STRANGE BREW
(words and music by Eric Clapton, Gail Collins and Felix Pappalardi) 

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.

(total playing time: 2:50)

Documentation

Cream had recorded a song called Lawdy Mama. The number was traditional blues and had been a fixture of Cream's live set. Felix Pappalardi brought the tape home and wrote the lyrics to Strange Brew to the tune of Lawdy Mama. The lyrics were then super-imposed over the music.

Felix Pappalardi, the producer who wrote the lyrics with his wife, Gail Collins, was shot and killed by her a few years later in a domestic dispute.

Strange Brew was released in the USA as a single in November of 1967 and reached number 17 on the charts.

Interesting Fact: Rick Springfield and Eric Clapton have both written songs with the title "White Room".

Rick performed this song live in New Orleans, LA at the House of Blues on 3/30/00 and in Milwaukee at the Potawatomi Casino on 5/21/03.