Music |
Donovan
By
Published: Sep 11, 2018
Category:
Rock
Wild hair, tie-dye shirts, peace signs, acid trips, soft-headed mysticism — that Donovan? The guy who sang about smoking banana peels and the glories of Atlantis? The poor man’s Dylan?
Sorry. That’s not the Donovan I know. I don’t find him to be some ’60s relic. Donovan is our William Blake, a creator of songs of innocence. Does that seem overwrought? After all, his first hit was so close to Dylan you couldn’t be sure who recorded it. And the lyrics were simple as folk:
In the chilly hours and minutes,
Of uncertainty, I want to be
In the warm hold of your loving mind.
To feel you all around me,
And to take your hand, along the sand,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
But then he met Dylan, who skipped his Nasty Bob act to befriend the Scots singer. And, three years later, The Beatles invited him to join them at Abbey Road for the last session of "A Day in the Life." Clearly, he was a bit more than a hippie at a hootenanny. [To buy the Greatest Hits CD from Amazon — 15 songs, $7 —click here. For the MP3 download, click here.]
Who he was: an early appreciator of Zen. Like, here:
The lock upon my garden gate’s a snail, that’s what it is.
First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.
Who he was: a clever wordsmith. Like, here:
Elevator in the brain hotel
Broken down a-just as well-a
Looking through crystal spectacles,
Ah, I can see I had your fun.
Who he was: a clear-eyed observer of the scene. Like, here:
Beatniks out to make it rich,
Oh no, must be the season of the witch…
But, mostly, what you hear in song after song — especially in “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” and “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and “Atlantis” and “Happiness Runs” — is a 100% bet on the ultimate victory of love. That was the way the world used to be; now we have to get ourselves back to the Garden. And the deepest affection for all living things is the only way to do it:
Lord, kiss me once more
Fill me with song
Allah, kiss me once more
That I may, that I may
Wear my love like heaven
Allah? In the mid-1960s? Not surprising. He was also using Indian drums back then and recording with the greatest of English rockers (Led Zeppelin, if you can believe).
As you may recall, Donovan got into meditation early. Unlike others, he wasn’t diving inward just for a season; he’s a lifer. Not surprising, for he was a very quick study:
There is a mountain. Then there is no mountain. Then there is.
Hold that thought.
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