November 20, 1967
A song which defined the ‘psychedelic rock’ sound of the sixties sat at #1 on this day in 1967.
Incense And Peppermints by Glendale, California’s Strawberry Alarm Clock would sell over one million copies during its 16-week tenure on the Billboard Hot 100.
Despite remaining in the top spot for just a week (replaced by The Monkees‘ Daydream Believer) ‘Incense And Peppermints’ clocked nine weeks inside the Top 10 of Billboard, helping it become the weekly industry magazine’s 13th biggest hit single of 1967.
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When the band began recording the song, it was clear that none of the members’ vocals sounded suitable for the lead, so a 16-year old guitarist named Greg Munford was brought in to audition for the song, and his vocal take was kept for the final version of the recording. Munford never actually joined the band, but had a great voice for a teenage singer.
[Note] It’s similar to The Box Tops also bringing in a 16 year-old – the ‘blue-eyed soul’ sounding vocalist Alex Chilton – to sing on their #1 monster hit The Letter (#OnThisDay… September 23, 1967)
The group’s name wasn’t Strawberry Alarm Clock when ‘Incense And Peppermints’ was recorded – rather Thee Sixpence (intended to create the impression they were British). But when a check was done to clear the name for label printing it was already being used somewhere by another band at the time and would have created too much confusion.
They renamed the group Strawberry Alarm Clock, which seemed a better match for their future #1 record’s psychedelic sounding title.
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[Note] Some audio song files may not play on smartphones, tablets or connected devices. A laptop, desktop PC or Mac may be required for optimal enjoyment.
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INCENSE AND PEPPERMINTS
Strawberry Alarm Clock
[1967]
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OBSCURE TRACK!
TOMORROW
Strawberry Alarm Clock
(Stereo Album Version)
[1968]
SAC placed five singles on the Hot 100 in less than two years, including trippy titles like Barefoot In Baltimore and Sit With Guru. But only one cracked the Top 20 – the follow-up to their million seller called Tomorrow.
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Songs Source: The Music Vault of HouseoftheHits, Inc.
Billboard® Chart Data: Joel Whitburn’s Record Research (eBook Editions)
Record Sleeve & Label Graphics: Courtesy of 45cat
