Strange Days (Doors song)

"Strange Days" is a song by The Doors. It was released in 1967 and is the first track on the album of the same name. According to a review at AllMusic by Tom Maginnis, the song seems to find lead singer Jim Morrison "pondering the state of the then emerging hippie youth culture and how they are perceived by mainstream or 'straight' society".[1] A visit to New York City by The Doors inspired Jim Morrison to write "Strange Days" and other songs on Strange Days, the band's second studio album. As with many other of their songs, it was written far before it was recorded; a live version recorded in May 1966 can be found on the album London Fog 1966.[2]

In the Doors biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, "Strange Days" is described as "one of the earliest examples of the Moog synthesizer in rock".[3] The synth was hooked up with the help of Paul Beaver and played by vocalist Morrison.[4] Two music videos were made for the song. The first featured footage of the band backstage and onstage, as well as Jim Morrison driving his car into a hole in sand and jumping on the hood in frustration. The second features the same circus performers on the Strange Days cover photo, who would explore New York City. It also included footage of various people, which was made "swervy" and distorted to fit in with the strange theme of the song. All of this new footage was mixed with footage of the old video, and re-released as a re-mixed video.

In 2012, the three surviving members of The Doors—Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore—assembled in Los Angeles, California's Village Recorders recording studio with rapper Tech N9ne and producer Fredwreck to record a reworked version of the song. The rapper had intentions on building off of "People Are Strange", but Krieger suggested using "Strange Days" instead, as it had "more of a driving beat". The song, titled "Strange 2013" and includes vocals of Doors front man Jim Morrison, appears on the rapper's 2013 album Something Else. While speaking on the collaboration, the rapper noted how the band has inspired him over the years, explaining that "People Are Strange" and "Strange Days" were what he drew on when naming his record label Strange Music.[5]