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More Than Words: Donovan's Psychedelic Sunset
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Donovan (c: www.photobucket.com)
Have you ever loved a song to the point of ridiculousness but no matter how hard you try, you just can’t understand the lyrics? What was the artist thinking when writing your favorite tune? More Than Words, a weekly column, will help to delve a little deeper…
Wear Your Love Like Heaven – Donovan, (A Gift From a Flower to a Garden, 1967)
The most common theory behind “Wear Your Love Like Heaven”, the psychedelic song created by Scottish musician Donovan, is that is represents colors seen and experienced on an LSD trip.
By 1966, Donovan became one of the first British pop musicians to adopt a hippie, flower power image – his drug use, particularly marijuana, is notorious and was thought to provide much influence on Donovan’s musical style and his lyrics.
The lyrics of “Wear Your Love Like Heaven,” are thought to represent colors in the sky during a sunset – the “crimson ball” sinking from view is the sun setting in a “Prussian blue” sky. The “scarlet fleece” that is changing hue represents the clouds. The colors are vibrant and constantly changing, and it is believed that Donovan associated this scene with Heaven.
Legend has it that the song was written whilst Donovan was high on drugs. He associates the sunset with images of Heaven. He then makes a plea to God and Allah to inspire him musically; “Lord kiss me once more, Fill me with song, Allah kiss me once more, That I may, that I may, Wear my love like heaven”.
The lyric “Wear my love like heaven” is thought to represent the core of the hippie movement, which was to be openly expressive with love. It has been said that this phrase is actually a metaphore for wearing your heart on your sleeve.
At the beginning of his career, Donovan was influenced primarily by artists including Dylan and Guthrie. However, in the mid 60s, he immersed himself in the new generation of psychedelic San Franciscan bands including Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead. His interest in Eastern Music also lead to a collaboration with American folksinger Shawn Williams who played the sitar on Donovan’s album Sunshine Superman.
“Wear Your Love Like Heaven” reached number 23 on the US Charts.
** More Than Words is a weekly column. If you liked this column, you may also enjoy – Go Your Own Way, I am The Walrus, Riders on the Storm, Could Have Lied, Sweetest Thing, Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Stay tuned for the next edition!
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