The Unknown Soldier (song)

"The Unknown Soldier" is the first single from the Doors' 1968 album Waiting for the Sun and released in March of that year by Elektra Records. An accompanying 16mm publicity film for the song featuring the band was directed and produced by Edward Dephoure and Mark Abramson. The song became the band's fourth Top 40 hit in the US, peaking at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, and enjoying an eight-week appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 list overall. However, due to the song's controversial lyrics many radio stations refused to play it.[1]

For other uses, see Unknown Soldier (disambiguation).

"The Unknown Soldier"
Single by the Doors
from the album Waiting for the Sun
B-side"We Could Be So Good Together"
ReleasedMarch 1968 (1968-03)
RecordedFebruary 1968
StudioTTG Studios, Hollywood, California
GenrePsychedelic rock
Length3:22
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild
The Doors singles chronology
"Love Me Two Times"
(1967)		 "The Unknown Soldier"
(1968)		 "Hello, I Love You"
(1968)

Lyrics

The song was Jim Morrison's reaction to the Vietnam War and the way that conflict was portrayed in American media at the time. Lines such as "Breakfast where the news is read/ Television children fed/ Unborn living, living dead/ Bullets strike the helmet's head" concerned the way news of the war was being presented in the living rooms of ordinary people.[2]

Release and reception

The released single was edited in which a different gunshot sound was used and does not include the cheering crowds nor the tolling bells at the end. Reportedly, producer Paul Rothchild was so particular about how the song came out that it ultimately took over 130 takes to finish.[3] Upon completion, the song became the band's fourth Top 40 hit in the US, peaking at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, and enjoying an 8-week appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 list overall.[4] "We Could Be So Good Together" served as the B-side.

Charts
Chart (1968) Peak
position		 Date
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 39 May 1968

See also

References
  1. Simpson, Dave (June 17, 2015). "The Doors: 10 of the Best". The Guardian. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. "The Doors, 'Unknown Soldier' – Songs About Soldiers". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. Hopkins, Jerry; Sugerman, Danny (1980). No One Here Gets Out Alive. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-446-60228-0.
  4. "The Hot 100 - May 18, 1968". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  5. "The Doors Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
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