“The World’s On Fire”

“The World’s On Fire” is the first track on Strawberry Alarm Clock’s 1967 LP Incense And Peppermints. At over eight minutes, it is the band’s longest-ever track and is one of the better “long” psychedelic grooves of the era.

“The World’s On Fire” was presumably conceived in the spirit of other mid- and late-60s tracks that stretched far beyond regular single length, such as Bob Dylan’s “Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands” and “Desolation Row”, The Rolling Stones’ “Going Home”, Love’s “Revelation”, and The Who’s “A Quick One (While He’s Away)”. This one is more psychedelic and noisy than any of those examples though.

With its dark fiery feel and unwavering forward throttle, “The World’s On Fire” hearkens back to the band’s single “In The Building”, released when they still went by Thee Sixpence.

Musically, “The World’s On Fire” is a relentless attack based on a simple, punchy organ and guitar riff that is repeated throughout, sounding very dark and sinister. The lyrics, sung by a nightmarish chorus of the band’s vocalists, are simple and chaotic, matching the uncomfortable feeling of the music and manic drumming:

“The world is on fire tonight
And this flame that glows is too hot for me to fight
Dancing flames, twisting turning out of sight
Smoke-filled eyes crying hold me, hold me tight”

Elsewhere, the singers wail about “sad, smiling faces” as lengthy organ, guitar, and echo-y xylophone solos stretch out across the song’s eight minutes. It all creates a sense of randomness and calamity well in keeping with the dark paranoia of the track.

“The World’s On Fire” is an audacious way to begin an album, especially one meant to hype the hit single “Incense And Peppermints”.

“The World’s On Fire” in Psych-Out

“The World’s On Fire”, along with a few others by Strawberry Alarm Clock, was featured in the psychedelic exploitation film Psych-Out. There it was well-chosen as accompaniment to a bad-trip scene by one of the film’s characters who hallucinates being attacked by a knight on horseback.

The Psych-Out soundtrack album features a three-minute edit of the original song alongside the full-length version.

“The World’s On Fire” appears on…

Incense And Peppermints (1967)
Psych-Out soundtrack (1968) [both the full-length version and a shorter edit]
Strawberries Mean Love (1992)
The Strawberry Alarm Clock Anthology (1993)
Step By Step (1998)