Video hit The Doors

The Doors - Light My Fire (Live In Europe, 1968)

Light My Fire is a song by The Doors, which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as an edited single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late July, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after its recording. It was their breakthrough hit, and is considered their signature song.

A year later, it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 following the success of Jose Feliciano's version of the song (which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard chart), peaking at number 87.

The song was largely written by Robby Krieger, and credited to the entire band. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1967, representing sales of one million units.

A live version was released in 1983 on their album Alive, She Cried, the first of several live albums released in subsequent decades to include the song.

"Light My Fire" achieved modest success in Australia, where it peaked at number 22 on the ARIA chart. The single originally reached number 49 in the UK in 1967, but experienced belated success in that country in 1991, when a reissue peaked at number 7. The reissue occurred on the back of revived interest in the band following Oliver Stone's film biopic The Doors.

The song is number 35 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

It was included in the Songs of the Century list.

José Feliciano's cover version won a 1969 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, the same year he won another Grammy for Best New Artist.

The Buick Incident

John Densmore recalls, that Buick offered $75,000 in October 1968 to adapt the song for use in a Buick Opel TV commercial ("Come on, Buick, light my fire").

Morrison, however, was still in London after a European tour had just ended on September 20 and could not be reached by the other group members, who agreed to the deal in his absence.

As the band had agreed in 1965 to both equal splits and everyone having veto power in decisions, Morrison consequently called Buick and threatened to smash an Opel with a sledgehammer on television should the commercial be aired.

The lyrics:

You know that it would be untrue

You know that I would be a liar

If I was to say to you

Girl, we couldn't get much higher

Come on baby, light my fire

Come on baby, light my fire

Try to set the night on fire

The time to hesitate is through

No time to wallow in the mire

Try now we can only lose

And our love become a funeral pyre

Come on baby, light my fire

Come on baby, light my fire

Try to set the night on fire, yeah

The time to hesitate is through

No time to wallow in the mire

Try now we can only lose

And our love become a funeral pyre

Come on baby, light my fire

Come on baby, light my fire

Try to set the night on fire, yeah

You know that it would be untrue

You know that I would be a liar

If I was to say to you

Girl, we couldn't get much higher

Come on baby, light my fire

Come on baby, light my fire

Try to set the night on fire

Try to set the night on fire

Try to set the night on fire

Try to set the night on fire