Donovan came to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the television pop series, Ready Steady Go!. He first hit the charts in 1965 with his single "Catch the Wind", continuing on with a string of hits, most of them produced by Mickie Most. Donovan's 1966 Sunshine Superman marked not only a transition to the burgeoning psychedelic scene, but is also viewed as a formative album in its genre, inspiring countless contemporaries. His 1967 double album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden—the first major album released as a boxed set—completed the transition from beat poet folkster to hippie troubadour.
As a close friend of The Beatles, he traveled with them to India during their stay at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and taught them the "clawhammer" finger-picking style, which is featured on several tracks on their seminal 1968 double album The Beatles, better known as "The White Album."
The decline of Donovan's commercial popularity coincides roughly with his split from Most in 1969, as well as gradually lessened interest in psychedelics by artists and the record-buying public alike. With the advent of punk rock during the mid-'70s, Donovan, now viewed as a "nice boy" '60s relic, truly fell from favor. Music critics' tastes too had changed; Donovan's new product, while still quirky and experimental, earned little but scorn and derision. As the decades progressed, Donovan would record and perform only sporadically, often separated by several years.
Donovan's career went through a revival of sorts with the emergence of Britain's rave scene in the '90s. As a result, his most famous works were reissued, and once again viewed favorably by critics. With the release of the back-to-basics Rick Rubin-produced Sutras in 1996, Donovan's career settled into a comparatively steady stream of new releases, coupled with archival material and various reissues. He was inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame in 2012.
Celeste
Donovan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know why Would anybody like to try
The changes I'm going through ?
A hidden lie would fortify
Something that don't exist
But it ain't so bad, I'm just a lad,
So many more things to do,
I intend to come right through them all with you.
My songs are merely dreams visiting my mind
We talk a while by a crooked stile,
You're lucky to catch a few.
There's no magic wand in a perfumed hand,
It's a pleasure to be true.
In my crystal halls a feather falls
Being beautiful just for you
But that might not be quite true, that's up to you.
Dawn crept in unseen to find me still awake
A strange young girl sang her songs for me
And left 'fore the day was born.
That dark princess with saddening jest
She lowered her eyes of woe,
And I felt her sigh, I wouldn't like to try
The changes she's going through
But I hope love comes right through them all with you.
The lyrics to Donovan's song Celeste speak about the singer's realization that he is going through changes and he doesn't quite understand them. He feels like he's acting like a silly clown and doesn't know why anyone would want to try the changes he's experiencing. The lines "A hidden lie would fortify something that don't exist" suggest that he is trying to hide something about himself that isn't true. However, he sees it as not so bad and he's just a lad with so many things to do. He wants to go through all of it with the person he's singing to.
The lyrics go on to describe how the singer's songs are like dreams that visit his mind. He talks with the person he's singing to, and it's a pleasure for him to be true. He sings about a feather falling in his crystal halls, being beautiful just for the person he's singing to, but he questions whether or not it's true. Then dawn creeps in unseen and he meets a strange young girl who sings songs for him and leaves before the day is born. This girl is described as a dark princess with saddening jest, suggesting that she's experienced some sort of pain. The singer hopes that love will come right through the changes she's going through, and through all the changes that he's experiencing as well.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I stand acting like a silly clown would,
I am currently behaving in a foolish manner for reasons unknown to me.
I don't know why Would anybody like to try
I am unsure why anyone would want to experience the changes I am undergoing.
The changes I'm going through ?
I am experiencing alterations, but I am uncertain of their nature.
A hidden lie would fortify
If I concealed the truth, it could strengthen something that does not exist.
Something that don't exist
I am referring to a non-existent entity.
But it ain't so bad, I'm just a lad,
Despite the uncertainty, I am optimistic as I am still young.
So many more things to do,
I have so much more to experience.
I intend to come right through them all with you.
I plan to journey through life's experiences with an unknown individual.
My songs are merely dreams visiting my mind
The lyrics I create are more like a figment of my imagination.
We talk a while by a crooked stile,
A discussion between two individuals takes place by an oddly shaped structure.
You're lucky to catch a few.
Any individual capturing a few sessions is fortunate.
There's no magic wand in a perfumed hand,
An individual's fragrant hand is powerless.
It's a pleasure to be true.
Being genuine is a delight.
In my crystal halls a feather falls
Within the walls of a translucent shrine, a feather descends.
Being beautiful just for you
The fanciful creation was crafted especially for an individual.
But that might not be quite true, that's up to you.
However, it is difficult to determine whether the previous sentence is accurate.
Dawn crept in unseen to find me still awake
I was awake when the sun rose without realizing it.
A strange young girl sang her songs for me
An unfamiliar, youthful female sang for me.
And left 'fore the day was born.
She disappeared before the new day began.
That dark princess with saddening jest
The girl sang with a melancholy jest.
She lowered her eyes of woe,
She expressed despair by looking downwards.
And I felt her sigh, I wouldn't like to try
I empathetically shared her distress but would not want to experience it myself.
The changes she's going through
The girl was undergoing modifications.
But I hope love comes right through them all with you.
But I am optimistic that love will guide us through any adjustments.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ALBRECHT MARCUSE, DONOVAN LEITCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind