Most famous musicians have to deal with accusations of plagiarism. Often they are unfounded, sometimes the similarity with the compositions of other authors is suggestive, and sometimes the borrowings are so obvious that it makes no sense to refute them.
There have been many scandals in the short history of the rock band The Doors. Most of them arose from the behavior of Jim Morrison, but in 1968, when their album Waiting for the Sun was released, there was a new reason to raise a fuss around the band.
The history of creation and the meaning of the song Hello, I Love You
The basis for unpleasant discussions was the song Hello, I Love You from the album, also released as a single that topped the charts in the US and Canada.
You don’t have to have perfect pitch to pick up on the unmistakable similarities between this song and All Day and All of the Night by The Kinks. Ray Davis sued The Doors, won the case and received royalties from the sale of the single in the UK.
Recording and release
Hello, I Love You was first recorded on a demo cassette for Aura Records back in 1965. According to one version, Jim Morrison composed it after seeing a black girl on the beach. According to another, only the third verse appeared in this way, which was not in the initial version of the song.
It must be said that the success of Hello, I Love You did not please Morrison at all. He was dissatisfied with the huge popularity of the song, which he considered “pop”, and even wanted to leave the group, but Manzarek convinced him to wait a bit.
Clip Hello, I Love You
Let’s watch the live music video for The Doors.
Interesting Facts
- In an interview with Mojo magazine, Ray Davis recalled how a producer told him that The Doors used his tune. Allegedly, Ray just wanted to get them to admit it, but he was persuaded to sue.
- Dave Davies, guitarist for The Kinks, would sometimes play Hello, I Love You into All Day and All of the Night live.
- Robbie Krieger has always denied plagiarism and claimed that the only track they ever used on Hello, I Love You was Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love.
- Hello, I Love You was the first song by The Doors to be hit in Europe.
- The word “angels” in the phrase “queen of angels” is believed to mean Los Angeles.
Hello, I Love You Lyrics
Hello, I love you
Won’t you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you
Let me jump in your game
She’s walking down the street
Blind to every eye she meets
Do you think you’ll be the guy
To make the queen of the angels sigh?
She holds her head so high
Like a statue in the sky
Her arms are wicked, and her legs are long
When she moves my brain screams out this song
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?
Hello, I Love You Lyrics
Hi, I love you
Can you tell me what your name is?
Hi, I love you
Let me in your game
She walks down the street
Ignoring the looks
Think you’re the guy
What can make the queen of angels sigh?
She holds her head so high
What becomes like a statue in the park
Her arms are vicious and her legs are long
When she makes my mind scream this song
The pavement crawls at her feet
Like a dog begging for sweets
Fool, do you expect her to look at you?
Do you hope to steal this swarthy treasure?
Song quote
Morrison acknowledged this
, which was the main thing for me.
Ray Davis, The Kinks
