On this day in 1967, The Doors get booted from The Ed Sullivan Show after refusing to change an offending song lyric.
In September of 1967, The Doors were one of the most exciting US rock bands on the scene. Having released their impressive self-titled debut earlier in the year, and preparing to release Strange Days at the end of the month, the band were riding a wave of success.
As a result of their growing fame, they were asked to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. One of the most important television shows of the era, the program was often the platform which exposed bands to a wider audience, turning them into household names. Needless to say, this performance was a big deal.
On September 17th, the band arrived at The Ed Sullivan Show’s New York City studios where they were set to perform ‘People Are Strange’ and ‘Light My Fire’. While rehearsals went fine, host Ed Sullivan reportedly said to the band, “You boys look great, [but] you ought to smile a little more.”
Soon, a producer for the show asked the band to change the lyrics to their second track, modifying the line “girl, we couldn’t get much higher” to “girl, we couldn’t get much better”. After agreeing to this change, the band took to the stage to record their live television performance.
As expected, notoriously unpredictable frontman Jim Morrison decided to protest the request of producers by refusing to change the lyric, infuriating host Ed Sullivan in the process.
At the time of the performance, producers had planned for The Doors to make at least six more appearances on the show, but in light of their insubordination, Ed Sullivan cancelled their performances, and told the band they’d never again appear on his show. In response, Jim Morrison simply said, “Hey, man, we just did the Sullivan show.”
Check out The Doors on The Ed Sullivan Show:
