TL;DR:
- Jimmy Page was hired to play power chords on Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” instead of Jimi Hendrix.
- Donovan said his style of guitar playing inspired Page.
- “Hurdy Gurdy Man” was a huge pop hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones worked on Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” Donovan explained that Jimi Hendrix was originally supposed to work on the song. Subsequently, Donovan discussed Led Zeppelin’s enduring legacy.
Led Zeppelin stars played on Donovan’s ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ when Jimi Hendrix was busy
During a 2008 interview with Uncut, Donovan discussed the recording of “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” “Many people have said over the years how important that session of John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and me — and maybe [John] Bonham, who said he was there — doing ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ was,” he said.
“I was developing a story-telling thing, and I wanted power-chords, because I’d obviously heard Dave Davies [of The Kinks] and [Jimi] Hendrix, and knew Pete Townshend,” Donovan said. “Originally, I wanted to give ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ to Hendrix, but he couldn’t come in. So [producer] Mickie Most suggested Jimmy.”
Donovan felt Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page took inspiration from the way he played the guitar
Donovan explained what Page was trying to accomplish when he replaced Hendrix on “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” “[Musical director] John Cameron told him, ‘All you’ve got to do is listen to Donovan’s guitar. Although it’s acoustic, the way he’s hitting it is the way the power-chords would go,’” he recalled. “Rather than plug-in, I was hitting driving chords on the acoustic in such a way that they buzz. So I guess Page listened.”
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The “Mellow Yellow” singer discussed the legacy of Page and Jones. “Jimmy added power and pagan rock,” he opined. “To this day, everyone wants that sound. And John Paul Jones arranged it, he gave the shapes to those sounds.” He felt Led Zeppelin “became the greatest pagan British rock band.” Notably, Donovan later became acquainted with Page during the early 1980s.
How ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ performed in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Hurdy Gurdy Man” was one of Donovan’s biggest songs on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, the tune peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks. “Hurdy Gurdy Man” was Donovan’s penultimate top 10 single, with “Atlantis” becoming his last. The former appeared on the record The Hurdy Gurdy Man. That album reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 20 weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Hurdy Gurdy Man” hit No. 4 in the United Kingdom, remaining on the chart for 10 weeks. On the other hand, The Hurdy Gurdy Man never charted in the U.K. Subsequently, the tune appeared on the compilation album Sunshine Superman: The Very Best of Donovan. The compilation reached No. 47 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for four weeks.
“Hurdy Gurdy Man” is amazing because so many talented people worked on it.
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