L.A. Woman (song)

"L.A. Woman" has been viewed as Morrison's "final goodbye" to Los Angeles, before his move to Paris, France.{{cite book |last1=Riordan |first1=James |last2=Prochnicky |first2=Jerry |title=Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0AxZ9avGYhEC |date=October 30, 1992 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-688-11915-7 |pages=429–430}} The song's lyrics draw inspiration from John Rechy's transgressive novel City of Night, published in 1963,{{cite web |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/doors-l-a-woman/ |title=The Story Behind the Songs of the Doors' Last Hurrah, L.A. Woman |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |last=Allen |first=Jim|date=19 April 2016 }}{{Cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-doors-l-a-woman/davis-inman/|title=The Doors, "L.A. Woman"|last=Inman|first=Davis|date=February 20, 2012|website=American Songwriter|language=en-US|access-date=November 7, 2019|archive-date=November 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107151606/https://americansongwriter.com/the-doors-l-a-woman/davis-inman/|url-status=dead}} while its title is expressed as a metaphor, personifying L.A. (Los Angeles) as a woman. In author Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith's description, it is also used to describe the city's topography and atmosphere.{{cite book |first=Melissa Ursula Dawn |last=Goldsmith |year=2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6W-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |title=Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |page=95 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1440865787}}

In the bridge, Morrison repeats the phrase "Mr. Mojo Risin'," which is an anagram of his name "Jim Morrison".{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01278z4 |title=Mr Mojo Risin' |date= June 29, 2011 |work=BBC Radio 2 |access-date=April 8, 2014}} Doors drummer John Densmore later explained the story of the line:

{{Quote|After we recorded the song, he wrote "Mr. Mojo Rising" [sic] on a board and said, "Look at this." He moves the letters around and it was an anagram for his name. I knew that mojo was a sexual term from the blues, and that gave me the idea to go slow and dark with the tempo. It also gave me the idea to slowly speed it up like an orgasm.{{cite web

|first=Jeff |last=Weiss |date=January 19, 2012

|url=https://www.laweekly.com/l-a-woman-track-list/ |title=L.A. Woman: Track List |website=LA Weekly |access-date=February 13, 2021}}}}

A yellow sheet of lined A4 paper with the lyrics of the track, handwritten by Morrison, was auctioned in Berkshire, UK for £13,000 on August 4, 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=26&docid=4068 |title=Jim Morrison's lyrics open The Doors at auction for $20,700 |website=Paulfrasercollectibles.com |access-date=September 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318073035/http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=26&docid=4068 |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=The Doors|title=L.A. Woman|award=Platinum|relyear=1970|certyear=2024|access-date=November 21, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

The Doors

• Jim Morrison{{snd}}vocals
• Ray Manzarek{{snd}}Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes piano{{cite book |first=Heinz |last=Gerstenmeyer |title=The Doors - Sounds for Your Soul - Die Musik Der Doors

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xk_-cOcPH4C&pg=PA165 |year=2001 |isbn=978-3-8311-2057-4 |page=165 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |language=de}}

• Robby Krieger{{snd}}lead guitar{{cite web |first=Lindsay |last=Planer |title=The Doors – 'L.A. Woman' Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/la-woman-mt0011298210 |website=AllMusic |access-date=July 10, 2022}}
• John Densmore{{snd}}drums

Additional musicians

• Jerry Scheff{{snd}}bass guitar{{cite AV media |people=The Doors

|year=2011 |title=Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman |publisher=Eagle Rock Entertainment

|time=26:45–33:44}}

• Marc Benno{{snd}}rhythm guitar

{{Infobox song

| name = L.A. Woman

| cover = Billy Idol L.A. Woman 1990 single cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Billy Idol

| album = Charmed Life

| B-side = License to Thrill

| released = July 23, 1990{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Robin |date=21 July 1990 |title=This Week - The Next Seven Days in View |magazine=Record Mirror |page=28 |issn=0144-5804}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = {{ubl|5:29 (album version)|3:58 (single edit)}}

| label = Chrysalis

| writer = The Doors

| producer = Keith Forsey

| prev_title = Cradle of Love

| prev_year = 1990

| next_title = Prodigal Blues

| next_year = 1990

| misc = {{YouTube|ef3mFZzGM4M|"L.A. Woman"}}

}}

English singer Billy Idol recorded a version of "L.A. Woman" for his fourth studio album Charmed Life (1990). As the album's second single, Idol's version reached number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1990.{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/billy-idol/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Billy Idol Chart History |publisher=Billboard |access-date=March 13, 2022}} The song's music video was directed by David Fincher and received heavy rotation on MTV.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/09/best-to-worst-david-finchers-complete-music-videography-ranked-271812/ |title=Best to Worst: David Fincher's complete music videography ranked |last=Kiang |first=Jessica |publisher=IndieWire |date=September 29, 2014 |access-date=March 13, 2022}}{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-09-08.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=Billboard |volume=102 |issue=36 |page=54 |date=September 8, 1990 |via=World Radio History |access-date=March 13, 2022}}

The Doors and Jim Morrison were an influence on Idol during his early years in the music industry.{{cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2160096/billy-idol-strokes-generation-x-miley-cyrus-wedding-singer/interviews/weve-got-a-file-on-you/ |title=We've Got a File on You: Billy Idol |last=Leas |first=Ryan |publisher=Stereogum |date=September 16, 2021 |access-date=March 13, 2022}} In a 1990 interview with the Associated Press, Idol commented on his interpretation of the song in comparison to the Doors' original, "Jim Morrison was singing about America or L.A. as a microcosm of an America he was very jaded with, really, to the extent that he left it go to Europe, whereas I'm the other way around. I'm still having a bit of a love affair with America and so it's exciting to be the 'lost angel'."{{cite news |last=Billik |first=Kira L. |date=September 24, 1990 |title='Charmed Life' for ex-punk |newspaper=Centre Daily Times |page=6B |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/756503776/ |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 13, 2022}}

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Category:Songs written by John Densmore

Category:Songs written by Robby Krieger

Category:Songs written by Ray Manzarek

Category:Songs written by Jim Morrison

Category:1971 songs

Category:1990 singles

Category:The Doors songs

Category:Billy Idol songs

Category:Songs about Los Angeles

Category:Song recordings produced by Bruce Botnick

Category:Elektra Records singles

Category:Chrysalis Records singles