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Fun Music Information -> Donovan

This is the most recent information about Donovan that has been submitted to amIright. If we have more information about Donovan, then we provide a link to the section where it appears (the actual page whenever possible).

Our newest site, amIwrong has an albums order quiz where you need to put this performer's albums in order of release.

Possible Misspelled Names:

These are the alternate spellings of the performer's name we've had to correct in submissions to amIright.

Wouldn't You Like to Know...

Quotes:

He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years
He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain
a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
and he knows he shouldn't kill
and he knows he always will
kill you for me my friend and me for you

- Donovan - Universal Soldier

Submitted by: LucidLupin

Music Performer Pseudonyms:

Also known as: Donovan Leitch. Submitted by: groove

Music Performer Nicknames:

Known informally as: Prince of Flower Power. Submitted by: KL Fan

Weird Names of Music Performer's Children:

Astrella Celeste - Astrella is another typically earthly name for one of Donovan's kids. He did write a song named "Celeste", so I imagine that is where the name came from. Submitted by: Eric Andrews
Oriole - For a perennial flower child like him, something "nature" sounding is not too unusual for Donovan. Submitted by: Eric Andrews
Ione Skye - Submitted by: shawn50272

Singers Who Act:

Notable Acting Credits	Comments & Submitter Name
"The Pied Piper, The Secret Policeman's Ball"	also composed the music for Brother Sun Sister Moon and The Pied Piper. - KL Fan

Vainity Songs:

Song Name	Comments & Submitter Name
"Invincible Donovan University"	Donovan rewrote the song "Universe Am I" for his new university of meditation and arts in Scotland. He never recorded it but the song can be found on YouTube in a live performance. - KL Fan

Former Career:

Name	New Career	Comments & Submitter Name
"Donovan"	"Drummer"	Before he was a guitarist, he played drums in his high school band "The Macabres". His sax player was Ron "Dippy" Gale and the song "Epistle to Dippy" was dedicated to him. - KL Fan

Song Titles Not Used as Lyrics:

Song Name	Comments & Submitter Name
"Colours"	The world "color" is in the song but never as a plural. ("Yellow is the color of my true love's hair... Blue's the color of the sky... Green is the color of the sparkling pond...") - KL Fan
"Poor Cow"	Originally titled "Poor Love", this was the theme for the movie of the same name. The song originally included a Lord of the Rings reference. "Oh I did dwell in the northern part of the country, Faramir far from here". - KL Fan
"Breezes of Patchulie"	Originally to be named "Darkness of my Night"...and that was used in the lyrics! - Paul Warren
"Sunshine Superman"	Opening line is "Sunshine came softly through my window today". And other verses open with the word "Superman". But the two words never come together anywhere in the lyrics to create the title phrase "Sunshine Superman". - Melissa Conway
"Epistle to Dippy"	Why it was called 'Epistle to Dippy' is way beyond me. - Paul Warren

Literally Impossible Song Titles:

Song/Performer	Comment	Submitter Name
"Universe Am I,"	He is not the universe	KL Fan
"The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow,"	Since when does the sun do magic or be a fellow?	KL Fan
"Wear Your Love Like Heaven,"	Can you really wear Heaven and Love?	Paul Warren
"Catch The Wind,"	You can't catch wind	Aaerni

Use a Song Title to Answer a Different Song:

Song & Band Name	Song & Band Name
"I'm Going Home," Ten Years After	"To Susan On The West Coast Waiting," Donovan
"Take A Letter Maria," R.B. Greaves	"To Susan On The West Coast Waiting," Donovan
"Choice Of Colors," The Impressions	"Mellow Yellow," Donovan
"What's Your Name?," Lynyrd Skynyrd	"Jennifer Juniper," Donovan
There are additional songs titles that answer other songs available.

Remove a Letter From a Song Title:

"Universal Solder" originally "Universal Soldier"

Jessica Bielzebub

"Here Is A Mountain" originally "There Is A Mountain"

Yvette Bristle

"Rudi" originally "Trudi"

Sutch

"Season Of The Itch" originally "Season Of The Witch"

Donovan must have had trouble w/ poisoned ivy?

Ted Danson The Night Away

"Hurdy Gurdy Ma" originally "Hurdy Gurdy Man"

Peter

Add a Letter to a Song Title:

"Poor Crow" originally "Poor Cow"

Now the song's about a crow.

Paul Warren

"Epistle To Drippy" originally "Epistle To Dippy"

Peter

"Wear Your Glove Like Heaven" originally "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"

Tim

Change a Letter:

"Season Of The Watch" originally "Season Of The Witch"

Megan

"Reason Of The Witch" originally "Season Of The Witch"

Serafina

"Season Of The Pitch" originally "Season Of The Witch"

Serafina

"Atlantic" originally "Atlantis"

Yvette Bristle

"There Is A Fountain" originally "There Is A Mountain"

Yvette Bristle

There are additional Donovan song titles with a letter changed available.

Song Parody Lyrics:

Original Song Name	Parody Song Name	Parody Author
"Mellow Yellow"	"Funicello"	Lifeliver
"Mellow Yellow"	"Melon Felon"	Warren Baker
"Sunshine Superman"	"Blonde-shy Superman"	Lifeliver
"Hurdy Gurdy Man"	"Hurty GIRDy Gal"	Andria
"Atlantis"	"Al Yantis"	Porfle Popnecker
"Jersey Thursday"	"Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M"	Tommy Turtle
"Mellow Yellow"	"Mortal Kero"	Colin Slater
"Colours"	"Color"	John A. Barry
"There Is a Mountain"	"There Is a Scorin'"	Michael Pacholek
"Mellow Yellow"	"Lindsay Lohan"	Dan Creeden
There are additional Donovan song parodies available.

Songs for Commercials, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

Song Name	Product	Submittor
Mellow Yellow	The Simpsons	Rich
Mellow Yellow	"The Simpsons" tv series new episode promos	BlueEYE
Mellow Yellow	Mello Yello	crazydon
Intergalactic Laxative	Dulco-lax (laxative)	pickle*

Bad Choices for On Hold Music:

Song Name	Company/Organization	Submittor
Atlantis	New Orleans Chamber of Congress	British Bullcrap
The War Drags On	The Anti-War Campaign	Paul Warren
Mellow Yellow	The Makers Of Mountain Dew	crazydon
Atlantis	Galveston, TX/Johnstown, PA Chamber of Congress	oldschool

Songs for Duets, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

First Band/Song Name	Second Band/Song Name	New Song Name	Submittor
Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	Sunshine Superman Donovan	Black Hole Sunshine Superman	Alicia Sturdivant
Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me Linda Ronstadt	Poor Cow Donovan	Poor, Poor, Poor, Pitiful Cow Want me to make him into steak?	Paul Warren
The War On Drugs Barenaked Ladies	The War Drags On Donovan	The War On Drugs Drags On It has been for 25 years now.	Paul Warren
Ain't No Sunshine Bill Withers	Sunshine Superman Donovan	Ain't No Superman, Sunshine. Theres no Santa, either. Sorry.	Blossom
There are additional Donovan duets that haven't been done yet available.

If Groups Combined, Their Names Might Be:

Madonovan

Madonna combined with Donovan

Submitted By: nally

Bonovan

Bono combined with Donovan

Two one-named male singers combine their names.

Submitted By: nally

Misheard Lyrics:

"Catch the Wind" Misheard Lyrics: Of your lovin' man Original Lyrics: Of your lovin' mind	"Catch the Wind" Misheard Lyrics: In the warm hold of your love and mine. Original Lyrics: In the warm hold of your lovin' mind.
"Happiness Runs" Misheard Lyrics: Happiness runs in a viceral Original Lyrics: Happiness runs, happiness Rruns	"Wear Your Love Like Heaven" Misheard Lyrics: Kiss me once more, fill me with song, La La, Kiss me once more flatter me, flatter me Original Lyrics: Kiss me once more, fill me with song Allah, Kiss me once more that I may, that I may
There are additional Donovan misheard lyrics available.

Misheard Lyrics Stories:

"Catch the Wind"

Misheard Lyrics:

Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.

Original Lyrics:

How could I miss, well try and catch the wind

Story about this misheard lyric by: DC

Online lyrics sites seem to universally report as misheard. but they don't sound correct to me. These sites all seem to copy from each other.

There are additional Donovan misheard stories available.

Funniest Song Lyrics:

"Mellow Yellow"

The Funny Lyrics:

Electrical banana

Why They're Funny:

I was listening to my dad's albums, and when this line came up, I started cracking up and couldn't stop. It's mostly in the way it's said. Eee-lektrical banaaaah-naaaaaaah

Submitted by: SpongeBob SquarePants' Lady Friend

Repetitive Song Lyrics:

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" The Repetitive Lyrics: Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang. Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang. Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang Why They're Repetitive: Shut up, shut up, shut up I sang! Submitted by: sXe LeXi 5X2	"First There Is A Mountain" The Repetitive Lyrics: First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is. Why They're Repetitive: its says it for the whole song, except for about 4 lines. Submitted by: Hurricane64
There are additional Donovan repetitive lyrics available.

Nonsensical Song Lyrics:

"Sunshine Superman"

The Nonsensical Lyrics:

You can just sit there, thinking, on your velvet throne,
'Bout all the rainbows you can have for your own,
When you make your mind up forever to be mine.

Why They're Nonsensical:

Could ANY amount of sitting and thinking on a velvet throne cause one to think up anything on Earth more IMPOSSIBLE for one to possess than rainbows? I think not.

Submitted by: Karen Smith

"Hurdy Gurdy Man"

The Nonsensical Lyrics:

Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man Comes singing songs of love
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang
Here comes the roly poly man and he's singing songs of love
Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly, poly he sang

Why They're Nonsensical:

What is all this 'hurdy gurdy' and 'roly poly' nonsense and what's the point of it?!

Submitted by: sXe LeXi 5X2

There are additional Donovan nonsensical lyrics available.

Insulting Song Lyrics:

"The Intergalaxtic Laxative"

The Insulting Lyrics:

The intergalaxtic laxative will get you here to Mars.

Why They're Insulting:

Truly an insult to astronauts, but funny in a way!

Submitted by: KL Fan

Inappropriate Song Lyrics:

"Sunshine Superman"

The Inappropriate Lyrics:

Sunshine came softly through my a-window today
could've tripped out easily
but I knew m' way

Why They're Inappropriate:

At the time the song was written "sunshine" was a slang term for lsd. "tripped out" could also refer to taking a "trip" through lsd. donovan wrote this for his girlfriend whom he just split up with and would marry a few years later. in his autobiography he says he remembers giving her an lsd trip so...

Submitted by: Kl Fan

Dirty Song Lyrics:

"Pee Song"

The Dirty Lyrics:

How much of a pee do you wee?
When you're little and you're only three
Can you wiggle and wash
Does it tickle and splotch
Can you do like a dog on a tree?

Why They're Dirty:

the lyrics say it all, this was on an album for kids!

Submitted by: KL Fan

"Lalena"

The Dirty Lyrics:

When the sun goes to bed
That's the time you raise your head
But that's your lot in life, Lalena.

Why They're Dirty:

With these lyrics and others throughout the song as clues, it doesn't take a genius to figure out just what Lalena's 'lot in life' is; she's a prostitute. Fortunately, Donovan does such a good job of not being explicit that he makes this song sound so innocuous.

Submitted by: Raphael

Song Lyrics That Name Check Celebrities:

"Sunny Goodge Street" The Lyrics: Listening to the sounds of Mingus mellow fantastic> My-my they sigh> Who They Mention: Charles Mingus a famous jazz musician Submitted by: KL Fan	"Fat Angel" The Lyrics: Fly Jefferson Airplane <> Get you there on time <> Cass, Cass... Who They Mention: Jefferson Airplane (who also sang the song) and Mama Cass Elliott (whom the song was dedicated to) Submitted by: KL Fan
There are additional Donovan celebrity lyrics available.

Song Lyrics That Mention Other Songs:

"Writer in the Sun"

The Song Lyrics:

The Days of Wine and Roses are distant days for me.

Song They Mention:

Days of Wine and Roses by Henry Mancini

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Songs That Open With Their Titles:

"Jennifer Juniper"

Opening Lines:

Jennifer Juniper lives upon the hill

Comments:

Submitted by: Candy Welty

"Atlantis"

Opening Lines:

The continent of Atlantis was an island that lay before the great flood

Comments:

Donovan's Top 10 hit of 1969 about the legendary lost continent of Atlantis. He speaks the first part and then the chorus sings "Way down below the ocean, where I wanna be she may be".

Submitted by: KL Fan

Made Up Words in Songs:

"Barabajagal"

The Made Up Words:

Barabajagal

Comments:

This song is a good jam song.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Title Space Change:

"Weary Our Love Like Heaven" originally "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"

Submitted by: Yvette Bristle

"Mellow Yell Ow!" originally "Mellow Yellow"

Sounds a bit contradictory.

Submitted by: George Straitjacket

"Sun Shines Up Erma N." originally "Sunshine Superman"

Submitted by: Emmy Kay Butanone

Band Name Anagrams:

No Do Van Submitted by: George Straitjacket

Does that mean he doesn't hold concerts in a van?

Song Title Anagrams:

"Hints Manager" originally "Earth Sign Man"

Submitted by: Ring Around The Rosie O'Donnell Abu Dhabi

"His Ant Manger" originally "Earth Sign Man"

Submitted by: Ring Around The Rosie O'Donnell Abu Dhabi

"Anger This Man" originally "Earth Sign Man"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

"Garish Man Ten" originally "Earth Sign Man"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

"Rent A Ham Sign" originally "Earth Sign Man"

Submitted by: Alyssa Jayne

There are additional Donovan Song Title Anagrams available.

Real Places Mentioned in Songs:

"Atlantis" The Lyrics: The continent of Atlantis was an island that lay before the great flood in the area we know call the Atlantic Ocean Why: The legendary lost continent of Atlantis which may or may not have existed. Located in the Atlantic Ocean it also mentions Africa as a neighbor and South and North America. Submitted by: KL Fan	"Sand and Foam" The Lyrics: I dug you diggin' me in Mexico Why: The song is inspired by a trip Donovan took to Mexico in 1966. The song is often subtitled "Mexico". Submitted by: KL Fan
There are additional Donovan Real Places Mentioned in Songs available.

Lyrics Pronunciation:

"Mellow Yellow"

The Lyrics:

I'm just mad about Fourteen
And Fourteen's a mad about me

Why:

He says "fourteen" as "faurting" or "Fontine". Donovan was originally from Scotland and sometimes his grammar is incorrect

Submitted by: KL Fan

Super Long Pop Songs:

"Legend of a Child Girl Linda" Length: 6:50

Probably Donovan's longest song ever.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Super Short Pop Songs:

"Oh Gosh" Length: 1:47

It's a very nice jazz-style song which only lasts less than two-minutes.

Submitted by: Paul Warren

Song Title Acrostics:

US: "Universal Soldier"

Submitted by: Candy Welty

COTS: "Celia Of The Seals"

Submitted by: Candy Welty

MY: "Mellow Yellow"

Submitted by: hamp

Song Title Spoonerisms:

"Thirst Mare Is A Fountain" originally "First There Is A Mountain"

Submitted by: D. Melody Dole, MD

"Thirst Fare Is A Mountain" originally "First There Is A Mountain"

Submitted by: D. Melody Dole, MD

"Gurdy Murdy Hand" originally "Hurdy Gurdy Man"

Submitted by: British Bullcrap

Foreign Language in English Songs:

"Jennifer Juniper"

The Lyrics:

Jennifer Juniper, vis sur la colline,
Jennifer Juniper assie trs tranquille. Dort-elle?
Je ne crois pas.
Qu'est-ce que tu fais, Jenny mon amour?

Why:

This is the French version of the first verse of the song , which goes like this.... Jennifer Juniper, lives upon a hill, Jennifer Juniper, sitting very still. Is she sleeping? I don't think so. Is she breathing? Yes, very low. Whatcha doing, Jennifer my love?

Submitted by: Paul Warren