WCSX Classic Cuts
The Doors: “Tell All the People”
The Hook: It led to individual composer credits on all The Doors’ songs.
Album: The Soft Parade
Year: 1969
Writer: Robby Krieger
Stats: Peaked at number-57 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background: For their first three albums, songs were credited to the group. That changed on their fourth record, The Soft Parade. In a 1980s interview, keyboardist Ray Manzarek explained that one particular lyric in “Tell All the People” was responsible.
In a 1980s interview, the late Ray Manzarek on the lyric from “Tell All the People” that changed the way the band credited its songwriting. OC:…The Doors. :30
“’Can’t you see me growing, get your guns, the time has come to follow me down.’ And Jim said to Robby, ‘I don’t want people to think I’m advocating the use of guns.’ And Robby said, ‘Hey man, well that’s the way I wrote it. You’re the singer, you sing it.’ And there was a little tension – The Doors were starting to get a little testy with each other. ‘Cause we’d been so close for so long that you start to get a little tired of seeing each other. ‘Tell All the People’ is the one where The Doors started crediting Krieger or Morrison as the lyricist. Up until that point it had all been The Doors.”