Laléna
Single by Donovan
title: "Laléna" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1968-singles", "donovan-songs", "deep-purple-songs", "songs-written-by-donovan", "song-recordings-produced-by-mickie-most", "epic-records-singles", "1968-songs", "harvest-records-singles", "1960s-ballads"] description: "Single by Donovan" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laléna" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Single by Donovan ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Laléna |
| type | single |
| artist | Donovan |
| B-side | Aye My Love |
| released | September 1968 (US) |
| recorded | May 1968 |
| label | Epic Records |
| writer | Donovan |
| producer | Mickie Most |
| chronology | Donovan USA |
| prev_title | Hurdy Gurdy Man |
| prev_year | 1968 |
| next_title | Do You Hear Me Now? |
| next_year | 1968 |
| :: |
| name = Laléna | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = Donovan | album = | B-side = Aye My Love | released = September 1968 (US) | recorded = May 1968 | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = | label = Epic Records | writer = Donovan | producer = Mickie Most | chronology = Donovan USA | prev_title = Hurdy Gurdy Man | prev_year = 1968 | next_title = Do You Hear Me Now? | next_year = 1968 | name = Lalena | cover = | alt = | type = | artist = Deep Purple | album = Deep Purple | released = 21 June 1969 (US) November 1969 (UK) | recorded = January – March 1969 at De Lane Lea, London | studio = | venue = | genre = Hard rock | length = | label = Harvest Records (UK) Tetragrammaton (US) Polydor (Canada) | writer = Donovan | producer = Derek Lawrence "Laléna" (also spelled "Lalena") is the title of a composition by Donovan. Billboard described the single as a "beautiful and intriguing original ballad." Cash Box said that "sweet strings accent a hauntingly beautiful folk-flavored ballad which gets stronger with each listen." Record World said that Donovan "uses his reedy voice exquisitely."
History
In 2004, Donovan revealed that the song was inspired by the actress Lotte Lenya and that the song's lyrics, addressed to a societally marginalized woman, were Donovan's reaction to Lenya's character in the film version of The Threepenny Opera:
"Laléna" was first premiered during a February 17, 1968 appearance on Once More With Felix in an arrangement not dissimilar to the eventual single version, although it also featured a harpsichord as well as a different line of lyric which went "with your days of misery and your nights of revelry". The song was then performed sporadically throughout the year in a jazzier arrangement featuring piano, double bass and flute, sans strings. The single version was recorded during a May 1968 session for The Hurdy Gurdy Man album at Olympic Studios, produced by Mickie Most. John Cameron was the arranger, with session personnel being Harold McNair on flute, Bobby Orr on drums and Danny Thompson on bass with the Royal Philharmonic string quartet.
"Laléna" made its first album appearance in 1969 on Donovan's Greatest Hits and was a bonus track on the 2005 CD reissue of The Hurdy Gurdy Man.
In 1975 Donovan recorded an electric version of the song with Marc Bolan in Munich which has been lost.
In 1978 a bootleg emerged which featured Donovan performing the song in a studio with Paul McCartney on acoustic guitar: this tape was likely made November 1968 at EMI Studios London where McCartney was producing tracks for Mary Hopkin's Postcard, an album on which Donovan played guitar.
Chart performance
In the US, "Laléna" was a Top 40 single in the autumn of 1968, reaching number 33 on the Hot 100. (Donovan was at this time unable to have some of his product released in the UK due to a continuing contractual dispute). The single was also a hit in France, reaching number 22.
Television appearances
Besides its February 1968 debut on Once More With Felix, Donovan also performed the song during a November 9, 1968 appearance on Hollywood Palace. He also played it on November 17 (broadcast on December 8) for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, along with two other tunes: "Happiness Runs" and "I Love My Shirt".
Other versions
The song has also been recorded by:
- Deep Purple on their 1969 self-titled album
- Helena Vondráčková (in Czech) on her 1970 album Ostrov Heleny Vondráčkové
- Jane Olivor on her 1977 album Chasing Rainbows
- Trini Lopez on his album The Whole Enchilada
References
References
- Eder, Bruce. "Deep Purple - Deep Purple {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits". [[AllMusic]].
- (September 21, 1968). "Spotlight Singles". Billboard.
- (September 21, 1968). "CashBox Record Reviews".
- (September 21, 1968). "Single Picks of the Week".
- "Laléna". Donovan Unofficial.
- "Donovan Lalena 1968".
- "Donovan - Lalena (1968)".
- (2006). "The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man". St. Martin's Press.
- (2014-06-20). "Interview: Donovan – Hit Channel".
- "Index of /~ikocmarek/".
- John C. Winn ''That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy'' Vol Two 1966-1970 (2009) {{ISBN. 978-0-307-45239-9 p.225
- Whitburn, Joel. (2013). "Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012". Record Research.
- Season 3, Episode 8, [http://www.timelife.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=1001&langId=-1&productId=83003 ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour – Best of Season 3''] (Time Life).
- "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967–1970) : Episode #3.7".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::