"Strawberry Letter 23" is a 1971 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. History The song's chorus says "Strawberry Letter 22" instead of the actual title of the song. This is because the premise of the song is that a couple is exchanging love letters in musical form. 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. 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 the Soul Singles chart in 1977. Studio guitar player Lee Ritenour recreated Otis' original guitar solo for the Brothers Johnson cover. The 12" single was pressed on red strawberry-scented vinyl. The 7" single was originally released in a strawberry-scented sleeve. Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts Legacy Pitchfork chose the Brothers Johnson version as the 134th best song of the 1970s. Soundtrack appearances The song is heard very briefly in the Quentin Tarantino 1994 film Pulp Fiction as Jules and Vincent walk down the hallway of an apartment building. The song is played at length in the Quentin Tarantino 1997 film Jackie Brown and is featured on the movie soundtrack album. The song can also be heard in the TV series Six Feet Under (2001–2005), Season 5, Episode 9 "Ecotone" (July 31, 2005). The song is featured in Nip/Tuck (2003–2010) Season 3, Episode #2 "Kiki" (September 27, 2005). The Shuggie Otis version can be heard on the 2005 film Munich. Sampling The track, specifically its main melody, has been in music sampling over 90 times, including: The Vic Reeves cover song "Born Free" from his 1991 album I Will Cure You. The Negativland song "White Rabbit and a Dog Named Gidget" from their 1989 album Helter Stupid. The First Light song "Loving You" from their 1989 album You Had It All. The Silk song "Baby It's You"