The Soft Parade (song)
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| “The Soft Parade” | ||
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| Song by The Doors | ||
| Released | 1969 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 8:34 (9:41 on Remastered Album) | |
| Label | Elektra | |
| Writer | Jim Morrison | |
| Producer | Paul Rothchild | |
The Soft Parade is the ninth and final track on the fourth studio album of the same name of the rock band The Doors. This song was recorded in 1969. Many listeners believe that this and Shaman's Blues are the reminiscent of the old style as heard in the albums The Doors and Strange Days. The song contains both lyrical and melodic shifts. At the beginning of the song, Jim Morrison starts out with spoken words reminiscent of a raving Christian preacher. This part of the song is referred to as the "Petition the Lord with Prayer" section. The song then goes into a harpsichord driven slow part referred to as "Sanctuary," with lyrics such "Can you give me sanctuary, I must find a place to hide" referencing his then-current problems like the Miami and New Haven arrests.[1] Afterwards, the beat picks up and the song progressively gets faster, and features a psychedelic pop section, followed by an upbeat, soft section before going into a wild blues-rock part that ends the song. The new, 2006 remastered album reinstates an intro before the 'Petition The Lord With Prayer' section where Morrison laments that he's "troubled deeply" by the "soft reply" of an unnamed subject.
Due to the song's length, 'The Soft Parade' was never released as a single—one of only two such songs on the album—but the spoken intro was later incorporated into medleys of other songs during Doors live performances.
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[edit] PBS performance
A notable, yet rare performance of the suite was filmed for a PBS Doors television documentary and later included on other Doors compilation DVDs. Organist Ray Manzarek later called the performance "A mother... all four Doors in perfect sympatico". The performance also features a rare filmed appearance of a bearded, yet still characteristically charismatic, Jim Morrison. (Morrison usually shaved off his beard for publicity shots and television appearances.)
The suite in its entirety was not performed often after the PBS taping, but the 'Petition The Lord With Prayer' monologue was recited at later shows.
- See also: Absolutely Live (The Doors album)
[edit] Influence from literature
The song draws comparison to William Blake as well as T. S. Eliot's poem Ash Wednesday,[2] much like many other selections of Morrison's poetry, which are heavily influenced by other poets and authors, notably 'Break On Through,'[3] 'Not to Touch the Earth' and numerous others.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Doors, The Soft Parade Remastered Liner Notes Page 11, David Frickle, 2006.
- ^ Knap, Joe. STI Lesson 23 - Break on Through: The Poetry of Jim Morrison. Summer Teacher Institute Lesson Plans. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
- ^ Sugarman, Danny (1995). No One Here Gets Out Alive. Warner Books. ISBN 0446602280.
[edit] External links
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