Donovan
Love Will Find a Way
First version:
If there ever was a prototype of the flower-power era, it was certainly called Philip Leitch Donovan. Through his insightful, melodic songs, he won many fans. Like many of his musical companions, he began his career with folk protest songs like “Universal Soldier” before ultimately entering the electric pop scene.
Günter Krenz, the now deceased but still very well-known radio host and DJ of the radio station WDR 2, once described the song “Hurdy Gurdy Man” as a song of a man who is connected to a power line. In fact, exactly this vibrating voice is the unmistakable trademark of Donovan.
There is a recording of a live concert in which Donovan tells a nice story about George Harrison. In the mid-sixties, they were both sitting around the campfire of the Maharishi in India when Donovan composed the above-mentioned song. Harrison added a separate verse; Donovan remembered that very well and recited the lyrics, thanking the great George for that piece, but then he smiled and remarked he didn’t include the verse.
There is a beautiful song buried on the same live LP. It’s called “Love Will Find a Way” and features Donovan being accompanied by a flute. And how true are the lyrics!!!
The song is such a rarity that there is no video recording of it.
Therefore I have added a link to Suzanna ELPy & Vadim Savenko on YouTube.
Alternative Version:
Donovan Phillips Leitch, called Donovan for short, was one of the leading musicians of the sixties and the flower-power era. The talented guitarist and composer had always been compared to Bob Dylan, although Donovan himself didn’t agree with this statement. Nowadays, a lot of people still regard him as the one and only troubadour of the former hippie scene because of his iridescent appearance and the music he performed.
In the late seventies, his success and influence faded. At this time, record companies usually try to publish compilations of well-known songs (“greatest hits”) or live recordings of a group or artist in order to boost their declining popularity and sell their former hits once again. But new generations, who do not know the artists or their music, get a chance to listen to the songs for the first time, too.
This is how “25 Years in Concert” was born, a CD which contains 17 (!) songs of the master himself, introducing them to London audiences during some concerts in a very kind atmosphere.
By the way, Donovan reveals in the middle of “Hurdy Gurdy Man”, the third track of the album, that he wrote this song in India in 1965 while staying there with the Maharishi, Mia Farrow, and the Beatles. Also, he reported that when playing one first version, none other than George Harrison added his own verse, dealing with things like time and truth. But Donovan smilingly told his fans that he didn’t record it. Poor George!
The compilation includes a tune called “Love Will Find a Way”. The lyrics tell us about the irresistible love of two persons. A flute forms the melody. It’s hard to believe, but apparently nobody has ever thought of releasing this great little tune as a single. It would be well deserved.
