Incense and Peppermints

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Incense and Peppermints" is a song by Strawberry Alarm Clock. The single was released in 1967 and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the Strawberry Alarm Clock are considered a prototypical "one hit wonder," they don't fit the strict definition; follow-up single "Tomorrow" reached #23 on the Billboard chart in January 1968.

The most interesting fact about the song is that the band members cared so little for it that neither of the band's two singers, Lee Freeman and Mark Weitz, wanted to sing the lead vocal. This recalcitrance was due in large part to the lyrics, which had been written by a songwriter named John Carter, who was under contract to the song's producer Frank Slay. The band didn't care for Carter's pseudo-psychedelic lyrics and were miffed that he -- and therefore Slay -- would get a share of the song's royalties. As a result, the band impulsively drafted a 16-year-old named Greg Munford, a friend of the band who happened to be at the recording session to add percussion, to sing lead. Munford was never officially a member of the Strawberry Alarm Clock and appears only on this recording; he was not even present for the single's flipside.

[edit] Lyrics

There are many listings on the internet, most of which are incorrect. The correct lyrics are as follows:

Good sense, innocence, cripplin' mankind. Dead kings, many things I can't define. Occasions, persuasions clutter your mind; Incense and peppermints, the color of time.

Who cares what games we choose? Little to win, but nothing to lose.

Incense and peppermints, meaningless nouns. Turn on, tune in, turn your eyes around. Look at yourself, look at yourself, Yeah, yeah. Look at yourself, look at yourself, Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah.

To divide the cockeyed world in two Throw your pride to one side, it's the least you can do Beatniks and politics, nothing is new A yardstick for lunatics, one point of view

Who cares what games we choose? Little to win, but nothing to lose.

Good sense, innocence, cripplin' mankind. Dead kings, many things I can't define. Occasions, persuasions clutter your mind; Incense and peppermints, the color of time.

Who cares what games we choose? Little to win, but nothing to lose.

Incense, peppermints, incense, peppermints.

Sha-la-la, sha-la-la.... (until fadeout)

[edit] Pop culture occurrences

The song has appeared in numerous places:

The motion picture Psych-Out
The motion picture Riding the Bullet (film)
The motion picture Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
The original Austin Powers movie
The animated movie Recess: School's Out
The Simpsons episodes "Weekend at Burnsie's", "D'oh-in in the Wind" and "Fraudcast News".

Preceded by "To Sir, with Love" by Lulu	Billboard Hot 100 number one single November 25, 1967	Succeeded by "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees