Rock Shrine No. 42 – Goodge Street [Donovan]
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Artist:
Fans of Donovan will be familiar with his song "Sunny Goodge Street", memorable for the couplet
On the firefly platform on sunny goodge street
Violent hash-smoker shook a chocolate machine
This is where he was singing about.
He wrote the song when he was still a folk singer - often described as a sub-Dylan folks singer. Perhaps Dyan's tongue lashing, captured in 'Don't Look Back', caused him to review his options, because soon after he moved to pop music and the sublime 'Sunshine Superman', featuring both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.
Except for some window dressing and some new buildings, Goodge Street hasn't changed much in the last 40 years.
Goodge Street, London W1 See it on a map]
More Rock Shrines:
Rock Shrines 1 - 12
Rock Shrines 13 - 20
Rock Shrines 21-30
Rock Shrines 31-40
Rock Shrines 41-45
Comments (9)
Donovan was discovered by Peter Eden two miles from where I live - I played Goo Goo Barabajagal in a recent podcast - here if you fancy a blast
Podrophenia
http://www.divshare.com/direct/8373407-bc8.mp3
Also, if my London geography is correct, Goodge Street intersects with Whitfield St., where the original Stern's African Records store was located in the Eighties. (I think it's up near Euston Station now...)
Bill, your geography is correct. Whitfield St. is also the home of the old CBS studios, which was the subject of an early Shrine. Sterns is indeed now near Euston station.
I'm as familiar with the song as Bill is with London streets, and thus loved this post.
I had no idea Donovan hooked up with those guys, thanks
At the time, Jimmy Page was an in-demand session guitarist and John Paul Jones was an in-demand bass and keyboatds player and arranger. They met through doing the same sessions and became friends. Donovan's pop period was largely produced by Mickie Most, England's top pop producer throughout the 60s and a lot of the 70s (as well as owning RAK Records), so it was inevitable that they would meet.
Somehow a great song about an unfamiliar place seems more magical than an equally great song about a familiar place.
Very nice. But what the hell was he singing about? A hungry doper who had just lost some money in a vending machine and was lashing out?
Apparently Don saw exactly that.