Celia of the Seals

Album: Troubadour: 1964 - 1976 (1970)
Charted: 84
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is considered to be the ultimate protest song against the illegal hunting of seals for the needs of humans, such as their fur and meat.
  • In the lyrics, the singer attempts to imitate the call of the seal, repeating "Vonya vonya vonya" in a verse while you can hear sound effects of seals making their actual cry into the song. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Landon - Winchester, OH, for above 2

Comments: 3

  • Jim from Oregon I thought this song was inspired by the Scottish legend of Selkies - woman who turned into seals.
  • Gloria from LondonThe Celia of the song title is Celia Hammond, who was a top model in the 70s and often modelled furs, until she realised how fur was obtained and how cruel the fur trade is. She used her fame as a model to become a vocal and hands-on animal activist and opened the Celia Hammond Animal Trust which takes in and neuters feral cats, rehoming those tame enough or releasing them back whence they came where possible, and finding farm homes for the remainder. Her clinics provide low-cost neutering and vet services in east and south London, and no animal in her care is ever put down while there is any quality of life. She was in a relationship with Jeff Beck for many years and met Donovan, who wrote this song about her. Most recently, she cleared the Olympic stadium site in east London of its feral cat population, successfully lobbying for more time before construction started, due to the large numbers of cats there. She took in over 200 cats from this one site alone. See: www.celiahammond.org
  • Sara from Silver Spring, MdThis was inspired by a fur trader who was a friend of Donovan's mistress Linda. Early in his career he wrote a song called "Ceila" but never recorded it.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Dr. John

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.