The year 1967 was the biggest one for psychedelia, and even the trippiest psychedelic rock songs managed to make it to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart when pop tastes were just starting to change. Let’s take a look at just a few such songs that made mainstream pop radio feel particularly out there, shall we?
“Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles
It’s not the strangest Beatles song by any stretch (“Revolution 9” would like a word), but “Strawberry Fields Forever” really did mark the start of the period in which The Beatles went from pop boy band to psychedelic rock outfit. In the context of everything that came before it, this song was pretty dang weird. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is a trippy piece of work that divided fans initially in 1967. But one can’t deny that its unique sound and eventual popularity really influenced the psychedelic genre at the time. “Strawberry Fields Forever” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also reached No. 2 on the UK Record Retailer chart.
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“Incense And Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock from ‘Incense And Peppermints’
Am I being a bit self-indulgent by dropping my favorite 1960s song on this list? Maybe. But “Incense And Peppermints” is a valid entry for our list of psychedelic rock songs from 1967 that made radio feel like a fever dream. That gorgeous organ, those fuzzy guitar tracks, those stark and sudden structural changes throughout. This is a very psychedelic psychedelic rock song. It’s one that would come to define what the genre sounded like just as it exploded on the charts. A classic song of the era, I’d say.
“Incense And Peppermints” topped the Hot 100 chart in 1967. Sadly, Strawberry Alarm Clock would never score as big a hit again.
“Get Me To The World On Time” by The Electric Prunes from ‘The Electric Prunes’
That very strange introduction stuck with listeners for quite some time. Honestly, I’m surprised that this hit from The Electric Prunes hasn’t enjoyed more enduring success in the way that “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Incense And Peppermints” have. “Get Me To The World On Time” was definitely the strangest and most psychedelic bluesy rock song on the radio for a minute in 1967. This space rock tune was a No. 27 hit in the US.
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(Original Caption) A singer called Joni. Joni Mitchell, Canadian singer-songwriter, United Kingdom, 1968. The guitar-pickin' gal is Joni Mitchell, a long blonde haired Canadian folk singer. Pictured last night outside the Revolution club, Joni is here (until 1st October) for radio, television and concert appearances. Apart from concert appearances, 25 year old Joni will be heard on "Top Gear" on Radio One and "The Monday Show" on BBC 1. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) -
English rock band the Beatles arrive at London Airport from the USA, with their manager Brian Epstein (1934 – 1967, in coach doorway), 2nd September 1965. From left to right, John Lennon (1940 – 1980), George Harrison (1943 – 2001), Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. (Photo by George Stroud/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
George Jones, who released several country songs about whiskey -
Elvis Presley and Scotty Moore (left) performing on The Milton Berle Show at NBC's Hollywood studio, Los Angeles, California, 5th June 1956. Presley performed 'I Want You, I Need You, I Love You' and 'Hound Dog'. Press reaction to his performance was largely negative with his gyrating movements during 'Hound Dog' proving particularly controversial. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) -
Singer and musician Merle Haggard performs at the Poplar Creek Music Theater, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, August 16, 1983. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls at event, New York, 1990s. (Photo by Steve Eichner/Getty Images) -
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images -
Pop group The Byrds (l to r): Chris Hillman; Dave Crosby; Mike Clark; Jim McGuinn; and Gene Clark. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)