This classic was inspired by the song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend."

The song is played in the E Dorian mode, and incorporates real sound effects of thunder and rain, along with Ray´s Fender Rhodes electric piano playing, which emulates the sound of rain.

The song was recorded at the Doors Workshop in December 1970 with the assistance of Bruce Botnick, their longtime engineer, who was co-producing the recording sessions. Jim recorded his main vocals and then whispered the lyrics over them to create the echo effect. The single was released in 1971, shortly before Jim´s death, entering the Hot 100 on 3 July 1971, the day that Jim died.

The Doors' former producer, Paul Rothchild left prior to the sessions as he did not like the album, or the song, calling it "cocktail music". Their engineer Bruce Botnick was selected to produce the album instead.

The band's drummer John Densmore wrote a 1990 book called Riders on the Storm, detailing the story of his life and his time with the group.

Ray Manzarek and guitarist Roy Rogers covered this song as an instrumental duet on their 2008 album "Ballads Before the Rain".

In November 2009, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame under the category Rock (track).