L.A. Woman (song)

"L.A. Woman" is a song by American rock band The Doors. The song is the title track on their 1971 album L.A. Woman, the final album with frontman Jim Morrison before his death.

In the song's coda, Morrison repeats the phrase Mr. Mojo Risin', which is an anagram of "Jim Morrison".

The song was recorded at The Doors Workshop on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, between December 1970 and January 1971. Morrison recorded his vocal part in the bathroom of the makeshift studio due to the room's natural reverb. Marc Benno was a second guitarist on the session, Jerry Scheff played electric bass guitar.

Because of its length (7:49 on the original album, 7:59 on the 40th anniversary re-release) and difficult vocal chord progressions, "L.A. Woman" is considered extremely challenging to sing live. The Doors only performed the song live in its entirety once, at their penultimate concert in Dallas. Faithfully replicating Morrison's performance requires singing at top volume and full voice for the entire song as even the coda is sung at full force. Alcohol abuse and smoking had taken a severe toll on Morrison's voice and the resultant rasp, which gives the song a distinct color, is difficult (and very painful) to duplicate.

The album version begins with a bass riff sounding like God Save the Queen or My Country Tis of Thee.

Video

In 1985, 14 years after Morrison's death, Ray Manzarek directed a music video for the song. It was aired on MTV and included in the Doors film Dance on Fire.

Lyrics

A yellow sheet of lined A4 paper with the lyrics of L.A. Woman written by Jim Morrison, was auctioned in Berkshire, UK for £13,000 on Aug 4, 2010.^[1]

Later covers

• The Leningrad Cowboys covered the song on their 1988 release 1917-1987.
• Billy Idol covered this song on his 1990 album Charmed Life.
• Tommy Krash. and Sinn are influenced by this song on "Science Girl", the first single on their 2003 album Jailbait.
• A Paul Oakenfold remix of "L.A. Woman" featured in episode #1.02 of Californication.
• Jane's Addiction covered the song as part of the "L.A. Medley" which also contained the songs "Nausea" by the L.A. based punk rock band X and "Lexicon Devil" from Germs.
• Particle covered this song with Robby Krieger, the guitarist from The Doors, on their Transformations Live album.
• World-music, rock band Days of the New covered the song for the Doors tribute album, Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic covered a short segment of the song on his first polka medley, "Polkas on 45", on his second studio album, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D.

Notes and references

• Allmusic entry, accessed 6/6/06
• Total Guitar, May 1998, #43:86-96, Classic Track: LA Woman: The Doors by Joe Bennett (text) and Kit Morgan (song transcription)
• http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=276