The Doors’ record company thought this was too long to get radio play, so the guitar solos were edited down for the single to make it considerably shorter. Many stations played the 6:50 album version anyway. Since the single was a shortened version, fans had to buy the album to get the extended mix, which helped spur sales of the album.
Elektra founder Jaz Holzman recalled to Mojo magazine November 2010: “We had that huge problem with the time length – seven-and-a-half minutes. Nobody could figure out how to cut it. Finally I said to Rothchild, Nobody can cut it but you. When her cut out the solo, there were screams. Except from Jim. Jim said, ‘Imagine a kid in Minneapolis hearing even the cut version over the radio, it’s going to turn his head around.’ So they said, ‘Go ahead, release it.’ We released it with the full version on the other side.
(source)
The Doors at The Isle of Wight Festival in 1970
Lyrics to The Doors’ “Light My Fire”
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higher
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeah
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeahYou know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higher
Come on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
(Repeat)
Try to set the night on fire
If you love The Doors, you need to know that… The Doors To Release ‘Waiting For The Sun’ 50th Anniversary Reissue With Unreleased Songs