Local Boy Chops Wood

Album: Donovan (1977)
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Songfacts®:

  • Subtitled "A Death in the Sixties," this is a tribute to Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, who dated Donovan's future wife Linda Lawrence at the same time he met her. In June 1969, Brian was found dead in his Hyde Park swimming pool, and there have been many theories about his death. Jones was the first love of Linda Lawrence and they had a child together before Donovan met her and the two broke up and then married in 1971. Donovan has said that this song could be refer to any artist whose lives ended or were killed off by the 1960s.
  • Donovan redid the song for Lady of the Stars, the least successful of his albums because it was mostly remakes of earlier songs including "Sunshine Superman." He redid the song for his 2010 2-disc album "Ritual Groove," and this version he dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, whom Donovan met after he arrived in London and considered working on an album a year before his untimely death. The song is not one of Donovan's big hits, but is a good tribute to those whose careers were cut short during or by the '60s. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Sara - Silver Spring, MD, for above 2

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