The Poems of William Blake Summary and Analysis

The Doors

For all you classic rock music fans out there, you may like to know that the 1960s California rock n' roll band "The Doors" took their name from a William Blake quote. Originally calling themselves "The Doors of Perception" at the suggestion of lead singer Jim Morrison, who was studying film and literature at UCLA at the time of the band's formation (and was reading a lot of William Blake at the time), the band shortened their name to the more simplified "the Doors" for marketing reasons, as it was easier to advertise, billboard, and remember.

The full length quote that inspired Morrison with the band name is taken from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" and is as follows:

"If the doors of perception were cleansed, things will appear to man as they truly are: infinite."