Peace Frog
Encyclopedia
"Peace Frog" is a song by The Doors
which appears on the album Morrison Hotel
. It was released on vinyl in February 1970 by Elektra
/Asylum Records and produced by Paul Rothchild. It has a fairly short running time of 2:50 and blends seamlessly into the next track on the album, "Blue Sunday", making it easy for radio station
s to play the two songs consecutively.
of the song is a distorted G5 chord
played twice by guitarist Robby Krieger, followed by a brief percussive Wah-wah
effect. Morrison begins nearly every line with the word blood, often referring to "Blood in the streets..." blood everywhere... A brief musical interlude is next, followed by a guitar solo, and a spoken word verse ("Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding..."). The song ends with a final chord as it segues into the next track, "Blue Sunday".
The line "Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven" likely refers to Morrison's December 9, 1967 arrest at the New Haven Arena
during a concert. After an altercation with a police officer
backstage, Morrison made the incident known to the concert audience, and was arrested for attempting to incite a riot
. A similar line about Chicago probably refers to the conflict surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention
.
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
which appears on the album Morrison Hotel
Morrison Hotel
Morrison Hotel is The Doors' fifth album. It was released in 1970. After their experimental work The Soft Parade was not as well received as anticipated, the group went back to basics and back to their roots...
. It was released on vinyl in February 1970 by Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
/Asylum Records and produced by Paul Rothchild. It has a fairly short running time of 2:50 and blends seamlessly into the next track on the album, "Blue Sunday", making it easy for radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s to play the two songs consecutively.
Overview
The hookHook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
of the song is a distorted G5 chord
Power chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
played twice by guitarist Robby Krieger, followed by a brief percussive Wah-wah
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
effect. Morrison begins nearly every line with the word blood, often referring to "Blood in the streets..." blood everywhere... A brief musical interlude is next, followed by a guitar solo, and a spoken word verse ("Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding..."). The song ends with a final chord as it segues into the next track, "Blue Sunday".
Imagery
The line "Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding/Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind" originates from his poem, "Newborn Awakening" (and it also appears at the end of "Ghost Song"). The line is born out of "Dawn's Highway", a poem in which Jim describes an event that occurred when he was young. As Morrison described it in An American Prayer:The line "Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven" likely refers to Morrison's December 9, 1967 arrest at the New Haven Arena
New Haven Arena
New Haven Arena was an indoor arena on Grove Street in New Haven, Connecticut, that served as a venue for ice hockey, concerts, and circuses.The first arena opened in 1914 but burned down in 1924...
during a concert. After an altercation with a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
backstage, Morrison made the incident known to the concert audience, and was arrested for attempting to incite a riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
. A similar line about Chicago probably refers to the conflict surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
.
In other media
- Saccharine TrustSaccharine TrustSaccharine Trust is a post-hardcore band from California that was started in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza.The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. Drummer Rob Holzman appeared on their 1981 debut Paganicons but left the band to play in...
covered this song on their Past Lives compilation. - The song is in the 1998 movie The WaterboyThe WaterboyThe Waterboy is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight, and Rob Schneider have cameos...
. - It is on the soundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the 2005 video game Tony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American Wasteland, abbreviated to THAW, is a video game that was released for the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube and PC on October 18, 2005. Part of the Tony Hawk series, the game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision.The PC version of the game was ported and...
. - A cover of this song was recorded in 2007 by the Intrepid Travelers.
- Smash MouthSmash MouthSmash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell, Greg Camp, Paul De Lisle and Kevin Coleman as lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums respectively...
recorded a version of this song for the Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the DoorsStoned Immaculate: The Music of the DoorsStoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors is a tribute album dedicated to The Doors. Producer Ralph Sall gathered an assortment of new, classic and iconic artists for the record. Unusually, the surviving members of The Doors played on this "tribute" record. In addition, recordings of Jim Morrison...
tribute album. - Mephisto WalzMephisto WalzMephisto Walz are a gothic rock group formed in 1985. They have an accomplished discography behind them, having released many full-length albums over the course of their career, through Cleopatra Records and other labels...
recorded a version of this song for the Darken My Fire: A Gothic Tribute to the Doors tribute album. - The song is played during the credits of episode 6 of the first season of the TV series EntourageEntourage (TV series)Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
. - The song is played during an episode of My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
- The song is available as downloadable contentDownloadable contentDownloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the music video game Rock Band 3Rock Band 3Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.