"Strawberry Letter 23" is a 1971 song written and composed by

Shuggie Otis Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition "Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) topped ...

from his 1971 album '' Freedom Flight''. It is also widely known by the 1977

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

recorded by

the Brothers Johnson The Brothers Johnson were an American funk and R&B band consisting of American musicians and brothers George ("Lightnin' Licks") and Louis E. Johnson ("Thunder Thumbs"). They achieved their greatest success from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, ...

and produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

History

The song's chorus says "Strawberry Letter 22" instead of the actual title of the song. This is because the premise of the song is that a couple is exchanging love letters in musical form. The singer is creating "Strawberry Letter 23" as a reply to the song he has received from his lover, and he refers to her previous message as "Strawberry Letter 22" when replying.

The Brothers Johnson version

George Johnson, of

, was dating one of Otis's cousins when he came across the 1971 album '' Freedom Flight''. The group then recorded "Strawberry Letter 23" for their 1977 album '' Right on Time,'' which was produced by

, and the album went

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

. Their rendition hit the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at number five and reached number one on the Soul Singles chart in 1977. Studio guitar player

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

recreated Otis' original guitar solo for the Brothers Johnson cover. The 12" single was pressed on red

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

-scented vinyl. The 7" single was originally released in a strawberry-scented sleeve.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Legacy

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

chose the Brothers Johnson version as the 134th best song of the 1970s.

Soundtrack appearances

* The song is heard very briefly in the

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

1994 film ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...

'' as Jules and Vincent walk down the hallway of an apartment building. * The song is played at length in the

1997 film ''

Jackie Brown ''Jackie Brown'' is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel ''Rum Punch.'' It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who is caught smuggling money. Samuel L. Ja ...

'' and is featured on the

movie soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...

album. * The song can also be heard in the TV series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005),

Season 5 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

, Episode 9 "Ecotone" (July 31, 2005). * The song is featured in ''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...

'' (2003–2010)

Season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...

, Episode #2 "Kiki" (September 27, 2005). * The Shuggie Otis version can be heard on the 2005 film ''

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

.''

Sampling

The track, specifically its main

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

, has been in music sampling over 90 times, including: * The

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. ...

cover song "

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...

" from his 1991 album

I Will Cure You ''I Will Cure You'' is the only album by English comedian Vic Reeves. It was released in 1991 by Island Records, produced by Steve Beresford, Andy Metcalfe and Philip Oakey and re-released in 1999 by Universal Music's Spectrum label. The album ...

. * The

Negativland Negativland is an American experimental music band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! track, while their record label (Seeland Records) is named after another Neu! track. The co ...

song "White Rabbit and a Dog Named Gidget" from their 1989 album ''

Helter Stupid ''Helter Stupid'' is Negativland's fifth studio album, released in 1989. It is a concept album that focuses on a hoax that the band started, which claimed that the Negativland song "Christianity Is Stupid" inspired a teenager to murder his fami ...

.'' * The First Light song "Loving You" from their 1989 album ''You Had It All''. * The

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

song "Baby It's You" from their 1992 album '' Lose Control''. * The

DJ Quik David Marvin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and producer, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, ...

song "Safe + Sound" from his 1995 album ''

Safe + Sound ''Safe + Sound'' is the third album by rapper/producer DJ Quik. It was released on February 21, 1995, on Profile Records. It peaked at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200 on March 11, 1995, number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart the same d ...

''. * The St. Lunatics 1996 single "Gimme What U Got". * The

Das EFX Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books and Boogie Bang, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named the ...

song "Whut Goes Around" from their 1998 album ''

Generation EFX ''Generation EFX'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Das EFX. It was released on March 24, 1998 via EastWest Records America. Production was handled by Agallah, Solid Scheme, Rashad Smith, Mike Lowe, Tony L, and PMD, who also ...

''. * The

Messy Marv Marvin Watson Jr. (born March 19, 1976), better known by his stage name Messy Marv, is an American rapper who began his career in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, California. Messy was also known as a collaborator in the rap group Kaalman ...

's &

Mitchy Slick Charles Mitchell (born December 29, 1973), known professionally as Mitchy Slick, is an American rapper from Southeast San Diego, California. He is a member of the rap supergroup Strong Arm Steady, along with rappers Phil Da Agony and Krondon. ...

song ''On the One'' featuring

Yukmouth Jerold Dwight Ellis III (born October 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is an American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment. He is a mem ...

from their 2007 album '' Messy Slick''. * The Girl Talk song "Oh No" from his 2010 album '' All Day''. * The

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

song "Canon" from their 2011 album ''

Audio, Video, Disco ''Audio, Video, Disco'' is the second studio album by the French electronic music duo Justice, released on 24 October 2011 by Ed Banger Records, Because Music and Elektra Records. Justice member Xavier de Rosnay has said of ''Audio, Video, Dis ...

''. * The

Xavier Naidoo Xavier Kurt Naidoo (German: �kseːviɐ naɪˈduː born 2 October 1971) is a German soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of German band Söhne Mannheims, and started two record labels, Beats Around the ...

Kool Savas Savaş Yurderi (born 10 February 1975), known by his stage name Kool Savas, is a German rapper. Along with Taktlo$$, he formed the highly influential German rap duo Westberlin Maskulin (1997–2000). He was also a founding member of the German ...

song "X.A.V.A.S". * The

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap. ...

song "No Hearts, No Love" from their 2017 album

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

Interpolations

Parts of the song, especially the distinctive, rhythmic melody of the song's verse, have also been imitated or interpolated in other songs: * The

Color Me Badd ''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...

#1 R&B hit "

I Wanna Sex You Up "I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, ''C.M.B.'' (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 fil ...

" (1992) * The OutKast hit "

Ms. Jackson "Ms. Jackson" is a song by American alternative hip hop duo Outkast, consisting of André 3000 and Big Boi. It was released on October 24, 2000, as the second single from Outkast's fourth album, ''Stankonia''. It topped the US ''Billboard (magaz ...

" (2001) * The

Westside Connection Westside Connection was an American hip-hop supergroup formed by Mack 10, WC and Ice Cube. The group's debut album, ''Bow Down'', reached the number 2 position on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996, going platinum that year. Biography Westside ...

song "

Gangsta Nation "Gangsta Nation" is a single by Westside Connection featuring Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest ...

" (2003) * The

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

song "Be with You", from the album '' Dangerously in Love'' (2003) * The

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

song "

Señorita Señorita (the Spanish honorific equivalent of Miss) may refer to: Film * ''Senorita'' (film), a 1927 American silent film *''Señorita'', a 2011 film directed by Isabel Sandoval Music * "Señorita" (Don Williams song), 1987 *'' Señorita EP'' ...

" (2003) * The

Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...

song "The Running Free", from the album '' Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow'' (2007) * The

Julian Perretta Julian Remo Perretta''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2004.'' Gives name at birth as "Julian Remo Perretta". (born 13 January 1992) is an English singer-songwriter and producer. Perretta first gained attention in 2010 ...

single "Wonder Why" (2010) * The Pretty Lights song "Rainbows and Waterfalls" (2017)

Tevin Campbell version

"Strawberry Letter 23" is the fifth single from R&B singer

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

's 1992 debut studio album ''T.E.V.I.N.''. It peaked at #53 on the Hot 100 and #40 on the R&B charts. The Tevin Campbell version is more up-tempo, with a

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

beat, and includes a rap that mentions "the letter 23."

Track listings

US Promo CD # Strawberry Letter 23 (Album Edit w/o Rap) 3:48 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Album Version) 4:07 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Single Remix w/Rap) 4:15 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Single Remix w/o Rap) 3:35 US Maxi-CD # Strawberry Letter 23 (QDIII Mix Without Rap) 3:45 # Strawberry Letter 23 (QDIII Mix With Rap) 4:12 # Strawberry Letter 23 (QDIII Fat Choice Mix) 4:48 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Album Edit Without Rap) 3:24 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Soul Mix With Rap) 4:15 # Strawberry Letter 23 (T.C.'s Choice) 4:04 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Soul Mix Without Rap) 3:35 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Club Mix) 6:28 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Club Dub) 5:58 # Strawberry Letter 23 (Naughty Beats) 4:42

Charts

Other covers

* An instrumental version was done by

Phil Upchurch Philip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, and ...

on his 1978 album ''Phil Upchurch'' around the same time as the Brothers Johnson version, which is a more upbeat funky version. * The Scottish band Pop Wallpaper released Strawberry Letter 23, "remodelled /.../ for the dance floor", as a single in 1986, with Audrey Redpath on vocals. * The short-lived R&B duo Kiara included a cover version of the song on its 1988 album ''To Change and/or Make a Difference'', which peaked at #23 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. *

Digital Underground Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory " Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...

did a hip hop version in the early 1990s and it is included on their 1999 album ''The Lost Files''. *

, who produced the Brothers Johnson's version, covered the song himself, with singer

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

, on the album '' Q: Soul Bossa Nostra'' (2010). * Saxophonist

Jessy J Jessica Arellano (born December 20, 1982) known professionally as Jessy J, is an American saxophonist. Biography Jessy J was born Jessica Arellano on December 20, 1982 in Portland, Oregon and raised in Hemet, California. Of Mexican-Americ ...

covered the song on her album '' My One and Only One'' (2015). * Malaysian singer

Yuna Yuna may refer to: Geography *Yuna River, Dominican Republic *Yuna, Western Australia Music * ''Yuna'' (album), a 2012 album by Malaysian singer Yuna * ''Yuna'' (EP), a 2008 album by Malaysian acoustic singer Yuna People Japanese *Yuna Aoi, wr ...

recorded the song for a commercial for Swedish fashion retailer H&M starring Ukrainian-Canadian model

Daria Werbowy Daria Werbowy (born 19 November 1983) is a Canadian retired fashion model born in Poland. She became a spokesmodel for the French beauty brand Lancôme in 2005. According to '' Forbes'', Werbowy has appeared on over 50 international ''Vogue'' ...

that aired in March 2015. * In June 2015,

Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...

covered a large portion of the song during an interlude during "Midlife Crisis" at the Pinkpop festival and also at Download Festival. * On July 22, 2017,

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

covered the song during its "Baker's Dozen" run of shows at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, during the "Strawberry" themed night of that run. The song made its second appearance during the band's Fall 2018 Tour run at the

Hampton Coliseum Hampton Coliseum is a multi-purpose arena in Hampton, Virginia. Construction began on May 24, 1968. The venue held its first event on December 1, 1969, with the nearby College of William & Mary playing North Carolina State University in a colle ...

in Virginia, and it was performed again during the band's Summer 2019 Tour at the

BB&T Pavilion The Freedom Mortgage Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheatre and indoor theater complex in Camden, New Jersey located in the Camden Waterfront entertainment district on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia. Since it opened in June 1995, t ...

in New Jersey. It was later performed by Phish on December 6, 2019, at the

North Charleston Coliseum The North Charleston Coliseum is a multi-purpose arena in North Charleston, South Carolina. It is part of the North Charleston Convention Center Complex, which also includes a performing arts center and convention center. It is owned by the City ...

in South Carolina, and August 3, 2021, at the

Ascend Amphitheater The Ascend Amphitheater is an open-air event venue located on the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee. It is set inside the Metro Riverfront Park. The amphitheater seats 2,300 in fixed seating, and 4,500 on the lawn, with a total capacity of ...

in Nashville. Phish played again on June 4th, 2022 at Deer Creek in Noblesville, Indiana. *

CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarls ...

performed a cover version of the song as the voice of the giant panda Shuggie in the premiere episode of '' The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder''.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Songs about letters (message) 1977 singles 1992 singles The Brothers Johnson songs Tevin Campbell songs Psychedelic soul songs Song recordings produced by Quincy Jones 1971 songs A&M Records singles Qwest Records singles Warner Records singles 2010 singles