"Celebration of the Lizard"
Composition by the Doors
from the album Absolutely Live
Published1970
Released
  • 1970 (live version)
  • 2003 (studio version)
Genre
Length
  • 14:28 (live version)[1]
  • 17:01 (studio version)[2]
LabelElektra
Composer(s)The Doors
Lyricist(s)Jim Morrison
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild

"Celebration of the Lizard" is a performance piece by American rock band the Doors, featuring lyrics written by lead singer Jim Morrison and music by the Doors. Composed as a series of poems, the piece includes both spoken verse and sung lyrics, musical sections and passages of allegorical storytelling.[3]

"Celebration of the Lizard" was performed in its entirety at several Doors concerts, with a complete live performance of the piece appearing on the band's 1970 live album Absolutely Live[1] (and, subsequently, on the 1991 live compilation album In Concert). A complete studio-recorded version later appeared on the compilation album Legacy: The Absolute Best in 2003,[4] and as a bonus track on Rhino's 40th Anniversary edition of Waiting for the Sun (2007).[2]

Background

That piece "Celebration of the Lizard" was kind of an invitation to the dark forces.

—Lead singer Jim Morrison[5]

According to Morrison, "Celebration of the Lizard" was "pieced together on different occasions out of already existing elements rather than having any generative core from which it grew."[6] The entire piece was originally intended to be recorded and released as one full side of the band's third studio album, Waiting for the Sun, in 1968. However, record producer Paul A. Rothchild and the members of the band thought that the extended poetic sections and overall length of the piece made a complete recording impossible,[7] while the other reason was due to its lack of commercial appeal.[8] The band did attempt to record the full piece but abandoned the idea, as they were dissatisfied with the results.[9]

The musical passage "Not to Touch the Earth" was recorded separately and released on the Waiting for the Sun album, while the lyrics for the rest of the piece were published inside the gatefold jacket of the original vinyl LP, with the footnote, "Lyrics to a theatre composition by The Doors."[10] In a 1970 interview with Salli Stevenson, Morrison reported that he was pleased with the live version of "Celebration of the Lizard" that appeared on the band's 1970 live album Absolutely Live, although noting, "I think it's not a great version of that piece, but I'm glad we went ahead and put it out, because I doubt if we would have ever done it on a record otherwise."[11]

Sections

According to author Richie Weidman, "Celebration of the Lizard" is divided into seven sections:[5]

  1. "Lions in the Street"
  2. "Wake Up!"
  3. "A Little Game”
  4. "The Hill Dwellers"
  5. "Not to Touch the Earth"
  6. "Names of the Kingdom"
  7. "The Palace of Exile"

References

  1. 1 2 Absolutely Live (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra Records. 1970. LP labels. EKS-9002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 Waiting for the Sun (Liner notes). The Doors. Rhino Records. 2007. R2-101191.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (August 5, 1968). "The Shaman as Superstar". New York. New York.
  4. ↑ Legacy: The Absolute Best (Liner notes). The Doors. Burbank, California: Elektra Records. 2003. R2 73889.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. 1 2 Weidman, Richie (2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 217, 236. ISBN 978-1617131141.
  6. ↑ Hopkins, Jerry (July 26, 1969). "The Rolling Stone Interview: Jim Morrison". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ The Doors (2009). When You're Strange (film). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  8. ↑ Wall, Mick (October 30, 2014). Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre: A Biography of the Doors. UK: Hachette Books. p. 197. ISBN 978-1409151258.
  9. ↑ Moskowitz, David (2016). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. p. 223. ISBN 978-1440803390.
  10. ↑ Waiting for the Sun (Liner notes). The Doors. Elektra. July 3, 1968.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ Stevenson, Salli (October 13, 1970). "Jim Morrison - Circus Magazine Interview". Circus Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
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