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Cover of The Doors by The Doors
Cover: The Doors

Song · The Doors

“Break on Through (To The Other Side)” by The Doors

From the album The Doors (1967)

“Break on Through (To The Other Side)” by The Doors appears on 95 radio countdowns from 32 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1967 on the album The Doors. Its best result is #23 on the KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,185 alternative song of all time.

95countdowns
32stations
#23best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

The Doors - Break On Through (To The Other Side) [Official Video]

Video from YouTube (The Doors). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Break On Through (To the Other Side)" kicks off The Doors, the band's 1967 debut, and Elektra sent it out as their first single, with Paul A. Rothchild producing and Bruce Botnick engineering and mixing. All four members share the credit: Jim Morrison singing, Robby Krieger on electric guitar, Ray Manzarek on organ and keyboard bass, John Densmore on drums.

The secret is in the drums. Densmore had fallen for the bossa nova craze out of Brazil, so he set a clave pattern clicking on the rim under a driving ride cymbal, and a bossa-style bass line runs almost the whole length of the song, with a dash of mambo in the mix. The single stalled at 126 in the US, but the song became a staple of their shows, and twenty-four years on it finally dented the UK chart at 64.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 145 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 459 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 215 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 175 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 83 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 24 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 302 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 114 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 372 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 331 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1998 28 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 26 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 1468 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 23 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2002 532 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 171 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 535 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2007 564 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2010 201 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2010 646 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 95 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 200 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 96 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 169 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 119 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 141 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 402 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 195 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 384 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 69 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2014 552 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 50 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 302 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 193 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 99 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 194 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 292 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 62 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 396 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 367 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 75 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 169 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 405 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 177 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 401 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 235 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 87 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 971 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 258 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 119 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 164 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 146 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 127 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 158 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 81 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 132 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 553 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 140 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 233 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 175 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 264 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 320 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 212 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2022 293 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 117 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 46 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 90 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 256 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 394 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 80 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2023 213 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 110 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 477 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 212 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 145 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 117 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 336 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2024 465 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 250 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 351 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 475 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 88 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 130 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 123 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 104 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 703 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 217 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 249 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 442 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 425 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 151 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 308 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 169 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 706 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 354 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Break On Through; Break on Through; Break On Through (to the other side); Break on Through (To the Other Side); Break On Through (To The Other Side); Brek On Through.

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