Rock Legends Quiz: The Doors

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Rock Legends Quiz: The Doors
Image: TMDB

About This Quiz

They blew the hinges off of the public perception of rock n' roll. How much do you know about The Doors?
The Doors were formed in which year?
1963
1965
1967
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Doors came together in 1965 and continued until 1973. Since then, the band has performed many reunion tours, sans one very popular lead singer.

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In which area did the band form?
Los Angeles
Seattle
Tampa Bay
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Doors rose from the rock scene in Los Angeles. They were, appropriately, one of the most cinematic and imaginative bands of the era.

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In what year did lead singer Jim Morrison die?
1971
1973
1975
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morrison died in Paris in 1971. The band attempted to go on without him but ultimately failed. Morrison was the band's true star and anchor, and without him, it couldn't survive.

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How many albums did the band release?
four
eight
10
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The band released eight albums in eight years. That number includes six studio albums, a live album and a compilation.

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Which instrument did band member Ray Manzsarek play?
keyboard
guitar
drums
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Manzarek was the keyboardist who played many of the band's most haunting and invigorating melodies. He died in May 2013.

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The Doors' band name was inspired by which famous writer?
William Blake
Jack Kerouac
Allen Ginsburg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The famous poet William Blake wrote a line that inpsired the band's name. "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."

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What was the name of the band's first album?
The Doors
Strange Days
Waiting for the Sun
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Doors released their self-titled debut album in 1967. The album had their first big hit "Light My Fire."

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How many drummers did The Doors go through during the production of their studio albums?
one
two
three
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There was only one drummer for The Doors. John Densmore played on all of the band's albums.

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Why was Jim Morrison arrested onstage during a December 9, 1967, concert?
profanity
nudity
assault
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A police office sprayed Morrison with mace backstage. Morrison responded by grabbing a microphone and unleashing profane monologue against the authorities.

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How many of the band's singles sold more than 1 million copies?
three
five
seven
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The band had three singles that topped 1 million in sales. Those songs were "Touch Me," "Hello, I Love You" and "Light My Fire."

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When Morrison first performed with the band, what did he often do?
destroyed instruments
turned his back to the audience
broke down crying
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morrison was rebellious but shy. In the band's early performances he'd often turn his back to avoid the audience's gaze.

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Which song did the band perform on the Ed Sullivan Show?
"Riders on the Storm"
"Break On Through (to the Other Side)"
"Light My Fire"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The show's producer convinced the band not to sing the words "girl we couldn't get much higher," which appear in "Light My Fire." Morrison, of course, sang the words anyway and gained the ire of corporate types and parents everywhere.

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Band member Robby Krieger played which instrument?
bass guitar
drums
guitar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Krieger was the guitar virtuoso who propelled many of the band's songs to ever greater heights. He also wrote (or helped to write) many of the band's most famous tunes.

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In 1966, the band was fired from its job as house band for Whiskey A-Go-Go after it played an explicit version of which song?
"The End"
"Light My Fire"
"Riders on the Storm"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morrison took "The End" and twisted the content too far even for the famous L.A. club. The band was fired from its steady gig, but by that point they didn't need it, anyway.

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Which song did NOT appear on the band's second album?
"When the Music's Over"
"Love Me Two Times"
"Back Door Man"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Back Door Man" wasn't on the second album, titled "Strange Days." With the release of this album, there were indeed many strange days ahead for the four young band members.

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Jim Morrison didn't like college but stayed until graduation, anyway. Why?
He didn't want to be drafted.
He didn’t know what do do with his life.
He hated corporate life.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With the Vietnam War in full swing, many young people used college as a shield from the draft. Morrison didn't want to be shipped off to a remote combat zone.

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The band has sold about how many records worldwide?
more than 100 million
more than 200 million
more than 300 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Doors sold more than 30 million albums in the U.S. alone and more than 100 million across the planet. That number makes them one of the best-selling artists in music history.

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Which band member objected to the others taking up the band's name for the sake of continued commercialization?
Ray Manzarek
Robby Krieger
John Densmore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John Densmore has essentially stood against further commercialization of the band's work. He's taken Krieger and Manzarek to court multiple times to stop songs from being used to sell products.

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Which of the band's albums was the only one to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts?
"Strange Days"
"Waiting for the Sun"
"Love Parade"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The third album was a charm for the band, as "Waiting for the Sun" hit No. 1 on the charts. It featured a megahit song by the name of "Hello, I Love You."

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The band never officially hired a bass guitar player.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Doors clearly had a bass guitar on some of the studio albums. But they never officially hired a bass player for their shows.

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In 2002, Krieger and Manzarek attempted to reform The Doors by hiring the singer of which band?
the Cult
INXS
Alice in Chains
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They hired Ian Astbury of the Cult. Astbury did a respectable Morrison impression, but the band was still just a distant echo of its former glory.

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What was the name of the girlfriend who became Morrison's longest-running partner in life?
Laura Wendell
Patricia Kennealy
Pamela Courson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pamela Courson was one of Morrison's longest relationships, although he was frequently found in the company of other women. Courson died just three years after Morrison. The cause of her death was heroin overdose.

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Before The Doors, why was Morrison invited to become a part of Manzarek's group, called Rick and the Ravens?
his rock star appeal
his stellar poetry
his amazing voice
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morrison's provacative and introspective poetry appealed to the people in Rick and the Ravens. The band later asked Krieger and Densmore to join as well.

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The song named "The Crystal Ship" appeared on which of the band's albums?
"The Soft Parade"
"The Doors"
"Waiting for the Sun"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Crystal Ship" was the third track on the band's first album, "The Doors." Many fans attribute the lyrics to drug use, but the words could actually carry much deeper meaning.

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Who played Pamela Courson in Oliver Stone's film about the band?
Demi Moore
Meg Ryan
Kim Basinger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Meg Ryan played the rollercoaster life of Pamela Courson, who famously drifted in and out of her relationship with Jim Morrison. The movie featured Val Kilmer as Morrison.

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How old was Jim Morrison when he died?
27
29
32
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Morrison was just 27 years old when he died. His lifeless body was found in a bathtub in Paris.

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Morrison's body was subjected to a thorough autopsy.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No autopsy was performed on his body. The lack of real answers regarding his death has led to endless speculation and conspiracy theories.

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Ray Manzarek performed on numerous albums for which punk rock band?
The Ramones
X
The Sex Pistols
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Manzarek played keyboard for X. He also produced the band's first four albums.

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How many albums did the band record after Morrison's death?
zero
one
two
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The band released two more albums after Morrison died. But the writing was on the wall, and the band ultimately failed in its efforts to continue without their legendary singer.

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In what year did the band release an album of music that served as a backdrop for Morrison's poetry?
1978
1983
1988
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1978, seven years after Morrison's death, the band released "An American Prayer." It was a collage of sounds matched to Morrison's recited poetry, which he had recorded before his death.

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You Got:
/30
TMDB