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Mon 3 August 2026 2:00, UK
The 1960’s were a time for change, and that meant change in music, politics and culture as a whole.
The rock star was a viable career path. Never before had those who make music dominated headlines so much, as the Hollywood superstar was ushered to the side in favour of those holding guitars and singing. Such a burst of success meant that more and more people wanted to make music, and this shift in enthusiasm led to a real evolution in sound as a whole.
One of the biggest musical changes came with the introduction of psychedelic music, something that took a while to find its well and truly form. This was a much more experimental kind of rock music, and something which, for many, defined sound in the ‘60s; however, at the time, it frustrated a lot of listeners.
This frustration wasn’t because people didn’t like the idea of psychedelic music; rather, it was because the genre was still finding its feet. There were a lot of people who listened to it and couldn’t stand it because they felt like it didn’t make any sense. They were of the opinion that the whole genre was experimental for the sake of being experimental without having much logic behind the creative decisions made.
“Here’s one thing I hate, man,” said Jimi Hendrix when he was discussing his disdain for the budding genre, “When these cats say, ‘Look at the band. They’re playing psychedelic music!’ All they’re doing is flashing lights on them and playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’ with the wrong chords. It’s terrible.”
There are a few standout songs from this era that helped to define what the genre became. The majority of them were written by bands who we now recognise as psychedelic titans; however, it’s somewhat surprising that folk artist Donovan also helped to write two tracks that went on to essentially define the psychedelic scene in the ‘60s.
These tracks were ‘Sunshine, Superman’ and ‘The Season of the Witch’, both songs that well and truly resonated well with those who listened and that showed people how exciting this new psychedelic music scene could be. The first appeal of ‘Sunshine, Superman’ was the title, as “sunshine” was another name for the drug LSD, which became synonymous with the psychedelic community; however, the track had a lot more going for it than just that.
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Donovan predominantly wrote folk music, but given his parents had backgrounds in jazz, that influence trickled into his writing style, which in turn resulted in this new psychedelia. Donovan showed it to Mickie Most, who was so excited about the track that he took the reins and helped the folk singer put a band together to record it. The band that turned up was a musician’s dream, as Donovan wound up recording with two artists who would eventually become rock royalty, as both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones arrived at the studio.
“I didn’t have a band, you see,” said Donovan, “So Mickie introduced me to the jazz arranger John Cameron, and John said, ‘I love the song. Don’t worry – I know what you need.’”
Meanwhile, you also have the steady and smoky ‘The Season of the Witch’, the sound of which was achieved because Donovan recorded on an electric guitar. It was a new means of playing for him, but it came together incredibly well, and essentially helped to shape what we now know is one of the most forward-thinking and exciting genres in the world.
“When we recorded it, I used my first electric guitar – a white Telecaster – and started chunking the chords,” he said, “Mickie said, ‘That’s it!’ Then we added the spooky, Dracula-movie organ, bass and drums.”
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