Paris. Fans still leave bottles of whiskey, poems, and cigarettes.
Living on a Venice Beach rooftop, dropping acid, writing poetry. He runs into UCLA film school classmate Ray Manzarek on the beach. Morrison sings him some lyrics. "Those are the greatest song lyrics I've ever heard," Manzarek says. "Let's start a band and make a million dollars." They call it the Doors, after Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception.
"Light My Fire" hits number one in the United States. The Doors have gone from bar band to the biggest act in rock in six months. Morrison is 23, spectacularly handsome, and already drinking heavily. He's arrested on stage in New Haven in December, the first rock musician arrested during a performance.
The Miami concert. Morrison allegedly exposes himself on stage. He's charged with indecent exposure and profanity. The band is banned from venues across the country. The trial drags on for two years. He's convicted but dies before sentencing. Florida's governor posthumously pardons him in 2010.
Found dead in the bathtub of his apartment at 17 rue Beautreillis, Paris. He is 27. No autopsy is performed. The official cause is heart failure, but witnesses give conflicting accounts. Some believe heroin was involved. The mystery has never been resolved. He's buried at Pere Lachaise Cemetery, near Oscar Wilde and Chopin.
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