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.
They Saw The Fat One Coming
Strawberry Alarm Clock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they just couldn't understand why he was crying
He came upon them without warning
And told them of the things he left behind him dying
Why did he come to our fair city?
Why did he say the things that only make us worried?
He said it killed but showed no pity
Why did it spare him? Why's he here?
Who's this stranger that walks among us?
And why's he here? Why did he live?
Maybe a deal's been made between them
Ooh ooh ooh
We gathered at the church on Sunday
And turned the house of God into a place of violence
With guns and clubs we met on Monday
And swore before the day was done there would be silence
The song "They Saw The Fat One Coming" by Strawberry Alarm Clock tells the story of an enigmatic stranger who came to a town, and his arrival has sparked fear and suspicion among the locals. The first verse implies that the man appeared unexpectedly, surprising the people around him. He seemed distressed, even weeping, and he spoke about the terrible things that had happened to him in the past, suggesting that he was running from something.
The second verse reinforces the fear and anxiety that the stranger's arrival has caused. The lyrics suggest that the man was talking about something ominous, something that had killed and shown no mercy. The townspeople want to know more about the stranger and the reason for his presence, but they are also afraid of him because he seems to carry a dark cloud with him wherever he goes.
The third and final verse takes a dramatic turn. The townspeople, who have grown increasingly paranoid and agitated since the stranger's arrival, have armed themselves and gathered in the church to confront him. They have gone from curiosity to hostility in just a few days, and the situation looks like it could turn violent.
Overall, "They Saw The Fat One Coming" is a dark and mysterious song that explores themes of fear, suspicion, and violence. The stranger's presence has upset the balance of the town, and the lyrics suggest that the situation can only end in tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
They said they saw him in the morning
According to some folks, he was spotted in the morning
But they just couldn't understand why he was crying
The witnesses were baffled about why he was weeping
He came upon them without warning
He approached them suddenly and unexpectedly
And told them of the things he left behind him dying
He spoke about the things he had to abandon, which were now no more
Why did he come to our fair city?
What was the purpose of his visit to a town he was completely unfamiliar with?
Why did he say the things that only make us worried?
Why did he say things that provoke anxiety within us, but had no effect on him?
He said it killed but showed no pity
He mentioned that something had caused the deaths of many others, but remained emotionless when he spoke of it
It came upon him like the devil's raging fury
It encapsulated him with the force and ferocity of Satan's wrath
Why did it spare him? Why's he here?
How come the thing that caused the deaths of so many people didn't affect him, and why did he survive?
Who's this stranger that walks among us?
Who is this unfamiliar man who is currently a part of our community?
And why's he here? Why did he live?
Why was he brought to this place, and how come he managed to avoid that thing's deadly effects?
Maybe a deal's been made between them
Possibly there is an agreement that has been reached between them
We gathered at the church on Sunday
We congregated at the place of worship on the Sabbath
And turned the house of God into a place of violence
We took a peaceful setting and transformed it into somewhere filled with conflict
With guns and clubs we met on Monday
We showed up on Monday equipped with firearms and blunt weapons
And swore before the day was done there would be silence
And promised that by the end of the day, everything would be quiet and peaceful again
Contributed by Amelia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tim Mungenast
Thanks for sharing this. It is simply a wonderful-yet-disturbing song. I love the layered solo: heavily compressed clean in the foreground, fuzzy in the background. It's a lush sonic experience with intense lyrics.
Tom
Just a great band, all 4 LP's kick ass.
Beverly Ledbetter
First time I ever heard this one and I'm glad I did. Another very underrated band!✌️
『 Phagalizer 』
A lovely, slow, mellow song. Love the Strawberry Alarm Clock! Rock On people!
Joe Regan
A great and genuinely sinister horror story, and also a great song. Reminds me a lot of Arthur Machen and HP Lovecraft
Skale Model Korner
This solo is my favourite 😄
Chris Freewell
great jam from a great great album.
Steven Spyrou
R.I.P. ED KING
Neil Kushner
cool, groovy and hip, thanks for the music
Thomas Kay
best album ever