Album:
The song is on Donovan’s 1966 album Sunshine Superman.
Songwriters:
Donovan, Shawn Phillips (uncredited)
Producer:
Mickie Most
Record label:
Epic
Donovan and John Mellencamp:
Wikipedia:
According to Donovan, he and Shawn Phillips wanted a “rock-combo sound” for the song and chose some local musicians from clubs in the LA/Hollywood area where the song was recorded.
In a retrospective song review for AllMusic, Lindsay Planer commented: “Few songs so perfectly reflect the dawn of the psychedelic pop era as aptly as Donovan’s Season of the Witch … Both lyrically as well as musically, the languid and trippy contents project a dark foreboding atmosphere [and] a sort of sinister tale of paranoia and the paranormal”.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_of_the_Witch_(song)
Songfacts:
One of the first songs to fit the “psychedelic” genre, Donovan recorded Season of the Witch in May 1966, shortly before his highly publicised arrest for possession of marijuana.
During Led Zeppelin’s soundchecks, they often warmed up by playing this. The song allows for lots of jamming when played live, which makes it a popular cover for many bands.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/donovan/season-of-the-witch
Lyrics:
When I look out my window
Many sights to see
And when I look in my window
So many different people to be
That it’s strange, so strange
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
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