Spanish Caravan: Difference between revisions

The song starts with a [[flamenco]] intro, played by Krieger, and is joined by Harpsichord, played by keyboardist Ray Manzarek, later in the intro. The first verse mentions places like [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], and [[Andalusia]], the southernmost part of Spain. When the chorus ends, the flamenco guitar stops, leading into an [[Acid rock]] instrumental, with use of the fuzz box. The second verse refers to the romanticized, and mythic wealth of the [[Iberian Peninsula]], which attracted many explorers from across [[Europe]].  

"Spanish Caravan" was released on July 3, 1968, along with the rest of the ''[[Waiting for the Sun|Waiting For The Sun]]'' album.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Music – The Doors |url=https://thedoors.com/music |access-date=2026-11-09 |website=thedoors.com}}</ref><ref name="mildequator.com-1" /> During an interview with Rainier Moddemann of ''The Doors Quarterly,'' Robby Krieger stated that the band was sued for borrowing from "Asturias." The Doors were forced to give up some money, but only a little. Krieger explained, "They didn't get very much, 'cause it's such a widely known thing, but they claimed they owned this little something stupid."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Songfacts |title=Spanish Caravan by The Doors - Songfacts |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-doors/spanish-caravan |access-date=2026-11-09 |website=www.songfacts.com |language=en}}</ref> The song was later included in the 1972 compilation ''[[Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine|Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine]]''.

Pitchfork stated that "Spanish Caravan", and the previous song on the album, "[[The Unknown Soldier (song)|The Unknown Soldier]]", felt more meandering than the band's longest pieces. They then called both songs "start/stop multi-sectional three-minute songs".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berman |first=Stuart |date=December 5, 2006 |title=The Doors: Perception |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9691-perception/ |access-date=2026-11-09 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

The first live performance of "Spanish Caravan" was on January 6, 1967, at the [[The Fillmore|Fillmore Auditorium]] in [[San Francisco]]. The most famous performance was at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], on [[Live at the Hollywood Bowl (The Doors album)|July 5, 1968]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Doors {{!}} Hollywood Bowl 1968 |url=https://mildequator.com/performancehistory/concertinfo/1968/680705.html |access-date=2026-11-09 |website=mildequator.com}}</ref> Other performances include one at the [[Roundhouse (venue)|Roundhouse]] in September of 1968, and the final performance at [[Madison Square Garden]] on January 24, 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Doors {{!}} Madison Square Garden 1969 |url=https://mildequator.com/performancehistory/concertinfo/1969/690124.html |access-date=2026-11-09 |website=mildequator.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Doors {{!}} London - The Roundhouse 1968 Night #1 |url=https://mildequator.com/performancehistory/concertinfo/1968/680906.html |access-date=2026-11-09 |website=mildequator.com}}</ref> As of 2026, Robby Krieger still performs the song on tour.<ref name="Fanelli2018-1" />