hurdy gurdy man

great song.

donovan wrote:

hurdy gurdy hurdy gurdy hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang.

I concur wholeheartedly. Used very effectively in Zodiac, in my opinion.

zodiac wrote:

great song.

donovan wrote:

hurdy gurdy hurdy gurdy hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang.

clapton on guitar

It's Jimmy Page, not Clapton

this song made me afraid of the hurdy gurdy man (organ grinder), as some people were afraid of clowns. this song had a menacing sound to it, to a kid. Even though the hurdy gurdy man was 'singing songs of love'; it sounded scary.

[edit] History

Donovan wrote and recorded much of The Hurdy Gurdy Man in late 1967 not long after recording the songs that would form A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. The rest of The Hurdy Gurdy Man was recorded in April of 1968, after Donovan visited Rishikesh, India to study under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. John Lennon, Cynthia Lennon, George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Mia Farrow, Prudence Farrow, and Mike Love were there as well. Donovan has since said in concerts that George Harrison wrote a verse for "Hurdy Gurdy Man" when they were in India, but it wasn't recorded for the studio version. On his 1973 live album Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973 and his 1990 live album Rising, Donovan explains the story and sings the previously omitted verse.

Donovan's songwriting for The Hurdy Gurdy Man centered around drones on such songs as "Peregrine", "The River Song" and "Tangier" (the later two being compositions by Donovan's good friend Gypsy Dave AKA Gyp Mills ), and pop music on most of the other tracks. "As I Recall It" continues Donovan's infatuation with jazz. "Jennifer Juniper" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" were both released as singles well before the album was released.

The recording sessions for The Hurdy Gurdy Man are purported to have included future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones. Jimmy Page was in The Yardbirds at the time and was actively looking to rebuild that band. There have been claims that John Bonham was present at the session for "Hurdy Gurdy Man", and that Led Zeppelin grew out of this.

According to songfacts.com, there is a lot of bad information about what musicians played on this. John Paul Jones, who became a member of Led Zeppelin, was the musical director, and many people thought Jimmy Page and John Bonham played on this as well. According to Clem Cattini, who really did play on this, here is the lineup: Donovan - Acoustic Guitar John Paul Jones - Arrangement, Musical Director and Bass Guitar Alan Parker - Lead (electric) Guitar Clem Cattini - Drums. The session was produced by Mickie Most and engineered by Eddie Kramer. Says Cattini, "John Paul Jones told me this was recorded 2 years before he met John Bonham and he only ever used me on his sessions. In fact, we worked together in Lulu's band for 2 years. Also at the time I did a lot of work for Mickie Most who was the producer.

In interviews with Keith Altham for the NME (and Hit Parader) and Tony Wilson for Melody Maker [1] in 1968 Donovan explained he wrote "Hurdy Gurdy Man" for his friend Mac MacLeod and wanted Mac's band Hurdy Gurdy to record it. However, Donovan's version was a hit and the band never recorded the song. Donovan has stated in an interview with Little Steven Van Zandt that he had originally desired Jimi Hendrix to play on "Hurdy Gurdy Man," but as he was unavailable, he got Jimmy Page to play. Jimmy Page has often been credited as playing electric guitar on the track but Alan Parker has been named by Page, Jones and Cattini.

The album's song Hurdy Gurdy Man was used several times throughout the 2007 major motion picture Zodiac, in the credits as well as in the theatrical trailer.

The last verse of Hurdy Gurdy Man written by George Harrison is: "When the truth gets buried deep, beneath a thousand years of sleep, time demands a turn around, and once again the truth is found".