Today’s classic song of the day is a bit of psychedelia from the Summer of Love. The song is “Incense and Peppermints’ by the Strawberry Alarm Clock and it was released in May of 1967. It went all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
The Strawberry Alarm Clock were a California-based group that formed in 1967 under the name of Thee Sixpence. They released four unsuccessful singles under that name, but the fifth, “Incense and Peppermints,” was the winner. The group actually recorded that track under the Thee Sixpence name, but then discovered another group by the same name and changed their name to Strawberry Alarm Clock. When no further hits transpired, they broke up in 1971—although various members reunited various times over the years.
“Incense and Peppermints” was written by John Carter and Tim Gilbert, with Alarm Clockers Mark Weitz and Ed King also contributing but uncredited. The song is described by some as psychedelic rock, with its fuzz guitar, prominent organ, and incessant cowbell throughout. None of the bandmembers were great vocalists, so they brought in 16 year-old Greg Munford, a friend of the band, to sing lead.
The lyrics are drug-fueled political nonsense that were just right for the times, including my favorite bit:
Beatniks and politics, nothin’ is new
A yardstick for lunatics, one point of view
Who cares what games we choose
Little to win, but nothing to lose
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, Strawberry Alarm Clock lip-synching “Incense and Peppermints” on some television program back in 1967. Groovy, baby.
