‘People Are Strange’ is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears on the band's second studio album, Strange Days, released in September 1967. The song was written by the Doors' vocalist Jim Morrison and guitarist Robby Krieger, although all of the band are credited on the sleeve notes. The track was first released with ‘Unhappy Girl’ as the B-side. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song's composition started in early 1967. According to Doors drummer John Densmore, he and guitarist Robby Krieger, who had then been roommates, were visited by Jim Morrison who appeared to be "deeply depressed." At Krieger's recollection, they later took a walk along Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. Morrison returned from the walk "euphoric" with the early lyrics of ‘People Are Strange’. Intrigued by the lyrics, Krieger was convinced that the song was a hit upon hearing the vocal melody: “[Morrison said] 'Yeah, I feel really good about this one. It just came to me all of a sudden ... in a flash – as I was sitting up there on the ridge looking out over the city.' His eyes were wild with excitement. 'I scribbled it down as fast as I could. It felt great to be writing again.' He looked down at the crumpled paper in his hand and sang the chorus in his haunting blues voice.”— John Densmore
In a review for AllMusic, critic Tom Maginnis wrote the song "reflects the group's fascination with the theatrical music of European cabaret." The song is about alienation and being an outsider, and Morrison may have addressed the song both to the hippie culture, to outsiders in general or to users of drugs such as LSD, or both. Similarly, author Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith felt that ‘People Are Strange’ uses the "Expressionist idea of alienation and distanciation", and that the lyrics purposely express something positive as strange. Densmore believes that the song was the manifestation of Morrison's "vulnerability".
Billboard described the single as an "easy rocker with compelling lyric." Cash Box called it a "smashing performance," saying that the "mid-speed setting ... adds kick to the black humor of the lyrical content" and that the "production and work are fantastic." The Doors played this on their only Ed Sullivan Show appearance. They also played "Light My Fire," and Sullivan never asked them to come back because Morrison sang the lines, "Girl we couldn't get much higher."
In 1987 the Liverpool band Echo & The Bunnymen covered this song, reaching #29 in the UK charts. Their version, which was featured in the film The Lost Boys, was produced by Ray Manzarek, who also played on the track. In a scene from the movie, the vampires' cave contains a huge poster of Jim Morrison in his Jesus pose.
Label – Elektra
Songwriters – Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger
Producer – Paul A. Rothchild
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
[Chorus]
When you're strange, faces come out of the rain
When you're strange, no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange
When you're strange
[Verse 2]
People are strange when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
When you're strange, faces come out of the rain
When you're strange, no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange
When you're strange
Alright, yeah
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Outro]
When you're strange, faces come out of the rain
When you're strange, no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange
When you're strange