Blue Sunday

Album: Morrison Hotel (1970)
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Songfacts®:

  • Radio stations usually play this together with the jaunty track "Peace Frog," which runs before it on the album. "Blue Sunday" is a stark contrast, with a dirge quality to the music but upbeat lyrics where Doors frontman Jim Morrison sings about finding his own true love.
  • Morrison changed the tone of his voice to a crooning style when he segued to this from "Peace Frog."
  • The Doors wrote this in 1965 when they were first starting out but didn't release it until 1970, when it appeared on their fifth album, Morrison Hotel. For the album, they wanted to get back to their early sound, and felt recording "Blue Sunday" would be a good way to do it.
  • The Morrison Hotel album is named after a real place: a beaten-down hotel in Los Angeles that happened to bear the name of Doors frontman Jim Morrison. Keyboard player Ray Manzarek spotted the hotel, and famed photographer Henry Diltz was hired to shoot the album cover there. They had trouble getting permission, so they did the shoot quickly when there was no one in the lobby.

    By 2008, the building was uninhabitable and vacated. It burned down in 2024.

Comments: 10

  • Natalies from OklahomaWritten in 1965, was still with Mary Werbelow. Just cause it went on a later album doesn't make it about the other girl. Mary was the girl he never got over. Wrote 3 albums worth of songs for her, according to Jim.
  • Stephanie from HereIf this song was originally written in 1965, when The Doors first formed, then this song is actually not about Pamela, but Jim Morrison's first love, Mary. She broke up with Jim shortly before The Doors formed in the same summer of '65; Jim didn't meet Pamela until 1966 at one of the clubs he used to play in.
  • Nady from Adelaide, Australiano, Bryan, Jim wrote this for Pam, he's not intentionally exaggerating anything.
  • Shannan from Wilmington, DeThis is a great song. Jim Morrison has such a great voice and great looks. Morrison Hotel was one of their best albums.
  • Jonathon from Clermont, FlYour radio station is kinda weird.
  • Ashley from Moncton, CanadaThis is just about the greatest song because of the amazing vocals and how they sound with the music. Our radio station doesn't play this together with Peace Frog.
  • Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScA critique of love songs? Doesn't sound like that to me! What I mean is it doesn't seem exaggerated. It's a great song though!
  • Elanor from Zagreb, MoOne interesting detail about the photo on the album-cover: Jim and the guys found the actual "Morrison hotel", but the owner didn't let them take a photo of it. So they waited till he went home, ran into the hotel, took a photo, and ran out in a hurry. Ofcourse, the staff was completely pissed off.
  • Bryan from Nova Scotia, CanadaThis song was actually written as a critique of love songs...Jim was totally exaggerating it.
  • Nick from Buffalo, NyI'll tell you what, the word to this song are so touching and Jim's voice goes through u during the song. He absolutely Loved Pam...
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