“Write Your Name In Gold”

“Write Your Name In Gold” appears on Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1969 album Good Morning Starshine. A slow-paced and highly dramatic song, “Write Your Name In Gold” has some excellent sparkling organ work and an uncluttered drum track to go along with melodic vocals and straightforward rhythm guitar.

The song proves that Strawberry Alarm Clock could handle lush balladry, such as that found on the group’s previous album The World In A Sea Shell. But this time its done without getting buried under overdone orchestration or stuck in dull lyrical culs-de-sac. The lyrics of “Write Your Name In Gold” are sung mostly by a nicely harmonic chorus of voices, led by the band’s new vocalist (and composer of this song) Jim Pitman.

Speaking of Pitman, “Write Your Name In Gold” stands in stark contrast to the bludgeoned boogie of his other songs on this album like “Me And The Township”. Apart from giving his reputation more dimension, this song shows that Pitman could write to the band’s established strengths.

This song sounds like it belongs somewhere between Wake Up… It’s Tomorrow and The World In A Sea Shell. It’s similar to songs on the former but delivered with more accomplished musicianship, and it incorporates the solemnity of the latter but with added passion and less murkiness.

“Write Your Name In Gold” appears on…

Good Morning Starshine (1969)
Changes (1971)

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