The Doors are known for skewing to the harder edge of psychedelia with their innovative music. But like any other band, they had to pay the bills, which is why a hit single every now and again helped. They delivered just such as song with “Hello, I Love You,” which became their second No. 1 single in the U.S. upon its release in 1968.
What is the song about? How did the band bring it back years after it was first attempted? And what about its close resemblance to another rock classic of that era? All the answers await as we look back to “Hello, I Love You.”
The Original Take
Before they were The Doors, they were Rick & the Ravens. That was the name of the outfit that featured three of the four guys who would make up The Doors. (Guitarist Robby Krieger wasn’t yet involved at that point.) The band recorded a 1965 demo, which included an early version of “Hello, I Love You.”
Once Krieger took over on guitar and the band changed its name to The Doors and secured a record deal, they released two incendiary albums in 1966. That material leaned heavily on Jim Morrison’s esoteric poetry and riveting personality on the mic, while the music went off on exploratory excursions fueled by the improvisational tendencies of Krieger, drummer John Densmore, and keyboardist Ray Manzarek.
But the band also knew how to dial it back when needed and put more of a pop sheen on things, as evidenced by their chart-topping single “Light My Fire.” The hectic pace they were keeping left them a bit short of material for their third album Waiting for the Sun, which is why they decided to take another shot at “Hello, I Love You.”
“Hello” Again
The band had initially thought “Hello, I Love You” was a bit simplistic, which is why they hadn’t tried it on the first two albums. They decided to add some more spice to it in the studio to rectify that problem. This included Densmore basing his drum pattern on Ginger Baker’s beat from Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” and Krieger adding all kinds of effects to his guitar.
The band at one point had no idea how to get the song to change keys into the second section, which is when Krieger came up with some atmospheric guitar that soars from one speaker to the other in the stereo recording. But there was one part of the music that caused some issues.
It was brought to the attention of Ray Davies of The Kinks that the main melodic riff in “Hello, I Love You” closely resembles the one used by Davies on their hit “All Day and All of the Night.” The Doors claimed they hadn’t stolen it, and Davies took it in stride. But years later, according to Davies, an arrangement was made that gave him some of the publishing royalties on the song.
What is the Meaning of “Hello, I Love You”?
Morrison’s lyrics for “Hello, I Love You” combines the narrator’s somewhat clumsy come-ons (Hello, I love you, let me jump in your game) with a series of admonishments to anyone who could possibly try to win over a unique woman he encounters. It’s as if he’s having a conversation with himself, first trying to gain the courage to talk to her, and then realizing he has no shot.
Do you think you’ll be the guy / To make the queen of the angels sigh, he wonders, putting her on an unreachable pedestal. When she moves my brain screams out this song, he says, admitting that he loses all perspective when he sees her. And why wouldn’t he, considering his unique description of her charms: Sidewalk crouches at her feet / Like a dog that begs for something sweet.
The final lines also suggest this guy is trying to talk himself out of approaching her: Do you hope to make her see, you fool? / Do you think you’ll pluck this dusky jewel? With Morrison’s unique wordplay meshing beautifully with the inventive arrangement, “Hello, I Love You” displayed how The Doors could be radio-friendly without losing any of the idiosyncrasies that made them so compelling.
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