The Mosquito

Album: Full Circle (1972)
Charted: 84 85
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote this after listening to a Mexican song. He recalled to Uncut in 2015: "I was on vacation in Mexico, and these three local musicians came down out of the hills. They would sing mariachi stuff, and they had this one song about a mosquito and that inspired me."
  • Released as a single from Full Circle, The Doors second album after Jim Morrison's death, the song reached the Top 100 in both the US and UK. It was the band's last single to chart. "That was actually our biggest-selling single after Jim died because it was in Spanish and it did very well around the world," Krieger said. "Not only in Latin countries, but in Europe."
  • The mosquito is a small, midge-like fly which carries disease-causing viruses and parasites from person to person rendering it the deadliest animal in the world. Here are some mosquito fun facts (not that the lethal insect is much fun!):

    The first reference to a mosquito in English came in 1572 when it was described as "A certeine gnat or flie … which biteth both men and women in their sleepe."

    August 20th is World Mosquito Day, commemorating the day in 1897 when Sir Ronald Ross confirmed the Anopheles mosquito as the vector that carries malaria.

    According to the World Health Organisation, mosquito bites kill over a million people every year.

    A mosquito can drink up to three times its weight in blood.

    Mosquitoes fly at speeds between 1 and 1.5 miles per hour, making them one of the slowest flying insects of all.

    Mosquitos can mate in about 15 seconds.

    They are attracted to the color blue twice as much as to any other color.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

David Paich of Toto

David Paich of TotoSongwriter Interviews

Toto's keyboard player explains the true meaning of "Africa" and talks about working on the Thriller album.

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.