Runnin' Blue

"Runnin' Blue" is a song by the American rock band The Doors, the seventh track on their album "The Soft Parade". In 1969 it peaked at #64 on Billboard magazine's Pop Singles chart.

It is notable for being one of the few songs by The Doors prior to Jim Morrison's death to feature someone else on lead vocals, in this case Robby Krieger.

It is also notable for Jim Morrisons introduction, a tribute to the then recently-deceased Otis Redding:

"Poor Otis, dead and gone
"Left me here to sing his song
"Pretty little girl with the red dress on
"Poor Otis, dead and gone.
"

The lyrics and melody of this brief acapella introduction was taken from a Lead Belly track entited Po' Howard (or Poor Howard on some compilations) where Jim replaced the name 'Howard' with 'Otis'. Sometimes this introduction was played at the end of the another Doors' song, When The Music's Over.