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Susie Hewett Post subject: Ed Sullivan Legends
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Joined: 17 Jan 2004
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Hi All Exclamation

Last Night I watched a show on T.V. called Ed Sullivan Legends which were some pop stars who appeared on his show and made a good impression on Ed. The only British bands they had on were The Beatles, Stones, Animals and Gerry And The Pacemakers but no Hollies (what a surprise).

The program went for 90 minutes (including commercials) and some other people they had on was Elivis, Credence Clearwater Revival, The Mamas And The Papas, James Brown, Janis Joplin, The Doors and many others.

I am a bit confused though because the guy narrating the program said that Ed wanted the Doors to change the lyrics to the song Light My Fire because he reckoned it was offensive, but they didn't do it and sang the song with the original lyrics. They got a dirty look from Ed and were never asked on the show again. Maybe I've missed something somewhere but, I have heard Light My Fire many times on T.V. and radio and I can't find anything offensive about it.

All The Best

Susie

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PostPosted:Wed May 18, 2005 3:47 am
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Anthony Post subject:
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Hi Susie,
I also saw the show, yes Ed was not happy with the Doors. I believe the Hollies never did the Ed Sullivan show, a real pity. Can you imagine if they were on and played Carrie Anne, he may have thought they were dirty old men.
Bye,
Anthony

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PostPosted:Wed May 18, 2005 11:10 am
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brandy Post subject:
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Susie, Anthony -

I have four audio CDs of the various rock acts who appeared on Ed Sullivan (including, Anthony, four tracks with the Very Reverend Sung Long Noone Wink ). Great stuff, if you can still track down the discs.

Can't remember for sure, but I believe it was the "girl, we couldn't get much higher" line that had old Ed all hot and bothered about possible drug references. Considering today's rap lyrics, it's amusing that nobody would bat an eyelash about any of the lyrics to "Light My Fire" today. But this was the era of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" OBVIOUSLY being about LSD, "Along Comes Mary" being about marijuana, and "Let's Spend the Night Together" being banned from some radio stations simply because of the title. The guardians of the social mores were not going to let any sexual or drug references enter the tender ears of America's teenagers if they could stop it, no sir! Evil or Very Mad

You can imagine that if the Hollies had ever appeared on Sullivan, and "Ain't This a Peculiar Situation" or "Cos You Like to Love Me" had been single A-sides, there would have been "discussions" with the in-house censors about those "we're lovers but we don't make love" or "c'mon be good to me, c'mon make love to me" lines... Laughing

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PostPosted:Wed May 18, 2005 14:21 pm
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holliesfan Post subject: Light My Fire Lyrics
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Susie, Anthony, Bruciebaby, et al...

Here's a link to the Doors "Light My Fire" lyrics. Judge for yourselves the lyrical content. Given the sensitive nature (in those days) to sex and drugs (for teens) do you think Big Ed might have had a legitimate argument?

www.lyricsfreak.com/d/doors,-the/42652.html

Happy Reading,
Alan
PostPosted:Wed May 18, 2005 16:57 pm
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Susie Hewett Post subject:
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Hi Anthony, Bruce and Alan Exclamation

Thanks for the link Alan, I read the lyrics and I think I saw the part of Light My Fire Ed Sullivan objected to. Much of the song has The Doors singing about Funerals and Graveyards and toward the end of the final verse there's a line that reads 'A Girl Got Drunk and Balled The Dead', so considering it was the 60's Ed Sullivan did have a good reason not to like the song and to be angry when the Doors wouldn't change the lyrics.

Best Wishes

Susie

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PostPosted:Thu May 19, 2005 9:50 am
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brandy Post subject:
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Interesting additional lyrics, Alan, but they are not part of the original or any other recorded version of Light My Fire I've ever heard of. I doubt if these words were the point of contention in the Ed Sullivan performance. Suspect they were part of a later live, non-televised performance of Light My Fire in which "The Lizard King" interpolated some of his "poetry" before, during, or after the instrumental break.

If you've ever heard "An American Prayer"...those extra lyrics sound like they could have come from that LP. Wink

Here's one account of the "incident" I just found...

'By the mid-1960s, TV host Ed Sullivan usually made singers lip-synch, but when the Doors were scheduled to perform "Light My Fire" live, they were instructed to remove the phrase "we couldn't get much higher," because of its drug connotations. Morrison agreed, then left it in anyway...

You'll never be on this show again," a Sullivan representative told him. "We already have been," Morrison replied.

The Rolling Stones, however, were more career-minded. Earlier that year, Sullivan's people told them to mind their manners and not sing "let's spend the night together," and Mick acceded and sang "Let's spend some time together."...'

Bruciebaby

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PostPosted:Thu May 19, 2005 14:42 pm
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