The Soft Parade Tracklist
The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album released by psychedelic rock legends The Doors. The album, released July 18th, 1969 through Elektra Records, peaked at the sixth spot on the Billboard 200. “Touch Me”, “Wishful Sinful”, and “Tell All The People” were released as promotional singles for the album, with the former reaching the third spot on the Billboard 200.
The album was denounced by critics as the worst album recorded with Jim Morrison in the band’s lineup and was a shift from the older, more blues rock sound, to one more polished that appealed to wider audiences. The album was the first Doors records to include brass and string arrangements, leading to a much fuller and accessible sound compared to their earlier, more experimental and psychedelic tracks. The group used a new, more creative sound in the advent of the more experimental climate in both music and popular culture, following in the wake of The Beatles' and Jimi Hendrix’s success in experimentation. The album incorporated elements of jazz, blues, and art rock into their established psychedelic and blues rock sound Despite the more experimental aspects of the album, The Soft Parade still noted a shift in The Doors' sound, establishing them in the popular commercial market.
For the first time, Krieger took over the writing position for the majority of the album due to Morrison’s declining mental health, and his tracks were the most notably jazz influenced while Morrison’s were more experimental, incorporating acid rock and his own poetry. The album was the first Doors record to include individual songwriting credits because Jim Morrison didn’t want to sing Robby Krieger’s “Can’t you see me growing, get your guns” lyric on Krieger’s track, “Tell All The People”.
