The Unsettling Inspiration Behind The Doors' Song Riders On The Storm

It'll probably never be known why Billy Cook's murderous travels as a hitchhiking killer left such a strong impression on Jim Morrison. The Doors' frontman was inspired to write an entire screenplay about Cook, and his fascination with Cook led to one of rock music's most unsettling verses. But when it came time to actually

It'll probably never be known why Billy Cook's murderous travels as a hitchhiking killer left such a strong impression on Jim Morrison. The Doors' frontman was inspired to write an entire screenplay about Cook, and his fascination with Cook led to one of rock music's most unsettling verses. But when it came time to actually film the screenplay, the story went in a different direction. As Morrison explained to the Village Voice, they dropped the whole violent criminal angle to the movie and the only original element that was left was the character of the lonely hitchhiker. The film, starring Morrison, was called "HWY: An American Pastoral."

Like the film, Morrison didn't want to linger "Riders on the Storm" on such a gloomy note. After the verse about Cook, he switched subjects completely. Morrison sang a verse that seemed to be about a romantic relationship with the lyrics "Girl, you gotta love your man." This may be addressed to Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson, as Far Out Magazine pointed out. Not long after recording this song, Morrison and Courson headed to Paris, which was supposed to be a brand new start for the pair. Sadly, it was in this city that Morrison died on July 3, 1971.

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