The Ed Sullivan Show launched acts like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles to even greater fame, and The Doors band was given a slot on the show at the height of their success in 1967. While their performance was a significant moment in rock history, vocalist Jim Morrison, guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, and drummer John Densmore had a clash with the show’s producers.
They ended up getting permanently banned from the program as they had subsequent performances scheduled. Robby and John recently did an interview with YouTuber Rick Beato, where they revisited that night and discussed what happened behind the scenes.
How The Doors got banned from ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’
When The Doors arrived at the studio to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, they got a stern warning to not sing the original lyrics of “Light My Fire,” particularly the line, “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” The show’s producers were concerned that the song could be interpreted as promoting drug use, which was a controversial topic in the ‘60s.
Morrison and his bandmates seemed to agree with the show’s producers until they went live. The Doors ignored the agreement and sang “Light My Fire” just how they had written it. The executives got furious and in turn the producer, who immediately told them they had ruined their chances of ever returning to the program.
The Doors have no regrets
The band was originally scheduled to appear six more times on The Ed Sullivan Show, which would have significantly boosted their popularity, but due to their rebellious act, the future invitations got revoked. Despite this, they do not regret their actions, especially because fans loved the memorable performance.
Robby admitted that he never took the show’s request seriously, and John added that Morrison was also unbothered about the ban. Their refusal to conform reinforced the narrative that they were rock and roll rebels. Since the passing of Jim Morrison in the early ‘70s and Ray in 2013, Robby and John are the only surviving bandmates of The Doors.