Recess 16--A modern troubadour

Donovan Leitch was one of the quintessential performers during the early 1960s. He was born May 10, 1946 in Glasgow and raised outside of London; at 18 he recorded his first demo, and in 1965 was tapped as a regular on the television pop showcase Ready, Steady, Go! He soon issued his debut single "Catch the Wind," earning the first round of Dylan comparisons with his ramshackle folk sound and ragamuffin look; the single nevertheless reached the UK Top Five, with a subsequent meeting between the two singer/songwriters captured in the classic D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don't Look Back.

Donovan's follow-up single, "Colours," was also a hit, and after making his American debut at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, he issued Fairytale, his second and last LP for the Hickory label. Signing with Epic in 1966, he released his breakthrough album, Sunshine Superman, which in its exotic arrangements and pointedly psychedelic lyrical outlook heralded a major shift from his previous work; the title track topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, with the enigmatic "Mellow Yellow" reaching the number two spot a few months later.

His simple style is a remnant of the medieval troubadours, and one of his best songs is “Sand and Foam.” It was first released in 1967. The lyrics are shown below, but read them before you listen to the music. They are quite evocative.

The sun was going down behind a tattooed tree
And the simple act of an oar's stroke put diamonds in the sea
And all because of the phosphorus there in quantity
As I dug you diggin' me in Mexico.

There in the valley of Scorpio, beneath the cross of jade
Smoking on the seashell pipe the gypsies had made
We sat and we dreamed a while of smugglers bringing wine
In that crystal thought time in Mexico.

Sitting in a chair of bamboo, sipping grenadine,
Straining my eyes for a surfacing submarine.
Kingdoms of ants walk across my feet,
I'm a-shakin' in my seat in Mexico.

Grasshoppers creaking in the velvet jungle night,
Microscopic circles in the fluid of my sight,
Watching a black-eyed native girl cut and trim the lamp,
Valentino vamp in Mexico.

The sun was going down behind a tattooed tree
And the simple act of an oar's stroke put diamonds in the sea
And all because of the phosphorus there in quantity
I dug you diggin' me in Mexico

Listen!

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