An American Prayer

The final summation of a man's life and philosophy through spoken word and minimalist rock.

An American Prayer is a posthumous spoken-word album by The Doors, released on November 28, 1978, by Elektra Records. It stands as a unique project where surviving members Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore recorded music to accompany Jim Morrison's spoken word recordings from 1969 and 1970. Following Morrison's death in 1971 and the band's subsequent dissolution—the surviving members officially disbanded in 1973, but the breakup is generally considered to have occurred after Morrison's death—this album became a singular effort to showcase the poet behind the rock star. It is the only Doors album nominated for a Grammy Award, receiving a nomination for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1980, marking a distinct departure from their standard rock discography.

Quick Facts

Artist

Jim Morrison & the Doors

Released

17 November 1978

Recorded

March 1969 & December 1970 (spoken word and "Roadhouse Blues"); 1978 (music) using a professional 24-track machine

Genre

Jazz rock
poetry
spoken word
easy listening

Label

Elektra & Asylum Records (1978 LP); Rhino (1995 CD)

Producer

John Haeny
Ray Manzarek
Robby Krieger
John Densmore
Frank Lisciandro

Lore & Background

The project originated between 1969 and 1970 when Morrison recorded poetry sessions at Elektra Studios, Sunset Sound, and Village Recorders. Tracks like "Bird of Prey" were not captured during these early sessions; instead, the track was built from a 1969 recording of Morrison reciting the poem 'Bird of Prey' (originally titled 'The WASP' poem) that was not used in the earlier sessions, and the track was entirely assembled from that 1969 recording with new instrumentation by the surviving members—the piano part was not added later by Manzarek. Before departing for Paris in March 1971, Morrison envisioned an orchestral accompaniment and even corresponded with composer Lalo Schifrin and artist T.E. Breitenbach regarding a triptych cover featuring naked couples on a beach and a futuristic city. However, the surviving band members ultimately decided against Morrison's original vision of orchestral music when they reconvened in 1978. Instead, co-producers Frank Lisciandro and "Corky" Courson helped them create a different musical style. The final audio collage incorporates dialogue from Morrison's film HWY: An American Pastoral, snippets from jam sessions, interview excerpts, and sections from "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)" and "Riders on the Storm," with the former using a Roland CR-78 drum machine to produce its distinctive synthesized drum sound, not a custom-made electronic drum setup.

Reader's Guide

Listeners should expect a work divided into distinct thematic sections covering Morrison's entire life arc, from his youth to his final philosophical summation. The musical accompaniment differs significantly from the band's earlier blues-rock output, focusing on atmospheric support for the spoken word rather than driving rock rhythms. The album features specific moments like Densmore's synthesized drums on tracks derived from "The WASP" and Morrison's own piano work on "Orange County." Fans should note that the original cover art intended by Morrison—a triptych designed by T.E. Breitenbach depicting a moonlit beach, a futuristic metropolis, and a desert highway—was never used; instead, photos by Edmund Teske and Joel Brodsky were utilized for the front and back covers. The 2018 reissue liner notes reveal additional personnel including bassists Bob Glaub and Jerry Scheff, as well as synthesizer programmer Arthur Barrow on "The Movie." For completists, the album is essential, though critics like Robert Christgau rated it a "C" and Rolling Stone deemed it suitable mainly for Morrison fanatics.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1	Awake" / "Awake" (0:35) / "Ghost Song" (2:50) / "Dawn's Highway" (1:21) "Newborn Awakening (2:24)	7:10
2	To Come of Age" / "To Come of Age" (1:01) / "Black Polished Chrome" (1:07) / "Latino Chrome" (2:14) / "Angels and Sailors" (2:46) "Stoned Immaculate (1:33)	8:41
3	The Poets Dream" / "The Movie" (1:36) "Curses, Invocations (1:54)	3:30
Total length		19:21

Side two

No.	Title	Length
4	The World On Fire" / "American Night" (0:28) / "Roadhouse Blues" (Live) (5:53) / "The World On Fire" (1:06) / "Lament" (2:18) "The Hitchhiker (2:15)	12:00
5	An American Prayer" / "An American Prayer" (3:04) / "Hour For Magic" (1:17) / "Freedom Exists" (0:20) "A Feast of Friends (2:10)	6:51
Total length		18:51