Song of the Day: 'Catch the Wind' by Donovan

“Catch the Wind” is the willowy single from Donovan’s 1965 album What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid. The song has found constant replay amongst my music collection. Upon first listen you might have mistaken the vocals for that of Bob Dylan, it is not him though. It is the talent of the United Kingdom’s Donovan (Donovan Leitch to be exact).

“Catch the Wind” carries a harmonious melody and carries itself with the rhythm of a waltz. This sliver of 1960’s psychedelic pop is as majestic and endearing as one could imagine. The lyrics capture the insatiable appetite of encompassing the one you love.

There is such wonderful lyricism tied with a melodic atmosphere strumming along as he presents this sweet and simple notion, “When rain has hung the leaves with tears/I want you near to kill my fears/To help me to leave all my blues behind”. 

What he is suggesting are simple things and yet he feels they are so unattainable that he equates them with catching the wind. One could surmise these are the musings of an unrequited love. While, that very well may be, the song doesn’t necessarily speak to a romantic love as it could just as easily be discussing a devotion to a friend or other loved one. Perhaps knowing its message is as impossible to grasp as catching the wind. In the mean time between finding those answers, I will continue hitting the replay button.