Watch the iconic performance that got The Doors permanently banned from The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967! Sullivan’s producer told Jim Morrison not to sing the lyric “higher” in “Light My Fire.” Morrison, not accustomed to taking orders, sang the lyric anyway, live on air. The producer was furious, saying, “You’ll never do this show again!” Morrison famously replied: “Hey man. We just did the Sullivan show.” It has to be said, hearing The Doors live at the height of their powers is truly a spiritual experience.
Fans were spellbound with how Morrison seamlessly moved from creamy crooning to spine-chilling screams like no one else could, like at the one-minute mark. Also, talk about effortless charisma onstage – Morrison was one of a kind. Underneath his vocals, the band’s groove is hypnotic. It’s incredible what power and depth the band could pump out in a simple trio format. The Music Man is sure glad to see this classic rock ‘n’ roll moment remastered in HD to YouTube.
Fans were loving seeing The Doors tear it up live and added comments such as “One of the best moments from rock history” and “Imagine watching this live on TV for the first time in the ‘60s.” Fans also noted that Morrison was just 24 years old at the time of the performance, calling his style timeless and his performance breathtaking.
In recent years The Doors uploaded an HD cut of “Touch Me” live in 1968 from The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. They were truly a force to be reckoned with live. The mad scientist chemistry and groove they show off here as a band is so distinctive. And of course, Morrison’s mesmerizing presence and vocals are like nothing else before or since.
The Doors performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 17, 1967. Before the show, the producer told Morrison he needed to change the lyric “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher,” specifically noting that the word “higher” was inappropriate for a family show on national television. After the band performed the song, Sullivan clapped and mouthed the words, “That was wonderful. Just great!” However, he did not shake hands with the band, and instead threw straight to an ad for Purina Dog Chow. Backstage, the angry producer told the band that Sullivan had wanted them for six more shows, but that they’d now never work on the show again, at which Morrison dropped his famous quip that The Music Man quoted at the start of the article.