From 1962 to 1965, Manzarek studied in the Department of Cinematography at UCLA, where he met film student Jim Morrison. He met drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger at a Transcendental Meditation lecture. In January 1966, The Doors became the house band at The London Fog on the Sunset Strip in LA. Manzarek occasionally sang for The Doors, including the live recordings of "Close To You" and on the B-side of "Love Her Madly," "You Need Meat (Don't Go No Further)." He also sang on the last two Doors albums, recorded after Morrison's death, Other Voices and Full Circle. Additionally, he provided one of several guitar parts on the song "Been Down So Long."
Manzarek played in several groups after the Doors, including Nite City. Manzarek also recorded a rock adaptation of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with Philip Glass, produced Echo and the Bunnymen and Los Angeles band X, and played with Iggy Pop and backed San Francisco poet Michael McClure's poetry readings.
He is widely regarded as being one of the most influential keyboardists in rock and roll history from his tenure with The Doors, having changed the spectrum of ability a keyboardist is expected to have. This is largely due to the fact that since The Doors lacked a bassist Manzarek would often play those parts with his Fender Rhodes Piano Bass.
He is famous for playing the keyboard by not looking at the keys and shaking his head throughout songs.
His memoirs, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors, was published in 1998. The Poet in Exile (2001) was followed by his second novel, Snake Moon, which was released by Nightshade Press in April 2006.
In Oliver Stone's biopic The Doors, Manzarek was played by Kyle MacLachlan. MacLachlan's performance was the only good thing Manzarek had to say about the Oliver Stone movie.
The dance
Ray Manzarek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get on up and dance to the fonky music!
Dance to the Music, Dance to the Music
Hey Greg!
What?
All we need is a drummer,
For people who only need a beat
And make it easy to move your feet
I'm gonna add some bottom,
So that the dancers just won't hide
You might like to hear my organ
Playing "Ride Sally Ride"
You might like to hear the horns blowin',
Cynthia on the throne, yeah!
Cynthia & Jerry got a message they're sayin':
All the squares, go home!
Dance to the Music, Dance to the Music
Ray Manzarek's song "The Dance" calls out to the audience to come and join in, get up and dance to the funky beat of the music. The song is driven by the need for a drummer, signaling the call for the beat that the audience connects with. The lyrics add little guitar riffs to make the beat lively and provide bass so that the dancers can move in sync. The music provides an opportunity for the audience to loosen up and move their feet as the instruments take over.
The song's character acknowledges the need to keep the audience engaged and to keep them entertained by playing different instruments like the organ, which offers a new perspective to the song. The music acts like a messenger, encouraging people to enjoy themselves and to let go of their inhibitions. The horn section joins in, and Cynthia and Jerry take control, asking for all "squares" to leave, leaving only those who can dance to the beat of the music.
In summary, Ray Manzarek's "The Dance" is a call to the audience to get up and dance to the funky beat and to let go of their inhibitions. The song is a tribute to the power of music to connect people and to bring them together in a common purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Get up and dance to the music!
Stand up and groove to the rhythm!
Get on up and dance to the fonky music!
Get up from your seat and move your body to the funky music!
Dance to the Music, Dance to the Music
Let's all dance together to the beat of the music!
Hey Greg!
Hey, Greg! I wanted to talk to you for a moment.
What?
What do you want to talk about?
All we need is a drummer,
We only require a drummer to play music.
For people who only need a beat
The beat is all that matters for those who dance without caring about lyrics or melody.
I'm gonna add a little guitar
I'll introduce some guitar music into the mix.
And make it easy to move your feet
The guitar sound will be perfect for moving your feet easily and lightly.
I'm gonna add some bottom,
I'll add a bass track of music.
So that the dancers just won't hide
I'll play bass music loudly so that the dancers' sounds aren't drowned out.
You might like to hear my organ
Perhaps you'll enjoy listening to my organ music.
Playing "Ride Sally Ride"
It'll be performing the song named "Ride Sally Ride."
You might like to hear the horns blowin'
You may like listening to the horns being played in the music.
Cynthia on the throne, yeah!
Cynthia is in charge of the rhythm, that's why she's holding the "musical throne"
Cynthia & Jerry got a message they're sayin':
Cynthia and Jerry have something to tell us.
All the squares, go home!
Let's kick all the dull, uncreative people out of the music session!
Dance to the Music, Dance to the Music
Let's groove together and dance to the music!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sylvester Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KSLPN
Thank you for posting this!!
@Endwarpowers
This reminds me of Von Zamla, great stuff
@samaelelohim
MAgnifico