Grim Reaper of Love

"Grim Reaper of Love" is a single by the American rock band the Turtles, written by their lead guitarist Al Nichol and bassist Chuck Portz. The song was conceived by the band members after dismay that their previous US Billboard Hot 100 entries had been composed by outside singer-songwriters. It was written at night following one of the band's gigs in Oregon and finished by the following morning. Producer Bones Howe recorded the song together with the Turtles at Western Recorders in Hollywood, Los Angeles during sporadic sessions in April 1966. It is a psychedelic raga rock song owing to the band's newfound will to experiment. The use of drummer Don Murray's quintuple meter (⁵
₄) drum beat was unique to rock and roll at the time, causing the song to be considered an early adapter of jazz fusion. The song features an early usage of the electric sitar on a pop record.

White Whale Records released "Grim Reaper of Love" as the Turtles' fourth single in May 1966, backed by "Come Back". The release was unexpected for the band, as it hadn't been recorded specifically for single release. The song peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a chart failure which broke the Turtles' run of three consecutive top-30 singles. Upon release, the single received positive reviews in the American press, who noted the drumming and raga rock style. Retrospectively, it has been praised and been considered a contender for the Turtles' best single. The band's retrospective opinion of the song was mixed.