When the Music's Over
Encyclopedia
"When the Music's Over" is a song by American
rock
band
The Doors
, featured on their 1967
album Strange Days
. The song, at almost eleven minutes long, is their third longest recorded song, behind "The End
", at 11:42, and "Celebration of the Lizard
", at 17:01. A 16:16 version appears on The Doors' 1970 album Absolutely Live
.
When the band originally recorded the song, Jim Morrison
did not show up for the session, so the band recorded it with Ray Manzarek
singing. Jim ended up coming in the next day and had to re-record the vocals.
The song starts out with a jazzy riff featuring Ray Manzarek
on organ and John Densmore
on drums. Right at the beginning of the song, you can hear Jim Morrison say, "Yeah, come on," to add to the feel of the intro. Also the organ tune at the start is almost identical to the piece used in Soul Kitchen
from the previous album. The band kicks in to start the first verse, which they repeat twice, and then Morrison sings the chorus. A guitar solo by Robby Krieger
then commences, which lasts 44 seconds. Again, another song from the first album is recalled when Morrison sings, "Turn out the lights,"—it is performed in the same way as the lyric "End of the night" is on the track of the same name. The song's volume gradually decreases as the epic poem begins. This very quiet portion of the song, which lasts about four minutes, features Morrison singing, with a quiet bass line from Manzarek, soft guitar by Krieger, and drums by Densmore. The poem portion is occasionally sparked from loud bursts from Densmore's drums. The song is almost silent when the famous lyric
"We want the world and we want it now!" is declared by all four members of the Doors. A drum roll crescendo
is then heard. The song abruptly kicks into gear again as Morrison screams out the rest of the lyrics. The final one and a half minutes is the first verse of the song sung once again.
"When the Music's Over" appears at the end of the workprint of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now
, when Willard kills Kurtz; it was replaced by "The End
" in the theatrical version.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
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...
, featured on their 1967
1967 in music
The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The...
album Strange Days
Strange Days (album)
Strange Days is the second album released by American rock band The Doors. The album was a commercial success, earning a gold record and reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Despite this, the album's producer, Paul Rothchild, considered it a commercial failure, even if it was an...
. The song, at almost eleven minutes long, is their third longest recorded song, behind "The End
The End (The Doors song)
"The End" is a song by The Doors. Originally written by Jim Morrison as a song about breaking up with girlfriend Mary Werbelow, it evolved through months of performances at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go into a nearly 12-minute opus on their self-titled album. The band would perform the song to close...
", at 11:42, and "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...
", at 17:01. A 16:16 version appears on The Doors' 1970 album Absolutely Live
Absolutely Live (The Doors album)
Absolutely Live is the first live album released by American rock band The Doors in July 1970. Many shows were recorded during the 1970 tour to create the "Absolutely Live" album. The Doors producer, and long time collaborator Paul Rothchild painstakingly edited the album from many different shows...
.
When the band originally recorded the song, Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
did not show up for the session, so the band recorded it with Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
singing. Jim ended up coming in the next day and had to re-record the vocals.
The song starts out with a jazzy riff featuring Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
on organ and John Densmore
John Densmore
John Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
on drums. Right at the beginning of the song, you can hear Jim Morrison say, "Yeah, come on," to add to the feel of the intro. Also the organ tune at the start is almost identical to the piece used in Soul Kitchen
Soul Kitchen (song)
"Soul Kitchen" is a song by The Doors from their self titled debut album The Doors. It runs 3 minutes and 35 seconds.The punk band X made it a cover at 1980 for their debut album...
from the previous album. The band kicks in to start the first verse, which they repeat twice, and then Morrison sings the chorus. A guitar solo by Robby Krieger
Robby Krieger
Robert Alan "Robby" Krieger is an American rock guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," "Touch Me," and "Love Her Madly."...
then commences, which lasts 44 seconds. Again, another song from the first album is recalled when Morrison sings, "Turn out the lights,"—it is performed in the same way as the lyric "End of the night" is on the track of the same name. The song's volume gradually decreases as the epic poem begins. This very quiet portion of the song, which lasts about four minutes, features Morrison singing, with a quiet bass line from Manzarek, soft guitar by Krieger, and drums by Densmore. The poem portion is occasionally sparked from loud bursts from Densmore's drums. The song is almost silent when the famous lyric
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
"We want the world and we want it now!" is declared by all four members of the Doors. A drum roll crescendo
Crescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
is then heard. The song abruptly kicks into gear again as Morrison screams out the rest of the lyrics. The final one and a half minutes is the first verse of the song sung once again.
"When the Music's Over" appears at the end of the workprint of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
, when Willard kills Kurtz; it was replaced by "The End
The End (The Doors song)
"The End" is a song by The Doors. Originally written by Jim Morrison as a song about breaking up with girlfriend Mary Werbelow, it evolved through months of performances at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go into a nearly 12-minute opus on their self-titled album. The band would perform the song to close...
" in the theatrical version.
Cover versions
- Serbian rockSerbian rockSerbian rock is the rock music scene of Serbia. During the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s, while Serbia was a constituent republic of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene....
band Električni OrgazamElektrični OrgazamElektrični Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
recorded a version on their 1983 cover album Les Chanosones Populaires.
- RockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/DubDub musicDub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
band SublimeSublime (band)Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
used the intro organ part in the song "Cisco Kid" on the album "Robbin' the HoodRobbin' the HoodRobbin' the Hood is the second album by the Southern California ska punk band Sublime, which was released in 1994.- Context and production values :...
"
- Melissa Auf der MaurMelissa Auf der MaurMelissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour. Her second solo album, Out of Our Minds, was released on March 30, 2010. She is also a...
covered the song during her 2010 tour, imitating the organ with two guitars and playing a bass solo just with her left hand