The opening lines of this classic Doors track deal with what is perhaps the greatest weakness of man. We are constantly looking for optimal life, something better - our Garden of Eden.
At first flash of Eden
We race down to the sea
And while this has always been the case, it is more true nowadays than it has ever been before. Modern people have opportunities that their counterparts a few generations ago couldn't even dream of. Another thing that's changed is the pace of life. We might be waiting for the same sun as our parents but we seem to want it to appear much faster than they did. For them life was about hard work; for us, more often than not, it is about instant gratification.
Although I can think of quite a few songs by the Doors that receive more attention than "Waiting For The Sun" both in press as well as on FM radio, to me it has always been the quintessential Doors track. Not only because of its sparse-but-to-the-point lyrics but mainly, because this song and the album it is featured on, "Morrison Hotel", is really their finest hour.
By "Morrison Hotel" this band that could always play had developed into an incredibly tight rock'n'roll unit that could play pretty much anything with such authority that it continues to amaze me to this day. Quite a few bands from this era get heralded for playing and singing almost flawlessly when in fact, they really don't. The Doors, along with a few others, actually deserve this recognition. Listen to Robbie's fiery guitar solo in the instrumental break of the song, John's drum accents throughout, Ray's inventive and playful organ, and last but not least, Morrison's instantly recognizable, ghostly baritone that always somehow leaves you wanting to hear a little more.
When I went to visit Morrison’s grave in Paris a few decades ago, there was an old wino sitting by the tombstone, talking to Jim. He had messy hair, clothes that hadn't been through a washer for a while and a bottle of plonk in his hand. After he had taken a long sip from the bottle, he poured some of the wine on Jim's gave, said something in French and very conscious of not littering, placed the empty bottle neatly in the breast pocket of his overcoat. I walked up to the grave and asked him why he had come to visit the grave. "Same as you," he responded, "waiting for the sun." Then he pointed to Jim's grave, "He's lucky. His wait is over." I guess that's one way of looking at life. Certainly not mine. Enjoy the song.
P.S.
Check out this brief but very nice Goldmine article about “Morrison Hotel”:
http://www.goldminemag.com/articles/check-in-to-the-morrison-hotel-40-years-later
In addition, here’s a link to a very interesting 1969 interview of Jim Morrison by Howard Smith, recorded a few weeks prior to the release of “Morrison Hotel”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuDNrFHKhGc
A short film featuring photographer Henry Diltz and the Los Angeles location used in 1969 to shoot the memorable cover picture for "Morrison Hotel":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uVaxy_9ZEM
You can learn more about The Doors here:
About the curator - Tommi Tikka
Tom Tikka is a linguist, poet, professional songwriter, recording artist and a music aficionado. He started playing guitar when he was four and writing songs when he was six. Consequently, he doesn't remember a time when he wasn't playing or writing. It's fair to say, music and lyrics are not just something he loves to engage himself in; to him, they are a way of life.