Intros to songs always announce a certain energy that the track will bring. It’s one of the first characteristics I connect with when I first hear a track. Sometimes it just takes those first 10 seconds that let me know the journey a song will take me. And that’s why tracks with memorable intros land on this playlist.
One of my all time favorite intros from the 70s comes from the legendary funk duo, Brothers Johnson. Strawberry Letter 23 was originally written and composed by Shuggie Otis in 1971. It is best known by the 1977 cover version recorded by Brothers Johnson and produced by the legendary Quincy Jones, off the album “Right on Time.” The premise of the song is a guy and girl who have written each other 22 letters so far, and the 23rd one is the song (a love letter). I love the idea of the song being a love letter, however, when I was younger I used to be so confused why the song was titled, Strawberry Letter 23, but all you hear in the chorus is Strawberry Letter 22! We didn’t have google back then! LOL!
Brothers Johnson were a Funk and R&B band consisting of brothers George (“Lightnin’ Licks”) and Louis E. Johnson (“Thunder Thumbs”). Brothers Johnson and Quincy Jones are responsible for timeless funk classics as well, the signature sounds off Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and Thriller, courtesy of “Thunder Thumbs.” Any soulful funk enthusiast should be familiar with this legendary duo and if you are not, I highly encourage you to do so
This is another classic song that I grew up on and I immediately have warm nostalgic memories as soon as that intro begins; and the memorable guitar solo in the middle of this track gives you psychedelic funk feels, that makes this a must on the Music to Warm the Soul playlist. If you are a fan of classic 70s funk from the likes of Brothers Johnson, Quincy Jones, Sly and the Family Stone, and Rick James, “Strawberry Letter 23”, has a that signature 70s psychedelic soulful funk sound that will immediately connect to your soul. This track should be added to any classic 70s playlist immediately!
You can learn more about The Brothers Johnson here:
About The Curator - Lyris Greene
Lyris Greene is a disk jockey (dj) hailing from Nashville, TN, now residing in Atlanta, Ga. Lyris’s name is derived from the word “lyric”, meaning words of a song. Lyris gravitated to music immediately as a child, influenced by her father’s passion for music. At nine years old, Lyris began collecting her own music collection, discovering and developing her connection with music. Now, Lyris is a full time dj and music curator, spending her days consuming and creating custom music experiences to connect people. Lyris feels her life’s purpose is pretty simple, “To spread love through the art of music.”