Rappers React To The Doors "The End"!!! 

This was a perfect song for the scene it was picked for in “Apocalypse Now”

"The End" isn't about literal murder. There are multiple things happening in it, little bits of poetry about beginnings and endings, but it basically boils down to a very '60s concept of getting rid of the old ways and embracing your own way of doing things. According to Jim, it originally started out to be a breakup song but then evolved and could be seen as a kind of goodbye to childhood. That section at the end, with the killer walking down the hall to the room of his family, wanting to kill his father and (even though he yells it unintelligibly on the album) F the mother is a reference to "Oedipus Rex," a Greek tragedy by Sophocles that was originally performed in 429 BC and which plays with ideas of Fate vs Free Will and the dramatic irony that the main character's strengths - self-confidence, intelligence, and strong will - are also the tragic flaws that lead to his downfall because he doesn't listen to people, makes assumptions, and thereby accidentally fulfills the prophecy he's trying to avoid. In the play, Oedipus hears a rumor that the people raising him are not his real parents. He goes to the Oracle to ask who his real mother and father are. The Oracle seemingly ignores the question and instead tells him that he's destined to kill his father and F his mother. Desperate to avoid this prophecy coming true and still believing the people who raised him are his actual parents, he leaves the city and his parents forever and travels to Thebes. On the road, he gets into an argument with an old man traveling with his servants, they fight, and he accidentally kills the man. When he arrives in Thebes, the city is in trouble. The legendary beast, the Sphinx, is eating townsfolk and travelers on the road who can't answer her riddles. Oedipus faces her, solves the riddle, and frees the city from her terror. As a reward, he's made the king of the city and given the hand of the widowed Queen in marriage. Later, a messenger arrives in the city and tells Oedipus that the man who raised him has died. Oedipus is happy about this because it means he can't kill his father and therefore the Oracle's prophecy has to be wrong. He's still concerned about the F-ing the mother part but the messenger tells him not to worry about it because the woman who raised him isn't his real mother and the messenger knows this because he's the one who delivered baby Oedipus to his new parents. After a short investigation - during which the Queen suddenly realizes the truth and begs Oedipus to stop asking questions - Oedipus discovers that his real mother and father, the King and Queen of Thebes, had given him away as an infant because of a prophecy they'd received saying he'd grow up to kill his father (because his father had been cursed by someone years earlier for a social faux-pas). His real father, of course, turns out to be the man he killed on the road and his real mother is the widowed Queen he's now married to. He asks his servant for a sword and runs into the palace to kill the Queen, his wife/mother, but finds that she's hanged herself in their bedroom. He takes her body down and, in despair, gouges out his own eyes with long gold pins he takes from her dress. During these final scenes, the Greek chorus laments how even a great man can be felled by fate and finishes the play with the common Greek saying that "No man should be considered fortunate until he is dead." Also, during the time "The End" was recorded, there was a lot of talk about a concept in Freudian psychology called the Oedipus Complex, a supposed phase in the life of a young boy in which he unconsciously wishes to have sex with his own mother and disdains his father for being the one who does that. It was, obvs, named after Sophocles's play. But, as far as how/why Jim used that reference in the song, the Doors' drummer, John Densmore, said that he and Jim had a long discussion about the meaning of the song while recording it. In his autobiography, Densmore says: "At one point Jim said to me during the recording session, and he was tearful, and he shouted in the studio, 'Does anybody understand me?' And I said yes, I do, and right then and there we got into a long discussion and Jim just kept saying over and over 'kill the father, fuck the mother,' and it essentially boils down to this: kill all those things in yourself which are instilled in you and are not of yourself, they are alien concepts which are not yours, they must die. 'Fuck the mother' is very basic, and it means 'get back to essence, what is reality, what is. 'Fuck the mother' is very basically mother, mother-birth, real, you can touch it, it's nature, it can't lie to you. So what Jim says at the end of the Oedipus section, which is essentially the same thing that the classic says, is 'kill the alien concepts, get back to reality, the end of alien concepts, the beginning of personal concepts.'" The counterculture revolution of the 60s was very much about getting rid of the old ways of doing things/tossing aside rules and traditions of the authorities ("kill the father") and embracing new ways/getting back to nature ("fuck the Mother"). The song, "The End," touches on this idea as well as personal beginnings and endings through all the bits of poetry full of themes of things going away, new starts, life, death, etc.

The whole band was insanely talented. I like songs that sound really sinister and this is in the top five.

This is a masterpiece, my favorite Doors song by far.

A very deep and trippy song. Imagine listening to this while tripping on acid.

"This sounds like a Creed song" Creed only wishes they could inhabit the same universe as the Doors. As many others have stated, the use of this song made the opening sequence of Apocolypse Now incredibly powerful. I can't think of another tune that could have done a better job to express how unsettling and confusing the situation Captain Willard was in as he was introduced to the audience.

This song will be played at my funeral. I love the Doors and this song is one of their best🤘🏼

That was 1967. Morrison was a poet, Manzarek a classically trained pianist, Kreiger was a flamenco guitarist and Densmore a jazz drummer. What a combo!

I love with how much respect you listen every song. No matter what music style. You're real musicians.

The End" is an epic song by the American rock band the Doors. Lead singer Jim Morrison initially wrote the lyrics about his break up with an old girlfriend, Mary Werbelow,[7] but it evolved through months of performances at the Whisky a Go Go into a much longer song. The Doors recorded a nearly 12-minute version for their self-titled debut album, which was released on January 4, 1967

They recorded this whole album in 6 days, their 1st album. The End was a 3 minute breakup song that transformed to include a Greek poem about Oedipal tragedy(killing dad, sex with mom), but it’s tongue in cheek..great song gents!!!!

This group changed my life. When The Doors movie came out my mom brought me. She said you are going to like them. She knew I loved music. Jim Morrison is a poet that happened to be a rock star. 💫

You need to do "LA Woman", "Roadhouse Blues ", and many more.

The Doors are my all time fav band

Masterpiece...i also suggest The Soft Parade... another masterpiece

The doors to me is one of those bands you can close your eyes to and let your mind wander. Perfect for sitting in a dark room or a basement chill session.

this song was in Apocalypse Now (1979)

This was used brilliantly in the movie Apocalypse Now in both the begining and in the climax. Initially Coppola used the song as a joke when he was editing the movie out of boredom - begin8ng the movie with a song called The End, see? - but then he and his editors quickly realised the song matched the imagery and mood of the film perfectly and so it stuck. The movie helped made The Doors popular again in the late 80s/early 90s.

Lounge/jazz is spot on. I am smiling ear to ear waiting for certain parts. LA Woman must be next.

Every time I hear this song I picture the beginning of "Apcolypse Now" and Martin Sheen's drunken rage in his hotel room, and the Napalm and helicopters. The song "When the Music's Over" is also great and the crystal ship.

Great reaction! The story that I heard on The End is that it started out being played on stage as a freestyle jam with Morrison improvising lyrics. At one show, he started singing about walking down the hall to brother's room, and then sister's room. The other band members started looking around at each other wondering where he was going with it and just playing along with it. They were as surprised as everyone else at what happened in father's room.

Great reaction guys. The Doors are definitely a band you can explore further. Check out another 10 plus minute masterpiece, "When The Music's Over".

This is now my favorite song so peaceful and so soft thank you guys 🙏 you guys are kings 👑

The Changeling is a SICK Doors song. I recommend it for a reaction. Love.

I remember my dad telling me and my sister ,that it took Jim Morrison a long time to write The End and he never kept it the same when The Doors preformed this masterpiece live RIP JIM MORRISON , RAY MANZAREK AND YOU DADDY 😘😘😘

Kinda shocked y’all haven’t heard this one before. Have you not watched The Doors movie? That’s a must, gentlemen. And maybe a shallow dive into their music. 😉So many cool elements in The Doors music. Always love the keyboards. Jim’s poetry is eclectic. 😆 and the rest of the band is just as cool as Jim. Watch that movie! Trust me. Smokey, they just caught the alleged Long Island Serial Killer. Love true crime even though sometimes I get crazy nightmares. Happy Sunday everyone!

This is my all time favorite Doors song...Epic! Jim Morrison is a fantastic poet and Ray Manzarek is a phenominal keyboardist.

I grew up on the Doors, my favourite band as a teen even though Jim Morrison was long before dead. I moved from the Doors to Tool and Muse as I got older so I've been enjoying your reactions to all my favs!! I am now a huge Ren fan and I don't think you guys have done How to be me (live) yet with chinchilla... you won't regret it, it's stunning!

Not a journey I expected from y’all! Off camera for sure, but this is a long one! Props! 🔥🌳🌬️💨 Another great Doors journey is from Absolutely Live… “The Celebration of the Lizard” is 14 1/2 mins of art. Check it out at your leisure. 🤛👊😎

Tripping music. I was there. Peace ✌️

My favorite band of all time - born early 70’s but have been listening to them since I found them in the late 70’s! I’ve read Jim’s books of poetry have several old and new Doors T-shirts and the boxed cd set. This song is one of my ringtones. ❤️

First time I heard this song I was on LSD and someone put it on. It changed my life.

My favorite songs at the Doors are: "Light my fire" and "touch me", a versatile band that continues to be popular for 50 years, half a century, wow... 😮🧐

I love the Doors! My mama introduced me to them as well as others from the 60's and the Doors have been a fixture in my music world since. You really should give LA Woman, Light My Fire, Riders on the Storm, Break on Through and Love Me Two Times a listen all by the Doors also. The movie The Doors is definitely worth a watch. Jim Morrison also wrote poetry and has some published books out of his poetry.

You're right about the beatnik influence. Their name "The Doors" comes from Aldous Huxley's autobiographical book called "The Doors of Perception" about a psychedelic experience on mescaline he had in 1953.

loved it fellas nice reaction. Not To Touch The Earth is great as well

This was the song that highlighted and affirmed the weird artistry of Jim's lyrics.

These guys were a large part of kicking "the doors" open in regards to what was sonically and socially acceptable in a top ten single, truly a revolutionary band

One of the greatest songs ever written.

Depending on your PG situation for the channel, try out Gloria - dirty version. You mention his story telling how good it is, he was in film school before taking on music full time, which explains alot of the way the 'picture is painted' during a song, in a way on The Doors can do Also try Break on through as another song suggestion

The Doors was peak psychedelic era dark alternative-ish psychedelic rock/blues. I feel like the genre that has the most "The Doors" in it is Grunge. The Doors has been very influential on alternative dark and sombre rock in general.

The next song from The Doors to listen to is "When The Music`s Over" I think. That fits if you have already commented on "Riders On The Storm". The best way to hear The Doors in my opinion is to hear them live from the vinyl LP "Absolutely Live", thats a masterpiece ! Thanks for sharing and all the best from HH (germany)

i am so happy there wasn't any stopping of the song, you would have felt my fist coming through the laptop screen if you had

you two are friggin awesome. Love all the reactions, thanks for the entertainment while I'm working late.

Its time to take a deep dive into The Doors.

Love this song . I will always think of apocalypse now as soon as it starts . Probably my favourite movie opening.

I've never heard that version before. Great reaction gentlemen 👍

I can see why most if not all Classic Rock radio stations will not play this song - but for me it is the most underrated Rock Epic of all time

Hey Guys. If I had to describe The Doors music I would call it "atmospheric". It always had a vibe but it didn't stay in the same style in every song. What is most important was that it was always good music. Shout out to you fellas for reacting to this one. Peace.

In his prime (1966-1968) Morrison was easily one of the most edge-of-your-seat front men in Rock.

This is one of those songs that feel larger than life, to me at least.

Such intricate drum work here, and that beautiful guitar line really stands out. Remember this was not long after the Manson murders and this really represented the feeling of mayhem and social strife in the good old usa

The Doors are psychedelic rock. Best description imo...anyway, a couple songs by them seldom mentioned but are awesome songs are " The Alabama Song" "The Crystal Ship", "Five to One", "Spanish Caravan" and my fav "Hello I Love You"...I was obsessed with The Doors for a few years in high school and immediately after. I graduated in 1990, so the movie came out a year later, so the timing was perfect! Fascinating band for sure...and Morrison being in the 27 club is fitting....

Nobody did more in less. 4 years to be remembered trough the eternity. Jim Morrison and his guys are out of time. So talented. Very chamanic. Full of metaphoras and poetry. Pure rock and blues. So wilderness...from Spain, Madrid. Jim knowed the secrets of human being.

Smokey's got that strong memory! I must be smokin the wrong stuff.

Saying Jim outgrew, or almost outgrew, the Doors is something of a disservice to how talented the whole band was. The Doors were not Jim, they were Jim, Ray, Robbie and John, you needed all the parts to make the magic.

My older brother went to high school with Jim Morrison, Albuquerque NM. The Doors had a lot of airplay on the radio and I grew up listening to these songs, but I had no clue what the songs were about at age 4 and 5. I love the music from this era. Thanks for the great reaction. 👍❤

There's nothing more to do to both the choice of song and reaction then this 👍👍👍

Morning fellas! Yes!! Love the doors! When i was like 13 my mom bought me a bunch of doors cds. I was in love! Love jim Morrison..R.I.P.. great choice!( Fun trying to figure out this song lol!) Loved hearing your takes on what the songs about...🤓😁💯

The part at the end going "f*ck f*ck f*ck" had the vocals edited out on the version of this we all grew up with back in the day. That's a newer mix. Crazy song, always worth seeing someone react to it!

In case no one has commented this, as was said by a person with experience with psychedelics: “Eventually everyone who keeps doing psychedelics goes to the Garden. And we know who is in the Garden. The snake. “ The blue bus 🚎 is another metaphor. For when you are doing heroin or speedballs and you stop breathing. It has been said that Jim never sang the lyrics the same way twice. But the snake verse and the part about the killer seem to be word for word in the versions I have heard. Only the phrases in the beginning and end differ in the versions I have heard. Great job guys! I enjoyed watching you take all of this in. You are warriors to take this song on. It definitely is a classic and is forever entwined with Apocalypse Now! with Martin Sheen in my mind. And the water Buffalo. The horror. The horror. .

You're reaction is perfect eyes closed and let the music take you on a journey

Loved the reaction!!

(in Marlin Brando voice) "you're a messenger boy sent by grossery clerks". (Wispering) "the horror the horror the horror"

He said he took a face from the ancient gallery which obviously was Oedipus, the Greek character who killed his father and married his mother. Jim had a bad relationship with his father who was a US Navy Admiral in Coronado, CA (suburb of San Diego) where I was also stationed in the 80s. I tried to find all of Jim's old haunts in San Diego and LA while I was there.

Brutal

This song us basically a band jaming softly while a guys on stage talking spoken word with some singing here or there.

This song is an amazing piece of musical art. I don't know if this is accurate, but have heard the "blue bus" is a reference to dying and going up in the blue sky to heaven. (The blue bus is calling us; Driver, where are you taking us?)

When you add a classical pianist and a flamenco guitarist and a jazz drummer to a lizard king you get the Doors.

Anyone else picture Val in the desert right now?

For me, this song encapsulates the chaos and insanity that was the late Sixties.

Morrison was an intelligent kid who was more into movies and poetry than music. His father was in the military and was one who partly started the Vietnam War. A lot of bands in the 60's and 70's sang against war. That's what this song sounded like it was about to me. It was supposed to be about his ex, but Morrison said later he realized it could be about anything.

I personally like the live version.

Ok, having read ALL 4 books by band members, this was a series of poems Jim cobbled together, as well as improv happening during live performances, to make this song. It started out as a 3 minute love song for a former girlfriend, it eventually evolved onstage as Jim added pieces of poetry he had written into the extended live performances, including the Oedipus section (Kill the dad, fuck the mom). While living on the roof of a hotel in Venice Beach, Jim would see a blue bus come everyday to pick people up. He saw this bus every morning and just jotted it down. No significance. The original 1967 pressing of this album removed the whole "fuck" section. It was put back in later remasters.

Just so you know, the part about the 'killer' and his family is loosely based on the Ancient Greek tragedy of Oedipus. He killed his father and married his mother causing his kingdom to fall into ruin. There are more explicit versions out there.

Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service.

After you guys listen to "The End", y'all need to watch the Francis Ford Coppola film "Apocalypse Now", a movie about the Vietnam War. It stars Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, and very young early appearances by Harrison Ford and Lawrence Fishburne. This song starts the movie, with helicopter sounds and Martin Sheen in a drunken rage in a Saigon hotel room. MUST be seen by both of you.

'He took a face from the ancient gallery'....that face is the ancient Greek Oedipus Rex, who in legend killed his father and slept with his mother. Jim Morrison had a major Freudian 'Oedipus complex' as reflected in those lyrics.

This DOORS song was features in the ACADEMY AWARD WINNING, Francis Ford Coppola film, "APOCOLYPSE NOW"!

This is from Apocalypse now..my fav war movie of all time. The opening scene sets the tempo for the entire movie

Super glad ya'll checked this one out! It's a hidden gem!

The band was from Venice, CA and there are 3 bus systems in Los Angeles. Since Jim Morrison was a film student at UCLA, he would take one of these buses from Venice to UCLA which are called the Blue Bus system.

Songs from ' The Doors ': - L.A. Woman - Break on Through, ( to the Other Side) - Crystal Ship - Alabama Man, ( Whiskey Bar) - Back Door Man - People are Strange - Hello I Love You... - Light My Fire - Riders of the Storm - Roadhouse Blues - Strange Days - The Unknown Soldier - The WASP, ( Texas Radio & the Big Beat) - Touch Me - Twentieth Century Fox - When the Music's Over My favorite: - Waiting for the Sun " DEUCES! " ✌🏻😸✌🏻

Man I haven’t listened to the doors in a long time. Now I need to binge some doors.

I know this song sounds good with headphones. I love the 70's music with the difference in instruments and change ups. Best music ever!

Leave it to Jim Morrison. Who else could sing this? I'm a huge Doors fan from way back in 1967 when they formed the Band. They are so different and can play many different styles of music. Thanks guys.

You guys have to take a deep dive into the phenomenon that is the Doors.So much great music and imagery.LA woman next please.

Lifelong Doors fan here, this music hit me like a freight train when I was 15 and changed my life. Morrison said this song was about Sex, Death and Travel. The story in the middle is an ancient Greek myth about a guy who murders his father so he can sleep with his mother, hence the buildup and musical orgasm toward the end. It's called the Oedipus myth. The blue bus was the color of the buses they took people out on day trips from psychiatric institutes back in LA in the 60s. There was a lot of LSD use around the time, and the song is heavily influenced by tripping. He used to imagine the whole universe as a giant snake. But, yeah, the song is ultimately about mystery, mood and what it means to you personally. Anyway, was awesome to watch you guys discover what's been my favourite song for 25 years.

The WASP is one of my favorite Doors songs. Kind of a rap song actually. The Doors were the house band at The Whiskey a Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard. They got fired for playing The End.

Psychedelic rock! still relevant!

Excellent. Thanks!

Yet ANOTHER band I can't wait for y'all to delve more into. So SOOO many great hits!!!! 💜💚💜. I had 2 of Jim's poetry bks back in high school. The Live CD was a trip too, hearing him speaking between tracks, esp the "Wake Up!"!!!

Want to get even more blown away by this song? Watch the last 10 minutes of the film "Apocalypse Now."

Some people say this helped inspire manson.

Another very similar opus is "When the Music's Over"--has a bit more musicality, including some fine guitar work by Robbie Krieger. Soome of the meaning in this song, "The End", is more clear to those who live in the LA region. For example, The Snake in the song is apparently a stretch of the Mulholland Highway in Malibu. I read somewhere about this--I think the blue bus is significant to the region as well, but don't remember exactly. Just goes to show The Doors were very LA and California-centric. Of course there are multiple meanings, too.

Classic Oedipal tale - imagine hearing this in 1967; also check out Nico's (of Velvet Underground fame) cover from 1974

Hold up, Smokey is into serial killers? Whaaaaaaat!

Just what do you think we thought in 71, the first time we listened to this song? Crazy cool.

Could you imagine watching them performing this live in some L.A. club ? The crowd must have been totally memorized.

Jim admitted he wasn’t a singer he was a poet, and while everyone else was seeing the peace and love of the 1960s, he touched base on the most primal element of humanity that cuts like a fucking knife in our souls