1967 No. 1 Rock Classic Hit the Charts 59 Years Ago Today, Then Got The Doors Banned From 'Ed Sullivan'
Fifty-nine years ago today, on June 3, 1967, an edited version of a nearly seven-minute album cut entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time.
"Light My Fire" by The Doors began a climb that reached No. 1 by late July, and it turned a young Los Angeles band into one of rock's defining acts.
Though Jim Morrison became the face of the song, he was not its main writer. Guitarist Robby Krieger brought in the music as one of his first compositions for the group, drawing on the melody of "Hey Joe" and the lyrics of the Rolling Stones' "Play with Fire." Morrison wrote the second verse, keyboardist Ray Manzarek added the Bach-inspired organ intro and drummer John Densmore pushed for a Latin rhythm. The writing credit went to all four members.
The full version anchored the band's self-titled debut album, released that January, and ran nearly seven minutes, far too long for AM radio. Producer Paul Rothchild trimmed it to 2:52 by cutting most of the instrumental solos. The shortened single debuted on June 3, hit No. 1 on July 29, 1967 and stayed there for three weeks, the first chart-topper for the band's label, Elektra Records.
Then Came the 'Ed Sullivan' Standoff
That fall, the band booked a spot on The Ed Sullivan Show. Before the Sept. 17, 1967 broadcast, a producer asked them to change the word "higher," worried it read as a drug reference on a family program. The group agreed in rehearsal, then Morrison sang the original word live on air. By the band's account, a producer told them afterward they would "never do this show again." They never did.
The ban did little damage. "Light My Fire" remains one of the defining rock songs of the 1960s, and the story behind those few defiant seconds still follows the band decades later.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 8:21 PM.