People Are Strange
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| “People Are Strange” | |||||
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| Single by The Doors from the album Strange Days |
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| B-side | "Unhappy Girl" | ||||
| Released | September 1967 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Recorded | May and August 1967 | ||||
| Genre | Blues rock, Psychedelic Rock | ||||
| Length | 2:12 | ||||
| Label | Elektra | ||||
| Writer(s) | The Doors | ||||
| Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | ||||
| The Doors singles chronology | |||||
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"People Are Strange" is a single released by The Doors in September 1967 (see 1967 in music). It also appears on their second album Strange Days which was also released in September 1967. The single peaked at the #12 position of the U.S. Hot 100 chart.[1] It was written by Robby Krieger and Jim Morrison although credit was given to the The Doors evenly.
It was covered to moderate success in 1988 by Echo and the Bunnymen for The Lost Boys soundtrack. It was also covered in 2000 by Twiztid on the album Freek Show. Pianist George Winston also covered the song on his album Night Divides the Day - The Music of the Doors.
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[edit] Overview
According to its Allmusic review, the song "reflects the group's fascination with the theatrical music of European cabaret."[2] The song is about alienation and being an outsider, and, as the aforementioned review also notices, Jim Morrison may have addressed the song both to the hippie culture, to outsiders in general, and/or to users of drugs such as LSD.[2] The song was written by guitarist Robby Krieger after he and a depressed Morrison had walked to the top of Laurel Canyon.[3] Drummer John Densmore believes that the song was the manifestation of Morrison's "vulnerability."[3]
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by The Doors.
- Elektra (EK 45621)
- "People Are Strange" – 2:12
- "Unhappy Girl" – 2:00
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100[1] | 12 |
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Musicians
[edit] Production
[edit] Cover versions
[edit] Echo & the Bunnymen
| “People Are Strange” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Echo & the Bunnymen from the album The Lost Boys |
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| B-side | "Run, Run, Run | ||||
| Released | 1987 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Genre | Post-punk, alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 3:36 | ||||
| Label | WEA, EastWest | ||||
| Writer(s) | The Doors | ||||
| Producer | Ray Manzarek | ||||
| Echo & the Bunnymen singles chronology | |||||
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British group Echo & the Bunnymen recorded a cover version of "People Are Strange" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film The Lost Boys. It was subsequently released as a single in 1987 (see 1987 in music) reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1988[4] and number 13 on the Irish Singles Chart in 1991.[5] The song was produced by The Doors' keyboard player, Ray Manzarek. A 12-inch version was released in February 1988 before the single was re-released in 1991. The B-sides were all the same as their previous release, "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo".
[edit] Track listings
- 7-inch single (WEA YZ175 and WEA YZ567)
- "People Are Strange" (The Doors) – 3:36
- "Run, Run, Run" (Lou Reed) – 3:51
- 12-inch single (WEA YZ175T)
- "People Are Strange" (The Doors) – 3:36
- "Run, Run, Run" (Reed) – 3:41
- "Paint It, Black" (Jagger/Richards) – 3:01
- "Friction" (Tom Verlaine) – 4:37
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 29 |
| Irish Singles Chart[5] | 21 |
| Chart (1991) | |
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 34 |
| Irish Singles Chart[5] | 13 |
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Musicians
- Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar
- Will Sergeant – lead guitar
- Les Pattinson – bass
- Pete de Freitas – drums
[edit] Production
- Ray Manzarek – producer ("People Are Strange")
- Lars Aldman – producer ("Run, Run, Run", "Paint It, Black" and "Friction")
- Michael Bergek – engineering ("Run, Run, Run", "Paint It, Black" and "Friction")
[edit] Other covers
The song was also covered by Twiztid on their album Freek Show which was released in 2000. Pianist George Winston also covered the song on his 2002 album Night Divides the Day - The Music of the Doors. It was also covered by Stina Nordenstam on her 1998 album of the same name, People Are Strange. A remix of Nordenstam's cover was also made by UNKLE and Nordenstam and found on UNKLE's box set, Eden.
[edit] References
- ^ a b The Doors > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
- ^ a b Tom Maginnis. People Are Strange > Song Review. Allmusic.
- ^ a b Hoskyns, Barney. Strange Day. Rhino Entertainment Company 2007 p7.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David, ed. (2006), British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.), HIT Entertainment, ISBN 1-90499-410-5
- ^ a b c The Irish Charts - All there is to know. IRMA (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
[edit] External links
- The Doors' lyrics on MTV.com
- Echo & the Bunnymen's lyrics on MTV.com
- Echo & the Bunnymen's promotional video on the band's official website
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