Strawberry Letter 23
1977 single by The Brothers Johnson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Strawberry Letter 23" is a song written and composed by Shuggie Otis from his 1971 album Freedom Flight. It is also widely known by the 1977 cover version recorded by the Brothers Johnson and produced by Quincy Jones.
| "Strawberry Letter 23" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Shuggie Otis | |
| from the album Freedom Flight | |
| Released | 1971 |
| Genre | |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter | Shuggie Otis |
| Producer | Johnny Otis |
| "Strawberry Letter 23" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by the Brothers Johnson | ||||
| from the album Right on Time | ||||
| B-side | "Dancin' and Prancin'" | |||
| Released | June 1977[3] | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:39 (single edit) 4:59 (album version) 5:04 (12" single version) | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter | Shuggie Otis | |||
| Producer | Quincy Jones | |||
| The Brothers Johnson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lyrics
The song's chorus says "Strawberry Letter 22" instead of the actual title of the song.[4] This is because the premise of the song is that a couple is exchanging love letters in musical form.[5][6] 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.[5][6]
The Brothers Johnson version
George Johnson, of the Brothers Johnson, 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 Quincy Jones, and the album went platinum. Their rendition hit the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number five and reached number one on Soul Singles.[7] Studio guitarist Lee Ritenour recreated Otis's original guitar solo for the Brothers Johnson cover. The 12" single was pressed on red strawberry-scented vinyl.[8]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Legacy
Tevin Campbell version
| "Strawberry Letter 23" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tevin Campbell | ||||
| from the album T.E.V.I.N. | ||||
| Released | May 14, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Genre | R&B, new jack swing | |||
| Length | 4:07 | |||
| Label | Qwest/Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter | Shuggie Otis | |||
| Producer | Quincy Jones | |||
| Tevin Campbell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Strawberry Letter 23" is the fifth single from R&B singer Tevin Campbell'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.[20] The Tevin Campbell version is more up-tempo, with a new jack swing 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
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] | 23 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[22] | 53 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[23] | 40 |