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.
Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow
Strawberry Alarm Clock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rainy day mushroom pillow
Colors green, brown, and yellow,
Wonder if they'll turn black ever
Comtemplating one together
Poisoned dreams,
Distorted dreams,
There's no place that can be better
When you're up in clouds forever,
Pacify your mind with islands
Colored snow and green-field skies and,
Poisoned dreams,
Distorted dreams,
Mushroom dreams.
Don't have to tell you it feels better than,
Floating free, walk upon the sand
Got to give you things much better
My mushroom's green and brown forever.
Poisoned dreams,
Distorted dreams,
Mushroom dreams.
Rainy day mushroom pillow
Rainy day mushroom pillow
Rainy day mushroom pillow
The lyrics of Strawberry Alarm Clock’s Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow describe a hazy, dreamlike state induced by mushrooms, and the song’s surreal lyrics reflect this altered reality. The first two lines describe a multi-colored mushroom pillow, and the singer contemplates how the colors may change over time. The repeating chorus consists of “poisoned dreams, distorted dreams, mushroom dreams” which suggests a sense of discomfort or unease, possibly due to the hallucinations induced by the mushrooms.
The second verse continues the theme of escapism, with the line “there’s no place that can be better / when you’re up in clouds forever”. The singer seeks to pacify their mind with images of tranquil islands, colored snow, and green-field skies. The final lines of the song reiterate the psychedelic imagery of the first verse, with the singer referring to their mushroom as “green and brown forever”. Overall, the song seems to explore the experience of seeking out alternate states of consciousness, and the surreal imagery and disjointed lyrics reflect this inner journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Rainy day mushroom pillow
A mushroom-shaped pillow on a rainy day
Colors green, brown, and yellow,
The pillow is colored green, brown, and yellow
Wonder if they'll turn black ever
Questioning whether the colors of the pillow will ever turn black
Comtemplating one together
Reflecting on the pillow with someone else
Poisoned dreams,
Dreams influenced by poisonous substances
Distorted dreams,
Dreams that are changed or altered in some way
Mushroom dreams.
Dreams influenced by mushrooms
There's no place that can be better
Nothing is better than being high in the clouds
When you're up in clouds forever,
When you're high in the clouds forever
Pacify your mind with islands
Calm your mind with imaginary islands
Colored snow and green-field skies and,
Imaginary scenes of colored snow and green skies
Don't have to tell you it feels better than,
It doesn't need to be explained that this feeling is better than something else
Floating free, walk upon the sand
Enjoying the freedom of walking on sand without constraints
Got to give you things much better
I have to offer things that are much better than this
My mushroom's green and brown forever.
My mushroom is green and brown forever
Rainy day mushroom pillow
A mushroom-shaped pillow on a rainy day
Rainy day mushroom pillow
A mushroom-shaped pillow on a rainy day
Rainy day mushroom pillow
A mushroom-shaped pillow on a rainy day
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE BARTEK, GEORGE BUNNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Howard G
The psychedellic era is the greatest. Love this music because it takes you away man.
Mad Cow
The psychedelic era is not over it's just being reborn
sunkentree
@James Aron Pretty much everything you said on your second paragraph was ridiculous except the techno-surveillance state. That's definitely the reality right now. You're not being oppressed just because society wants you to help stop spreading a pandemic.
Hershie
@Rael Ockletree bruh
mekenna wilson
Man... you're right
ftsjr
One of many good psychedelic-type songs to emerge in the late 60's. The visuals in this video go very well with the tune.
matthew roberts
Most definitely
G Goat
This song on acid feels amazing, i love the harpsichord, bongos and organ. Sounds blissful
nycsp
@Dirk Diggler it did happen to me on Halloween, i took 1/4 of LSD or what my friend said it was and I got a headache and had to stay on bed for 2 straight days. Too many synthetics , i prefer my green in all shapes and forms! But joints are my passion
Dev
Shrooms are superior when it comes to inducing an uncontrollable dream-like state, at least for me anyways. Individual experiences certainly may differ. LSD tends to be much more visually stimulating but can get rather depressive/boring. - Psilocybin on the other hand seems much more unpredictable. Mushies go down the hatch, two hours and a bong rip later I crawl from my chair to the fire. Absorbing every wave of heat in which it radiates. Curled up, my heart beats, as though it is a drum of war, steadily, yet boldly ensuring that my fate in unfolding. My jaw clenches, I struggle to determine wether my eyes are opened or closed. Bull frogs and Marshall Tucker serenade the valley, leaving no room for fear in my ever-so delicate psyche. I lay staring up at the stars who dance above me. Every step, every breath I have taken, has led me to this moment. And it exactly where I need to be.