It kind of astounds me that Lana Del Rey has never mentioned The Doors' lead singer Jim Morrison before in past interviews- she's quick to mention Elvis or Frank, but not Jim. Before Born to Die: The Paradise Edition was released, she did say that the record was inspired by the West Coast and had a sound similar to The Doors', and of course, she mentions Jim in Gods+Monsters.
Living like Jim Morrison, heading towards a fucked up holiday
Of course, when I first heard this, I was excited- then kind of annoyed. (One reason being that the Jim Morrison tag on Tumblr is full of people's selfies with the Gods+Monsters lyric captioned in italics underneath...sigh) But then myself- and many other Lana fans- questioned the lyric and what it meant exactly- was she referencing her previous fast + hard lifestyle or was she stating her desire to be a tragic icon like Jim?
Being that Jim is my favorite, I thought I would share a few of the similarities I've noticed between the two-
Smoking during performances
Both Lana and Jim were also very wary of audiences to begin with. After a while, Jim became more and more inhibited with his audiences, something Lana has done to an extent, as well.
A preoccupation with death
Lana has been quoted on her fascination with death, stating the inspiration behind her song "Born to Die" came about when she learned that her mother, her father- and everyone else would one day die.
"People fear death even more than pain. It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend."- Jim Morrison
"Death and paradise are intertwined for me." - Lana Del Rey
Death & Love are the main inspirations for both Jim and Lana's lyrics.
Favorites
(Elvis, Priscilla, Frank, and the not so gangster Nancy Sinatra)
Mutual favorites of Lana and Jim: Frank+Elvis, Mad Magazine and James Dean
"Mad magazine and white socks" - Lana Del Rey in the song "1949"
Jim read Mad Magazine and Beatnik poetry (Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti- writer of "A Coney Island of the Mind" were among his favorites), and listened mainly to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley (He is known to have covered Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel" & "Love Me Tender", in addition to others)
Lana has been quoted numerous times speaking of her love for Elvis, Sinatra, and Ginsberg.
(Jim Morrison also loved James Dean.James Dean, for sure)
Both also share a passion for philosophy, though I'm not sure who Lana's favorite philosophers are.
Addictions
“It was everything in the end.” -
Lana Del Rey on her addictions, although she denied ever using heroin. Lana had a firm support system and was able to beat her addiction with the help of family and friends. Jim Morrison was not so lucky.
Jim's most-loved drug was said to be heroin. He also frequently used LSD in attempts to achieve higher thinking. He was also a terrible alcoholic whose alter-ego "Jimbo" came out when he was drinking. He died from an alleged heroin overdose at the age of 27.
Film
Even though Jim was passionate about music, he desired to be more involved with films, and made several short student films during his time at UCLA as a film student.
"I'd hate to think I'd stop having anything to do with music, but I think that in the future, I'll tend towards an exclusive film involvement."- Jim Morrison
Lana Del Rey has also voiced a desire to work in film.
"When I was starting, I had a vision of being a writer for film and that's what I am doing now. I'm so happy...hopefully, I will branch into film work and stay there." - Lana Del Rey
Indian Reservations
Love casinos, Indian reservations
Not too long ago, Lana spurred some controversy when she appeared in the "Ride" video in an Indian headdress. She also claims to have worked on a Navajo reservation in Utah when she was younger.
Jim claimed to have a spiritual connection with Native Americans, believing that one of their spirits entered his soul when he was four years old when he witnessed a car accident in which an entire family of Native Americans had been badly injured or killed. (A truck which was carrying these Native Americans crashed on the highway and was overturned.) Morrison thought this was the most formative event of his entire life, and this imagery stuck with him in his music (ex. Indian Summer"), poetry, and even in his dancing. The Doors' keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, recalled in his book that when Jim was dancing on stage sometimes, it looked as though Jim was taking on some form of an Indian.
A love for nicknames
Jim Morrison- Mr. Mojo Rising, The Lizard King
Lana Del Rey- Sparkle Jump Rope Queen, Coney Island Queen, etc.
(Ok, I'll admit, some of this is reaching)
Chateau Marmont
(This picture was taken in the closet of Jim's room at the Chateau Marmont)
Both Jim and Lana had a love affair with the Chateau, and lived there for quite some time.
Couch Crashers
Jim Morrison was notorious for crashing on the couches of his friend's homes.(Kurt Cobain did this as well) He never owned a home, preferring to stay in hotels or couches.
In Feb. 2012, Lana Del Rey told The New York Times' T Magazine about her living situation- "Staying with my ex-boyfriend. I live on his couch."
For as much as their styles are similar, they are also vastly different. (Personally, I would have to say that Jim was a better lyricist on the whole, but Lana perhaps a better singer- as far as range goes) Jim was also borderline psychotic (said with love) and Lana seems normal- at least on the surface.
I just think it's interesting how Jim may have influenced Lana Del Rey, in addition to other artists and cinematic works. It seems like in every new generation there is a tragic character- after Jim it was Kurt (someone else Lana has claimed to be inspired by) after Kurt, it was Amy. I think Lana is a physical homage to tragic historical pop culture icons.
What do you guys think? Do you notice any similarities between Lana and other musicians? Another person we could compare Lana with is Priscilla Presley- the hair+ clothing styles, similar cars, - perhaps in attempts to reach Elvis? Where are you when I need you most? (Also may explain her negative responses when compared to Nancy Sinatra, once stating harshly that Frank was the "real musician." Nancy + Elvis were alleged to have had an affair)
"Pick your role models wisely. Find out what they did and do it." -Lana Del Rey
Lana with some losers covering "Roadhouse Blues" by The Doors.
I think it was less a ridiculous claim and more an instance of a music "journalist" covering his ass in the absence of any official sourcing. However, aside from the fact that its authenticity is obvious to my ears, the name "May Jailer", the album title Sirens, and the song titles "Junky Pride" and "A Star For Nick", all have solid receipts.
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