Hello, I Love You

Album

Waiting for the Sun

Label

Elektra Records

Genre

Pop rock

Composer(s)

Bobby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison, John Densmore

Entered Chart

Jul 6, 1968

Peak Date

Aug 3, 1968

Released

June 11, 1968 by Nipper Music Co., Inc.[

Recorded

February–May 1968

Catalog #

Elektra 45635

B-Side

Love Street*

Doors lead singer Jim Morrison wrote this song in 1965 after seeing a beautiful woman walking on the beach. He wrote these lyrics in this notebook: Sidewalk crouches at her feet Like a dog that begs for something sweet He wrote the rest of the song that night, crafting the most popular song about beachside beauty since "The Girl From Ipanema." He also popularized a pickup line - "Hello, I love you. Won't you tell me your name?" - that has yet to work for anyone but Jim Morrison. The Doors first recorded this song in 1965 when they put it on a six-song demo before Robby Krieger joined the band. They didn't put it on an album until 1968, when they needed material for their third LP Waiting for the Sun. The plan was to use an extended piece based on Morrison's poetry called "Celebration of the Lizard" for the entire first side of the album. When that didn't work out, they looked for other material and dredged up "Hello, I Love You." It was a good call: The song went to #1 in America, giving them their second (and last) chart-topper, following "Light My Fire." Many fans considered this a sellout to Top 40 music. It was very radio-friendly, and not as deep or introspective as previous Doors songs. The music is similar to The Kinks song "All Day And All Of The Night." So similar, that The Doors paid royalties from the British single to The Kinks after the threat of legal action. Looking back, Ray Davies was philosophical about the episode, recalling to Mojo magazine September 2012: "The funniest thing was when my publisher came to me on tour and said The Doors had used the riff for 'All Day And All Of The Night' for 'Hello, I Love You.' I said rather than sue them, can't we just get them to own up? My publisher said, 'They have, that's why we should sue them!' (laughs) Jim Morrison admitted it, which to me was the most important thing. The most important thing, actually, is to take (the idea) somewhere else." Robby Krieger ran his guitar through a fuzz box to get a distorted effect like Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love." Report this ad The line "Queen of the angels" refers to Los Angeles, the "City of Angels." The Doors were from LA. This was the first Doors song that was successful in Europe, reaching #15 in the UK. The R.E.M. song "Pop Song '89" is a play on this. Instead of talking about sex, they talk to the girl about politics and the weather. Artists to cover this song include Neil Young, The Cure, Missing Persons, Adam Ant, Eurythmics, Simple Minds and Buddy Rich (in a big band style). The only other charting version of the song came in 2010 when a version by the cast of the TV series Glee went to #66. This song was used in the movies Platoon, Casualties of War, and Forrest Gump. >>

Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you, let me jump in your game
Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you, let me jump in your game

She's walking down the street
Blind to every eye she meets
Do you think you'll be the guy
To make the queen of the angels sigh?

Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you, let me jump in your game
Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you, let me jump in your game

She holds her head so high, like a statue in the sky
Her arms are wicked, and her legs are long
When she moves my brain screams out this song
Sidewalk crouches at her feet
Like a dog that begs for something sweet
Do you hope to make her see, you fool?
Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel?

Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello
I want you, hello, I need my baby
Hello, hello, hello, hello