“Black Butter, Past”

“Black Butter, Past” opens Strawberry Alarm Clock’s trilogy of “black butter” songs from their 1968 album Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow.

A straight-ahead rock song, “Black Butter, Past”, true to its title, seems to hearken back to a musical era before the song’s own – a mere two years prior, perhaps, around 1966 when garage rock (and the band, then called Thee Sixpence) was just coming into its own. But it’s only the first half of the song that has that spirit; the last half is a jam that seems to slowly get more and more psychedelic, with a keyboard solo and the band crunching along behind it.

Apparently leading to “Black Butter, Present” and “Black Butter, Future”, “Black Butter, Past” contains the striking lyrics that show up in one form or another in each of the trilogy’s songs:

“Pick out something you really need
Take it in your hands and touch it
If you strike it, will it bleed?
If it dies you’ll hear the cries and know the meaning of
Black butter”

The grungy electric guitar is the star in this song, with some great, busy chord work and some moments of great soloing.

“Black Butter, Past” appears on…

Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow (1968)
Changes (1971)
The Strawberry Alarm Clock Anthology (1993)

4 thoughts on ““Black Butter, Past”

  1. One of my favorites and one of SAC’s most psychedelic songs.
    Thanks you Jacob for filling me in on the meaning behind the song. I have thought about it many times and suspected a drug related theme but had no idea of what cannabutter would be.

  2. I think I know the meaning of…. Black Butter.

    I believe it’s a drug reference, speaking about “cannabutter”. The butter turns black after all its time heating and is used to get people high via eating. 😛

Leave a Comment