Psychedelic Rock

Earlier pressings have the title with variations on the length and punctuation of “Hello I Love You Won’t You Tell Me Your Name.” Abbreviated or not, punctuated or not, the song was written by band member Jim Morrison and released both as a single and on their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. The song was an international success. In 1968, it went to #1 in the U.S. , sold more than one million copies, and was awarded an RIAA gold record. It also went to #1 in Canada and was the first big hit for The Doors in the U.K., going to #15. The song went to #10 in Sweden, #12 in New Zealand, and #14 in The Netherlands. The song came from one of Morrison’s poems. It was inspired when he and another Doors member Ray Manzarek watched a girl walking along the beach.

The Doors were Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboards, backing vocals, percussion), Robby Krieger (guitar, backing vocals, percussion), and John Densmore (drums, backing vocals, and percussion). The band took their name for the Aldous Huxley book The Doors of Perception, which chronicled his experiences when taking mescaline. Aldous Huxley derived his title from the William Blake work The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, where Blake wrote: “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.” Building on all of that, Jim Morrison said, “there are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors.” Far out.

Here are the lyrics to “Hello, I Love You” by The Doors:

“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”

If you are interested in reading about and listening to another song by The Doors, please click here for “Light My Fire.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Hello, I Love You” by The Doors.