The band originally consisted of Ed King (lead guitar), Mark Weitz (keyboards), Lee Freeman (rhythm guitar), Gary Lovetro (bass), and Randy Seol (drums). On their first and most famous single, Incense and Peppermints, lead vocals were sung by Greg Munford, a 16-year-old friend of the band.
Strawberry Alarm Clock's song reached #1 on the Billboard pop singles chart in late 1967, and it has since been included in many mutli-artist collections and also appeared in many films as an iconic tune of the swinging sixties. After that success, the band added George Bunnell (bass and rhythm guitar) before making their first LP in 1967, also titled Incense and Peppermints. Bunnell would also become their main songwriter.
Membership changes were many. which sadly foretold the band's falling fortunes. Gary Lovetro left the band before their second album, Wake Up It's Tomorrow, which was also released in 1967. Their single from that album, Tomorrow, was a minor hit and their only other top 40 appearance, reaching #23 in early 1968. Although the group followed up with more LPs in 1968 (The World in a Seashell) and 1969 (Good Morning Starshine), Strawberry Alarm Clock had begun to fall apart and their audience was mostly gone The group managed to keep performing in various forms until 1971, when Strawberry Alarm Clock finally broke up.
Strawberry Alarm Clock as a band has made two notable appearances in films, first in the 1968 Jack Nicholson movie Psych-Out, where they played several songs including Incense and Peppermints, Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow, and The Pretty Song from Psych-Out. They second' appeared in the 1970 Russ Meyer camp classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
Ed King went on to join Lynyrd Skynyrd. Several members of Strawberry Alarm Clock reunited in the 80s to perform on oldies concert tours as well. Still, no additional albums came of that.
The original band lineup reunited one last time to perform an approximately one-hour set at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL, on April 29, 2007. The event was part of the last day of film critic Roger Ebert's ninth annual Overlooked Film Festival and was preceded by a screening of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Despite being unable to speak due to recent surgery, Ebert made prepared remarks with the use of a device given to him by a U of I professor.
Black Butter
Strawberry Alarm Clock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold it up until you see another person,
Standing, when you see him.
Try to talk to him, he will not answer.
Just cry the word, then just cry the whole world,
Oh, yes!
But you don't know where,
Thrust it up, then down again,
SMASH IT! Oh, do it again.
Break it! Oh yeah,
Then destroy it, oh yes, destroy it,
Destroy it, destroy it.
Ho-ha, yes, destroy it!
And if it dies, you'll hear the cries,
And know the meaning of...black butter.
The lyrics of Strawberry Alarm Clock's song "Black Butter" are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. The song seems to be exploring themes of self-reflection, isolation, and destruction.
The opening lines ("Take a mirror from any room, Hold it up until you see another person") suggest the act of looking into a mirror, a metaphor for self-reflection. The lyrics then take a surreal turn ("Standing, when you see him. Try to talk to him, he will not answer"), implying a sense of detachment or disconnection from oneself. The repetition of the phrase "just cry the word" could be interpreted as a plea for communication or understanding.
The following lines ("Thrust it up, then down again, SMASH IT! Oh, do it again. Break it! Oh yeah, Then destroy it, oh yes, destroy it") seem to depict a violent act of breaking and destroying the mirror repeatedly. This could symbolize a desire to shatter one's self-image, perhaps out of frustration or a longing for change. The mention of black butter adds to the mysteriousness of the lyrics, leaving the listener to ponder its meaning.
Overall, "Black Butter" appears to be evoking a sense of inner turmoil, a struggle to communicate with oneself, and a yearning for release or transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a mirror from any room,
Grab a mirror from any room you're in,
Hold it up until you see another person,
Raise it up until you spot someone else in the reflection,
Standing, when you see him.
Standing there, once you lay eyes on him.
Try to talk to him, he will not answer.
Attempt to speak to him, but he won't respond.
Just cry the word, then just cry the whole world,
Simply shout out the word, then let all your emotions pour out,
Oh, yes!
Oh, certainly!
But you don't know where,
However, you're unsure of your destination,
No you don't know where, no
No, you really have no clue where to go
Thrust it up, then down again,
Lift it up forcefully, then bring it down once more,
SMASH IT! Oh, do it again.
SHATTER IT! Oh, repeat the action.
Break it! Oh yeah,
Fracture it! Oh, indeed,
Then destroy it, oh yes, destroy it,
Afterwards, annihilate it, oh yes, obliterate it,
Destroy it, destroy it.
Demolish it, destroy it.
Ho-ha, yes, destroy it!
Ho-ha, yes, obliterate it!
And if it dies, you'll hear the cries,
And if it perishes, you'll hear the wails,
And know the meaning of...black butter.
And comprehend the significance of...black butter.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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