The Doors' song “Riders on the Storm” was released in 1971.
The song appeared on L.A. Woman, released in April 1971, and was issued as the album's second single in June of that year. Its eerie combination of rain effects, electric piano, tremolo guitar, and Morrison's whispered backing vocal created one of The Doors' most distinctive recordings.
“Riders on the Storm” was written collectively by Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. The track grew partly from an improvisation based on “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” but the finished song became something much more atmospheric and psychologically unsettling. Jerry Scheff played bass on the recording.
It is often remembered as Jim Morrison's final recording with The Doors. He died in Paris on July 3, 1971, shortly after the song's release. The single reached No. 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the band's signature songs.