John Lennon Wouldn’t Stop Listening to 1 Donovan Song
The Beatles were the most popular and important act of the British Invasion, but no classic rock fan should ignore the achievements of Donovan. Notably, John Lennon was a big fan of one of Donovan’s songs, and he played it over and over. The “Hurdy Gurdy Man” singer revealed what he thought of John as a person. John felt that he and Donovan were on a similar wavelength.
John Lennon loved 1 of Donovan’s folk songs
Donovan is known for two types of songs: psychedelic ditties like “Mellow Yellow,” “Atlantis,” and “Sunshine Superman,” and folk tunes such as “Colours,” “Catch the Wind,” and “Universal Soldier.” A 2018 article from Goldmine says John was taken with Donovan’s folk song “Turquoise.” He had a vinyl copy of the song and played it repeatedly on a personal jukebox he brought with him on tour.
The “Season of the Witch” singer revealed what he thought of John and Paul McCartney. “John and Paul, let me say, were very aware of their influence over millions of people,” he recalled. “They were also both very highly skilled. Plus, they seemed to know every single popular song from 1945 onward! It was obvious to me they had put their time in.”
The Hurdy Gurdy Man related to The Beatles’ love of folk songs
Donovan revealed he had more in common with John and Paul than music. “The interest that ultimately brought us closely together was meditation, but that wouldn’t be until 1967,” he remembered. “In ’65, we found ourselves inextricably linked for two reasons. [John and Paul] come from a very powerful seaside ship-building port town Liverpool just as I came from the exact same sort of town in Glasgow, Scotland. They were completely immersed in the Irish diaspora that had moved out of Ireland into Liverpool.
“They knew the folk world, they read poetry, they went to the theater and, let me tell you, they certainly entertained radical thought for those days,” he said. “That’s the exact kind of milieu I was brought up in.” Radical thought would become a major part of John’s solo work, as his tunes “Imagine” and “Working Class Hero” reflect Marxist theory.
John Lennon saw Donovan as a fellow peace activist
Donovan had some positive things to say about John, and John had some positive things to say about Donovan. The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations With John Lennon features an interview from 1972. In it, the “Woman” singer recalled getting in trouble for possession of marijuana. Yoko Ono noted Donovan and The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards had similar struggles. John theorized that law enforcement went after him, Donovan, Richards, and other rock stars like Mick Jagger and George Harrison because they all promoted peace.
Many artists from that era protested the Vietnam War on the streets or through their music. No other war seemed to inspire more protest songs in the history of Western popular music. Donovan was part of that trend, releasing anti-war songs that can apply to any conflict going on today. While Donovan never became the international peace icon that John did, he deserves credit for speaking his conscience during a divisive and deadly conflict.
Donovan and John were both part of an incredible musical scene, and John couldn’t get enough of “Turquoise.”
