Donovan - Mellow Yello
Donovan - Mellow Yellow


Donovan - Mellow Yellow Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Mellow Yellow
Released: 1966

Mellow Yellow Lyrics


I'm just mad about Saffron
Saffron's mad about me
I'm just mad about Saffron
She's just mad about me

[Chorus: ]
They call me Mellow Yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

I'm just mad about Fourteen
Fourteen's mad about me
I'm just mad about Fourteen
She's just mad about me

[Chorus]

Born high, forever to fly
Wind velocity nil
Want to high, forever to fly
If you want your cup our fill

[Chorus]

(So mellow, he's so mellow)

Electrical banana
Is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical banana
Is bound to be the very next phase

They call it mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

[Chorus]

(Oh so mellow, oh so mellow)

Writer/s: LEITCH, DONOVAN
Publisher: Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Mellow Yellow
  • In an interview with the June 18, 2011 edition of the NME, Donovan was asked what the song was actually about? He replied: "Quite a few things. Being mellow, laid-back, chilled out. 'They call me Mellow Yellow, I'm the guy who can calm you down.' Lennon and I used to look in the back of newspapers and pull out funny things and they'd end up in songs. So it's about being cool, laid-back, and also the electrical bananas that were appearing on the scene - which were ladies vibrators."
  • Donovan set out to capture the mellow vibe of the '60s with this song, adding what he called "cool, groovy phrases." These phrases were interpreted in ways he never imagined, as people came up with lots of ideas as to what the song meant. Most of these interpretations concerned drugs, but there were even rumors that the song was about abortion.
  • When this song came out in 1966, there was a widespread rumor that it was about getting high on banana skins. The idea was that you scraped the fibers off of a banana skin and cooked them over a low fire. This was supposed to release the hallucinogenic qualities. Of course, it was never true! (thanks, Victor - Boston, MA)
  • This was used in popular commercials for The Gap, and also in ads for the soda Mello Yello.