Song · Shuggie Otis
“Strawberry Letter 23” by Shuggie Otis
From the album Freedom Flight (1971)
“Strawberry Letter 23” by Shuggie Otis appears on 3 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1971 on the album Freedom Flight. Its best result is #665 on The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,474 indie & aaa song of all time.
Shuggie Otis wrote "Strawberry Letter 23" for Freedom Flight, his 1971 album, and the credits read like a one-man band: he arranged it, sang the lead and the background parts, and played guitar, slide guitar, bass, drums, organ, piano, tack piano and bell. Johnny Otis produced, Bob Breault mixed, and Breault, George Beauregard and Willie Greer engineered.
The conceit is sweet and a little sly. Two lovers are swapping love letters set to music, and this song is the singer's answer to the last one she sent him, which is why the chorus points back to letter number 22 rather than the number in the title. Otis works in a guitar solo of his own, and the whole thing drifts along like a warm daydream.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 885 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2020 | 1951 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2026 | 665 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Strawberry Letter 23" by Shuggie Otis.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.