Light My Fire Chords And Guitar Lesson (The Doors)

This legendary song got The Doors banned from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. 

It’s a unique blend of rock, blues, jazz, and psychedelia. 

It all began with fingerstyle guitarist Robby Krieger. Below I’m going to share some pro tips on his unique guitar style.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "Light My Fire" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Light My Fire?

"Light My Fire" was written primarily by Robby Krieger, the guitarist for The Doors. However, all members of the band contributed to its development. At the time, Jim Morrison was writing the majority of the tunes and they realized as a band they didn’t have enough original songs.

Morrison said something along the lines of “why do I have to do all the work?”. So Krieger stepped up to write and Morrison advised him to come up with something universal… something that would not be outdated in a year or two. 

So Krieger thought about universal elements like fire, earth, air, and water. He decided to come up with the lyrics based around the element of fire.

Jim Morrison helped refine the lyrics. Ray Manzarek (keyboardist) and John Densmore (drummer) contributed their parts as well, including the famous organ riff by Manzarek. The band credited all four members as writers.

“Light My Fire” was first released on The Doors’ self-titled debut album in January 1967. It was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California. The extended album version features a notable keyboard solo by Manzarek and a guitar solo by Krieger, showcasing the band's unique blend of rock, jazz, and psychedelia. Live they would often extend these solos into mesmerizing jams. 

The single version of "Light My Fire" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in July 1967. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Plus, Rolling Stone ranked it at #35 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (as of the 2021 update). It is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Another interesting note about this song is the controversy that happened on the Ed Sullivan Show on September 17, 1967.

The Doors were invited to perform the song on the show, but the producers asked them to change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" because of its drug connotation. Morrison went out onstage and defied this request. He sang the original lyrics as written and they got banned from the show afterward. 

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Light My Fire?

The tuning for "Light My Fire”, as recorded by The Doors is standard tuning.

Robby Krieger kept things simple. 

Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE. 

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch) 
• A (5th string) 
• D (4th string) 
• G (3rd string) 
• B (2nd string) 
• E (1st string, highest pitch)  

Let’s next take a look at the…

Light My Fire Chords

To play "Light My Fire” as recorded by The Doors you’ll need to know 13 main chords they are G, D, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, A, Am7, F#m7, B, E, Bm7, and C. Let’s take a look at a few ways these chords might be played on the fretboard:

G is played using all 6 strings like this:

D is played from the 4th string down like this:

F is a bar chord played in 1st position like this:

Bb is played as a bar chord from the 5th string to the 2nd string like this:

Eb shifts the Bb shape up to the 6th position like this:

Ab is played the same as F just shifted up 3 frets like so:

Simply shift Ab up one more fret and you now have A in the 5th position like this:

Those are all the chords for the intro. After this, we move on to the Verse section, which uses just 2 chords. These two chords are Am7 and F#m7. They are both the same shape just on different frets.

B is played like Bb above however, it’s one fret higher:

E is played using all 6 strings like so:

Bm7 comes in during the solo section and can be played in 7th position like this:

Finally, C is played from the 5th string down and using just 3 fingers in the fretting hand like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it faster and in the simplest way. Then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:  

All right, now that you know the "Light My Fire" chords, let’s next talk about…

What key is Light My Fire in?

"Light My Fire" by The Doors is primarily in the key of A minor. But it features modal shifts throughout the various sections of the song that highlight different keys. The Verses revolve around A minor, while the Chorus shifts to G major.

Let’s now talk about the…

Light My Fire Strumming Pattern

The main rhythmic feel for "Light My Fire" is a steady eighth-note rock groove. In 4/4 time, there will be 8 eighth notes per measure. Each quarter note is divided into two equal parts. 

Counting eighth notes out loud would sound like this:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

"1, 2, 3, 4" are the main beats.

"&" represents the halfway point between each beat.

When counted out loud, it sounds like:

"One-and, Two-and, Three-and, Four-and." 

Here's an example of a strumming pattern in the style of “Light My Fire”:  

Light My Fire Strumming Pattern TAB

Conclusion

To wrap it up, “Light My Fire” is a blast to play on guitar. Robby Krieger is a phenomenal guitarist. Plus, the way he played (fingerstyle) resulted in some incredible songs with The Doors.

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:   

Jon MacLennan