"Spanish Caravan" is a song by The Doors

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...

 from the album Waiting for the Sun

Waiting for the Sun

Waiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band The Doors. It was released in 1968 and became the band's first and only number one album and spawned their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it peaked...

released in 1968. Its basic flamenco

Flamenco

Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....

 track is an established form of flamenco music known as Granadinas.The beginning riff was taken from Asturias (Leyenda), a classical piece of music by a Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz

Isaac Albéniz

Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms .-Life:Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz...

 (1860-1909). It also borrows a similar sounding riff from Malagueña

Malagueña

Originally the sixth movement of the Suite Andalucia by Ernesto Lecuona, who also provided it with Spanish lyrics, the song "Malagueña" has since become a popular, jazz, marching band, and drum corps standard and has been provided with lyrics in several languages.-Notable vocal performances:A...

.

The lyrics may refer to romantic theme of searching for beautiful and rich lands, typical i.e. for George Byron. In Spanish Caravan the lyrical subject declares will to travel by a caravan

Caravan (travellers)

A caravan is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defence against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.In historical times, caravans...

 to Portugal and Andalusia

Andalusia

Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...

 in Spain where 'a treasure is waiting'. The means of transport suggest that the mysterious subject wants to be 'taken away' back to Europe from an African desert. However, there are also 'galleons

Galleon

A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...

 lost in the sea' mentioned. Of course, the treasure, the ship etc. could be a figure of something else.

In the Doors' performances the feeling of brutal lust or even desperation was especially underlined.

The track was one of the important points of the Doors' concerts, sometimes included to the Celebration of the Lizard

Celebration of the Lizard

"Celebration of the Lizard" is an epic performance piece written by Jim Morrison, frontman of The Doors. Composed as a series of poems, they include musical sections, spoken verse, and passages of allegorical storytelling.-Poems:*Lions in the Street...

series, famous for the theatre experiments accompanying.