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Cream - Strange Brew

Cream - Strange Brew Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Disraeli Gears
Released: 1967

Strange Brew Lyrics

Strange Brew, kill what's inside of you.

She's a witch of trouble in electric blue,
In her own mad mind she's in love with you.
With you.
Now what you gonna do?
Strange brew, kill what's inside of you.

She's some kind of demon messing in the glue.
If you don't watch out it'll stick to you.
To you.
What kind of fool are you?
Strange brew, kill what's inside of you.

On a boat in the middle of a raging sea,
She would make a scene for it all to be
Ignored.
And wouldn't you be bored?
Strange brew, kill what's inside of you.

Strange brew, strange brew, strange brew, strange brew.
Strange brew, kill what's inside of you

Writer/s: CLAPTON, ERIC PATRICK / PAPPALARDI, FELIX / COLLINS, GAIL
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Strange Brew Song Chart

This is based on a blues song Cream used to play called "Lawdy Mama." Felix Pappalardi, who produced the album, wrote new lyrics to the song with his wife, Gail Collins, and Eric Clapton worked out the arrangement and also sang lead. Pappalardi, Collins and Clapton are the credited writers on the song.

As for Pappalardi, he went on to form Mountain, a band he also produced. In 1983, he was shot and killed by Collins in a domestic dispute; Collins was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

When Cream performed the early version of this song as "Lawdy Mama," Clapton and bass player Jack Bruce would share lead vocals. The band recorded both "Lawdy Mama" and "Strange Brew" at Atlantic Studios in New York on April 3, 1967. The band had spent the previous week in the city, performing daily at the "Music In The Fifth Dimension" show at the RKO Theater. These shows were organized by the influential disc jockey Murray the K, and provided great exposure for Cream in America. Other acts on the bill for some of these shows: The Who, Wilson Pickett and the Lovin' Spoonful. Cream would complete the Disraeli Gears album when they returned to the United States the next month.

The lyrics refer to a female, which could mean drugs or be a more literal reference to a woman. Either way, she is "killing what's inside of you."

Cream had a very psychedelic sound, and this song was released in the Summer of Love, where it fit in quite well.

To craft "Strange Brew," producer Felix Pappalardi added Eric Clapton's vocal to a take of the band's recording of "Lawdy Mama," which appears as a bonus track on the 2004 re-release of Disraeli Gears, but didn't make the original album. Jack Bruce wasn't happy about this, especially since he wasn't able to re-record his bassline. To keep the tenuous peace in the band during Cream's reunion concerts in 2005, "Strange Brew" was omitted from their 19-song playlist, despite being one of their best known and loved songs.

Clapton got the idea for the album title after a roadie named Mick Turner told him about the derailleur gears on his bicycle. Derailleur, pronounced "Di-rail-yer," are the kind of gears commonly found on 10-speed bikes. The roadie pronounced it "Disraeli," which led to the title.

On Eric Clapton's Crossroads boxed set, this is placed next to "Lawdy Mama," the Blues song it is based on.

There is a movie called Strange Brew, but it has nothing to with the song. Made in 1983, it stars Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as Canadian brothers who love beer.

The album didn't appear until November, 1967, but this song was issued as the first single in June of that year, reaching its UK peak of #17 on July 15. Disraeli Gears was Cream's second album; they would release two more before calling it quits.

Cream - S.W.L.A.B.R.

Cream - S.W.L.A.B.R. Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Disraeli Gears
Released: 1967

S.W.L.A.B.R. Lyrics

S.W.L.A.B.R. Song Chart

The title stands for "She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow." Like the songs' lyrics, it is not supposed to make much sense.

The words were written by Pete Brown, a poet who was friends with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce before they formed Cream. Early on, most of Cream's songs (including this one) were sung by Bruce. Brown was able to put words to the instrumental Cream tracks that Bruce was comfortable singing, making him a welcome addition to their songwriting process.

Cream used Felix Pappalardi as the album's producer. Pappalardi was also a musician, and later formed the band Mountain. He encouraged them to experiment in the studio, which led to unusual songs like this one. It was done on a tight schedule, however, as the band had just three days to record Disraeli Gears (except for "Strange Brew," which they put to tape a month earlier) before shipping back to England. The sessions took place at Atlantic Studios in New York City, and were engineered by Tom Dowd, who took care of the mixing after musicians were called away. When Eric Clapton formed Derek and the Dominos a few years later, Dowd produced their classic Layla album.

Eric Clapton's guitar part was heavily processed. He ran it through a fuzz-box and used a wah-wah pedal.

This was released as the B-side of "Sunshine Of Your Love," Cream's only hit in the US.

Eric Clapton got the idea for the album title after a roadie told him about the derailleur gears on his bicycle. Derailleur, pronounced "Di-rail-yer," are the kind of gears commonly found on 10-speed bikes. The roadie (Mick Turner) pronounced it "Disraeli," which led to the title.

This was one of two Cream songs (the other being "N.S.U.") that consisted of only initials. Many DJs attempted to give the song title to listeners by reading it as if it were a real word, instead of reading each individual letter (i.e. "swuh-lah-bur," instead of "S.W.L.A.B.R."). (thanks, James - Tracy, CA)