Incense and Peppermints
{{about|the song|the album|Incense and Peppermints (album)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Incense and Peppermints
| cover = Incense and peppermints by strawberry alarm clock US single side-A.png
| alt = Side-A vinyl label
| caption = Side A of the 1967 US single
| type = single
| artist = Strawberry Alarm Clock
| album = Incense and Peppermints
| B-side = The Birdman of Alkatrash
| released = May 19, 1967{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/55018|title=Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints}}
| recorded = 1967
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Psychedelic pop{{cite book|author=Mark Kemp|title=Dixie Lullaby|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mor24CeBsGwC&pg=PA68|access-date=14 October 2015|date=1 November 2007|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4165-9046-0|page=68}}|psychedelic rock{{cite book|author=Doyle Greene|title=The Rock Cover Song: Culture, History, Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oJlDAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA152|access-date=18 October 2015|date=10 March 2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-1507-3|page=152}}|acid rock{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: The Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense And Peppermints"|website= Stereogum |date= October 23, 2018 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2019884/the-number-ones-the-strawberry-alarm-clocks-incense-and-peppermints/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= ...it’s plenty possible to hear “Incense And Peppermints” as a...version of the acid rock that was blossoming in San Francisco during that moment. And maybe “Incense And Peppermints” is that.|accessdate= June 14, 2023}}}}
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=47}}
| label = UNI
| writer = {{hlist|John S. Carter|Tim Gilbert}}
(uncredited: Mark Weitz, Ed King)
| producer = Frank Slay
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Tomorrow
| next_year = 1967
| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|idJzMSKaHaw|"Incense And Peppermints"}}}}
}}
"Incense and Peppermints" is a 1967 song by the American psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock. The song is officially credited as having been written by John S. Carter and Tim Gilbert, although it was based on an instrumental idea by band members Mark Weitz and Ed King.{{cite web|title=Mark Weitz Biography|publisher=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p136993/biography|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=2010-03-31}} It was released as a single in May 1967 by Uni Records and reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in November of that year.{{cite book|author=Hogg, Brian.|year=1992|title=Strawberries Mean Love (1992 CD liner notes)}}{{cite book|author=Whitburn, Joel.|page=814|year=2008|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2006|publisher=Record Research Inc|isbn=978-0-89820-172-7}} Although the single was released in the United Kingdom, it failed to break into the UK Singles Chart.{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony.|page=861|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}} The song was featured in the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery{{cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0118655/soundtrack/?ref_=tt_trv_snd|publisher=Imdb.com|title=Austin Powers soundtrack |access-date=27 December 2021}} and the television series Daisy Jones and the Six.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-04 |title=This 1 Addictive Song Is In Every 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Episode |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/songs-in-daisy-jones-and-the-six-soundtrack-list |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Bustle |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-24 |title=The 'Daisy Jones & the Six' Soundtrack Finally Included a Fleetwood Mac Song |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a43170873/daisy-jones-and-the-six-soundtrack-songs/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=ELLE |language=en-US}}
History
Prior to the release of "Incense and Peppermints," the band had already issued four singles ("Long Day's Care" / "Can't Explain", "My Flash on You" / "Fortune Teller", "In the Building" / "Hey Joe", and "Heart Full of Rain" / "First Plane Home") on All-American Records as Thee Sixpence.{{cite web|title=USA single's list S from 1966-72|publisher=Psychlists|url=http://www.jbpco.freeuk.com/USAList/USAListS.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000902055638/http://www.jbpco.freeuk.com/USAList/USAListS.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2000|access-date=2009-09-24}} During the recording sessions for "Incense and Peppermints," the band members were not considered a right fit for the lead vocal track, which John S. Carter had written using a rhyming dictionary, so the lead vocals were sung by Greg Munford, a friend of the band who was present at the recording session.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrZXBPuOs5E |title=Band COULDN’T Nail Down TOUGH Vocal…Finally LET Random Kid at Studio TRY…It Hit #1—Professor of Rock |date=2023-11-10 |last=Professor of Rock |access-date=2024-10-02 |via=YouTube}} The regular vocalists in the band provided background and harmony vocals on the record.{{cite web|title=Incense and Peppermints album review|publisher=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r76951|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=2010-03-31}}{{cite web |last1=Weitz |first1=Mark |title=Mark: 'We had no idea what we were in for' |url=https://strawberryalarmclock.com/135/mark-weitz/ |website=The Strawberry Alarm Clock - official band website |access-date=8 September 2024 |date=19 June 2011}} Band members Mark Weitz and Ed King were both denied songwriting credits by producer Frank Slay despite the fact that they contributed to the song. The songwriting credits instead went to Carter and his songwriting partner Tim Gilbert, despite the latter not participating in the song's writing. King would go on to greater fame as a member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
"Incense and Peppermints" initially appeared on the B-side of Thee Sixpence's fifth single, "The Birdman of Alkatrash," released on All-American in April 1967.{{cite book|author=Stax, Mike.|year=1998|title=Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 (1998 CD box set liner notes)}} However, local radio stations began playing "Incense and Peppermints" instead of the A-side, and the song began to gain in popularity in and around Los Angeles. Sensing the possibility of a national hit, Uni Records picked up the record for national distribution, and the single was re-released in May with the sides reversed. By the time of this second pressing, the band had changed its name to "The Strawberry Alarm Clock" to avoid confusion with another local band.
"Incense and Peppermints" spent 16 weeks on the Billboard chart, reaching the #1 spot for the week ending November 25, 1967. The single earned a gold disc from the RIAA on December 7 for sales of one million copies.{{cite book|author=Murrells, Joseph.|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/231 231]|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/231}}
Chart performance
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly singles charts=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| align="left"|Chart (1967)
!align="left"|Peak |
|---|
| Australia Go-Set{{Cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1968/19680124.html |title=Go-Set National Top 40, 31 January 1968) |access-date=8 January 2019 |archive-date=29 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329151126/http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1968/19680124.html |url-status=dead }}
| style="text-align:center;"|35 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.100119.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - November 18, 1967}}
| style="text-align:center;"|20 |
| Canada CHUM Hit Parade{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/67-10-23-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - October 23, 1967}}
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| align="left"|U.S. Billboard Hot 100[Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| align="left"|U.S. Cash Box Top 100
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/strawberry-alarm-clock/incense-and-peppermints Lyrics of this song]
- {{discogs master|93847}}
- {{YouTube|idJzMSKaHaw|Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints}}
{{Strawberry Alarm Clock}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:American psychedelic rock songs