Runnin' Blue

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title: "Runnin' Blue" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["the-doors-songs", "1969-songs", "songs-written-by-robby-krieger", "song-recordings-produced-by-paul-a.-rothchild", "elektra-records-singles", "1969-singles"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runnin'_Blue" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

FieldValue
nameRunnin' Blue
coverRunnin' Blue single cover.jpg
typesingle
artistthe Doors
albumThe Soft Parade
B-sideDo It
released
recorded1968–1969
*R&B<ref namederiso/
*soul<ref nameam/
*bluegrass<ref nameam/
length
labelElektra
writerRobby Krieger
producerPaul A. Rothchild
prev_titleTell All the People
prev_year1969
next_titleYou Make Me Real
next_year1970
::

| name = Runnin' Blue | cover = Runnin' Blue single cover.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = the Doors | album = The Soft Parade | B-side = Do It | released = | recorded = 1968–1969 | studio = | venue = | genre =

Robby Krieger shares vocals with Jim Morrison for the chorus of the track, the only Doors song on which Krieger had a lead vocal while Morrison was alive.

Lyrics

"Runnin' Blue was inspired by the recent death of Otis Redding. Morrison sang the introduction to the song, which referenced Redding's death and was based on a Lead Belly song, "Poor Howard", to which Morrison inserted Redding's name: Poor Otis, dead and gone Left me here to sing his song Pretty little girl with the red dress on Poor Otis, dead and gone}} The lyrics also reference Redding's song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Music critic Bart Testa found it ironic that this Doors song was extolling "The Dock of the Bay", which for Redding was a place of defeat and "where he wasted time having found the struggle for life useless", when earlier Doors songs such as "The End" and "When the Music's Over" call vehemently for revolution. Testa also notes that the line from "Runnin' Blue" stating "Don't fight/Too much to lose" contradicts those earlier songs.

Rolling Stone critic Alec Dubro criticized the poetry of the introduction for being "excessive".

Musical style and reception

The Doors execution with the song, was to feature elements from R&B The song begins with a fiddle played by Jimmy Buchanan and builds to a refrain which Testa compares to "Touch Me", the Doors earlier hit from The Soft Parade. The refrain of the song refers to "runnin' back to L.A.," and from this Testa sees a progression in the song from starting out in the country, represented by the fiddle and running towards the big city.

"Runnin' Blue" received varied comments, among those, Billboard described it as a "solid rocker with a clever arrangement from start to finish," and also as one of the best new songs on Soft Parade, while AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger dismissed it as a "strange bluegrass-soul blend" and regarded it as one of the weakest songs on Soft Parade. Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh called it the Doors' "only really humane song", saying that it is "puppy-dog-charming in its clumsiness and lack of anything approaching soulfulness." Cash Box described it as "smooth, adaptable for dance-minded teens, and even more commercially potent than" the Doors' recent singles, and incorporating a touch of country music. Record World said "features some heavy production touches and a stompin' beat the kids will dig." Ultimate Classic Rock included it among the "Top 10 Robby Krieger Doors Songs". Chris Ingalls of PopMatters overviewing the 50th Anniversary edition of The Soft Parade, declared "Runnin' Blue" as one of the "oddities" of the album, and deemed its chorus as "cringe-worthy". The song was also included on the Doors 1972 compilation album Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine.

Personnel

The Doors

Additional musicians

  • Harvey Brooks – bass guitar{{cite book |first=Heinz |last=Gerstenmeyer |title=The Doors - Sounds for Your Soul - Die Musik Der Doors |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xk_-cOcPH4C&pg=PA97 |year=2001 |isbn=978-3-8311-2057-4 |page=97 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |language=de}}
  • Paul Harris – orchestral arrangements
  • Jimmy Buchanan – fiddle
  • Jesse McReynolds – mandolin

References

References

  1. Gaar, Gillian G.. (2015). "The Doors: The Illustrated History". [[Voyageur Press]].
  2. "The Doors The 'Hot' 100".
  3. (October 4, 1969). "CashBox Top 100".
  4. Testa, Bart. (October 23, 1969). "Two Discs Extol Warmth of Home". [[The Morning Call]].
  5. Dubro, Alec. (August 23, 1969). "''The Soft Parade''".
  6. DeRiso, Nick. (July 18, 2016). "50 Years Ago: The Doors Stumble Through the Experimental ''The Soft Parade''".
  7. Weidman, Rich. (October 1, 2011). "The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock". [[Rowman & Littlefield]].
  8. (August 23, 1969). "Spotlight Singles". [[Billboard (magazine).
  9. (August 2, 1969). "Billboard Album Reviews".
  10. Unterberger, Richie. "The Doors: ''The Soft Parade''{{snd}}Review". [[AllMusic]].
  11. Marsh, Dave. (1983). "The New Rolling Stone Record Guide". Rolling Stone Press.
  12. (August 23, 1969). "CashBox Record Reviews".
  13. (August 23, 1969). "Single Reviews".
  14. Rivadavia, Eduardo. (January 8, 2016). "Top 10 Robby Krieger Doors Songs".
  15. Ingalls, Chris. (November 7, 2019). "The Doors' ''Soft Parade'' Gets the Deluxe Edition Treatment and a Chance for Reassessment".
  16. Botnick, Bruce. (2007). "The Soft Parade". [[Rhino Records]].

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