Donovan Songs Ranked

Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock, and world music (notably calypso). He has lived in Scotland, Hertfordshire (England), London, California, and since at least 2008 in County Cork, Ireland, with his family. Emerging from the British folk scene, Donovan reached fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with live performances on the pop TV series Ready Steady Go!. Donovan continued to perform and record sporadically in the 1970s and 1980s. His musical style and hippie image were scorned by critics, especially after punk rock. His performing and recording became sporadic until a revival in the 1990s with the emergence of Britain’s rave scene. He recorded the 1996 album Sutras with producer Rick Rubin and in 2004 made a new album, Beat Cafe. Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. Here are all of Donovan’s songs ranked.

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15. Lalena (Deep Purple 1969

“Lalena” was a return to a simpler sound for Donovan. This gentle ballad was outside his normal folk/psyc sound that he had been releasing and was a welcome turn toward a folk sound.”

14. Cosmic Wheels (Cosmic Wheels, 1973

“After the relative commercial failure of his last two records, Donovan got back together with producer Mickie Most, who had been responsible for Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow. I’ve always been in two minds about the end results. There’s no doubt it’s a very good record — a thick, chunky piece of glam-pop that nods in the general direction of T.Rex. However, whether it’s a very good Donovan record is another question. Only on a couple of tracks does the singer himself assert his own distinctive blend of acoustic Celtic-flavoured folk with world/jazz/baroque trappings, and the end result is a little faceless, to be honest. However, I’d recommend it if only for the creepy “Sleep”, a proto-Goth anthem in the making!”

13. Jennifer Juniper (The Hurdy Gurdy Man, 1968)

“Donovan always seemed to have the capacity to write nursery rhymes for the day and indeed went on to make a for-children album a few years later. Here he warms up for it with a pretty, if gauche and slight child-like number that wouldn’t be out of place in a school playground.”

12. Barabajagal (Barabajagal, 1969)

“Mickie Most paired together two of his hit singles acts, Donovan and Jeff Beck for this unusual hit. It actually works, the funky groove compensating for the nonsense lyric and the slightly silly “Love is hot” interlude. Listen to me, describing a line as “silly” in a song called “Goo Goo Barabajagal”…!”

See more: Donovan Albums Ranked

11. To Susan on the West Coast Waiting (Barabajagal, 1969)

““To Susan On The West Coast Waiting” was the A side of the single in The United States, while “Atlantis” was the A side in Europe. In the United States the single reached number 23 and in England it reached the top ten, peaking at number seven.”

10. Colours (What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid, 1965

“Colours” finds Donovan secure in the folk realm. His early releases in the United States would all feature gentle releases and simple songs. This release is representative of that style. This is the era of his career that has held up well over the years.”

9. Epistle to Dippy (Sunshine Superman, 1966)

“Donovan emerged from his incense and peppermints haze to record this quite spiffing little rocker. Jimmy Page provides the skeletal riff which knocks its way, woodpecker-like into the brain. Love the enigmatic title, ditto the lyrics. Unlike most of the rest of his 60’s material, good as it is, which can sound like museum-pieces, strip away the harpsichord and woodwind accompaniment here which kicks in towards the end and you have a really nifty number which the early Cure or Gang of Four would have killed for.”

8. Universal Soldier (What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid, 1965)

“Universal Soldier, cover by Buffy Sainte-Marie (1964) has become over the years the best known of the two, although that of the Canadian is more gripping, bringing more variations in its tone of voice. That said Donovan also sings it with conviction”

7. Atlantis (Barabajagal, 1969

“After the long spoken prologue delivered with what sounds like a slightly put-on Scottish brogue, emerges a stirring chant repeated through to the end as the band whips up a swirling foam behind it. Unusual, distinctive, chancy, I rather like it.”

6. Season of the Witch (Sunshine Superman, 1966)

“I LOVE this song! The guitars, bass, drums, organ and vocals are all superbly woven into a piece that will take you right back to the 1960s. The song evokes a time when young people were fighting back against the establishment and taking LSD to promote self-awareness. In my opinion it could lead a list of other classics like White Rabbit by the Jefferson Airplane and Light my Fire by the Doors.”

See more: Jeff Beck Songs Ranked

5. Hurdy Gurdy Man (The Hurdy Gurdy Man, 1968)

“Hurdy Gurdy Man” is one of those perfect songs for entering a room. You FEEL cooler when these menacing and atmospheric heavy psych-rockers are on. Strangely, an actual hurdy-gurdy isn’t all that menacing or atmospheric. Handling the instrument, one looks like an Amish person churning butter. As for the sound, a hurdy-gurdy makes you feel like you’re about to witness jousting while you gnaw on a turkey leg.”

4. Mellow Yellow (Mellow Yellow, 1967

““Mellow Yellow”, with the famous “electrical banana” line, was released November 12, 1966 and would spend three weeks as the number two song in America. If you listen real close you can hear Paul McCartney providing the whispers.”

3. Wear Your Love Like Heaven (A Gift from a Flower to a Garden, 1967)

“This was why 1967 was probably the best year in music history, this may not even be one of the top 100 singles/or songs of the year but yet here it is great Psychedelics’ pop music, this again does not sound like Dylan whoever made that must have been smoking something. He was more like The Byrds then he was like Dylan. This has xylophones, masterful catchy hooks, and beautiful pop sounds.”

2. Sunshine Superman (Sunshine Superman, 1966)

“Poor Donovan is often viewed as a second-rate Dylan, and a psych lightweight, but the Scottish singer-songwriter authored an impressive number of hit singles, while also producing several albums of considerable depth. His greatest moment on record, “Sunshine Superman” is one of the finest pieces of psychedelic pop to ever hit the airwaves.”

1. Catch the Wind (What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid, 1965)

“The most impressive track that Donovan wrote before he merged his brand of folk with psychedelic pop, “Catch the Wind” was recorded three times in the sixties; once as his debut single, again for his first album, and lastly for his 1969 Greatest Hits compilation. It’s the original single version that stands as my favorite, as it finds a comfortable middle ground between the sparse album track and the slightly-overdone 1969 take.”