Colours

Album: Fairytale (1965)
Charted: 4 61
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Songfacts®:

  • This was Donovan's second hit single in 1965 following "Catch The Wind," and it shows his roots as a Woody Guthrie-like folk singer. The song was also covered by Joan Baez that same year. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Sara - Silver Spring, MD

Comments: 4

  • AnonymousI really really love this son as sung by Donovan
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 11th 1965, Donovan performed "Colours" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'...
    At the time the song was in its first week, at #95, on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; five weeks later on September 12th it peaked at #61 {for 1 week} and the following and last week on the chart it was at #88...
    Between 1965 and 1973 he had seventeen Top 100 records; four made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Sunshine Superman" for one week on August 28th, 1966...
    He just missed having a second #1 record when "Mellow Yellow" peaked at #2* {for 3 weeks} on December 4th, 1966...
    * The first week "Mellow Yellow" was at #2, the #1 for that week was "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys; and for the 2nd and 3rd week at #2, "Winchester Cathedral" by the New Vaudeville Band was in the top spot...
    R.I.P. Jimmy O'Neill {Shindig's host, 1940 - 2013}.
  • Sara from Silver Spring, MdThe song was obiviously inspired by the old folk song "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" hence the opening line "Yellow is the color...". In concert Donovan would often sing "Yellow is the color of my true love's teeth. But it doesn't matter much to me!"
  • Sara from Silver Spring, MdJoan Baez and Donovan sang this at a folk festival in 1966.
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