Mellow Yellow

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1966 single by Donovan

title: "Mellow Yellow" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1966-songs", "1966-singles", "1967-singles", "donovan-songs", "epic-records-singles", "psychedelic-pop-songs", "pye-records-singles", "song-recordings-produced-by-mickie-most", "songs-written-by-donovan", "blues-songs"] description: "1966 single by Donovan" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellow_Yellow" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1966 single by Donovan ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Mellow Yellow
cover	Donovan - Mellow Yellow.jpg
type	single
artist	Donovan
album	Mellow Yellow
B-side
released
recorded	August 1966
genre
length	3:42
label
writer	Donovan
producer	Mickie Most
chronology	Donovan UK
prev_title	Sunshine Superman
prev_year	1966
title	Mellow Yellow
year	1966
next_title	There Is a Mountain
next_year	1967
misc	{{Extra chronology
artist	Donovan US
type	singles
prev_title	Sunny Goodge Street
prev_year	1966
title	Mellow Yellow
year	1966
next_title	Epistle to Dippy
next_year	1967
::

| name = Mellow Yellow | cover = Donovan - Mellow Yellow.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Donovan | album = Mellow Yellow | B-side = | released = | recorded = August 1966 | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = 3:42 | label = | writer = Donovan | producer = Mickie Most | chronology = Donovan UK | prev_title = Sunshine Superman | prev_year = 1966 | title = Mellow Yellow | year = 1966 | next_title = There Is a Mountain | next_year = 1967 | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Donovan US | type = singles | prev_title = Sunny Goodge Street | prev_year = 1966 | title = Mellow Yellow | year = 1966 | next_title = Epistle to Dippy | next_year = 1967

"Mellow Yellow" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. Released in the US in 1966, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the US, "Mellow Yellow" peaked at No. 8 in the UK in early 1967.

Content

The song was rumoured to be about smoking dried banana skins, which was believed to be a hallucinogenic drug in the 1960s, though this aspect of bananas has since been debunked. According to Donovan's liner notes for the album Donovan's Greatest Hits, the rumour that one could get high from smoking dried banana skins was started by Country Joe McDonald in 1966, and Donovan heard the rumour three weeks before "Mellow Yellow" was released as a single.

According to The Rolling Stone Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, he admitted later the song made reference to a vibrator; an "electrical banana" as mentioned in the lyrics. Donovan stated, "I was reading a newspaper and on the back there was an ad for a yellow dildo called the mellow yellow," he said. "Really, you know the 'electric banana' was right in there and gave it away. And that's what the song's about." This definition was re-affirmed in an interview with NME magazine: "it's about being cool, laid-back, and also the electrical bananas that were appearing on the scenewhich were ladies' vibrators."

Recording

Donovan had originally written the song as a throwaway sing-a-long for private parties, and was surprised when producer Mickie Most chose it to be the follow up single to "Sunshine Superman". The song was arranged by session musician John Paul Jones and became one of his first to achieve international success. At first Donovan was disappointed in the horn sound, until Jones came up with the idea to use "hats" (horn mutes) to achieve the required "mellow" mood. In addition, Donovan tuned his acoustic guitar to a D-major drone to mimic slide blues players.

Paul McCartney can be heard as one of the background revelers on this track but contrary to rumour, the "quite rightly" whispering line in the chorus is not McCartney, but rather Donovan himself. Donovan had a small part in coming up with the lyrics for "Yellow Submarine", so McCartney returned the favor by helping out on the title track and playing uncredited bass guitar on portions of the Mellow Yellow album.

In 2005, the track was remastered by EMI Records for the Mellow Yellow album re-issue.

Reception

Cash Box called "Mellow Yellow" an "easy-going, sophisticated blues number which should be a giant."

Covers, later recordings and adaptations

"Mellow Yellow" was covered in 1967 by soul singer Big Maybelle on her album Got a Brand New Bag. It was also covered in 1968 by British R&B singer/keyboardist Georgie Fame on his album The Third Face of Fame.

In the mid-1980s, the Dairy Farmers of Canada produced a number of television ads for butter that used "Mellow Yellow".

In 1999, "Mellow Yellow" was sung by a group of young adults, among whom were then-unknowns Alex Greenwald, Rashida Jones and Jason Thompson, in Gap's "Everybody in Cords" commercial directed by Pedro Romhanyi. The music mix was done by the Dust Brothers. In 2015 the song was covered by Spanish singer Abraham Mateo for promotion of the film Minions. The original by Donovan was used in the film's ending titles. In Brazil Michel Teló covered the song, adapted to Portuguese, also for the movie. Israeli singer Arik Einstein covered the song in 1967 as "Ani margish k'mo melech" ("I feel like a king").

Chart performance

Weekly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1966–1967) | Peak position | |---|---| | Australia (Go-Set National Top 40) | 7 | | Australia (Kent Music Report) | 8 | | New Zealand (Listener) | 3 | | South Africa (Springbok) | 4 | | US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 | | US Cash Box | 3 | | US Record World | 1 | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table]

Chart (1967)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	63
::

Certifications

References

''Mellow Yellow'' 2005 re-release liner notes
Laing, Dave. (1975). "The Electric Muse: the story of Folk into Rock". [[Methuen Publishing.
Willis, Ellen. (2011). "Out of the Vinyl Deeps: Ellen Willis on Rock Music". [[University of Minnesota Press]].
Buckley, Peter. (2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". [[Rough Guides]].
Ellis, Iain. (2012). "Brit Wits: A History of British Rock Humor". Intellect Books.
(5 November 1966). "Record Reviews > Pick of the Week".
"Show 48 – The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 5] : UNT Digital Library".
(24 December 1966). "The Hot 100".
Adams, Cecil. (26 April 2002). "Will smoking banana peels get you high?". [[The Straight Dope]].
(2001). "The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll". [[Simon & Schuster.
(18 June 2011). "The Aftershow".
(2006). "The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man". St. Martin's Press.
"Mellow Yellow".
(1989). "[[The Paul McCartney World Tour booklet]]".
"Mellow Yellow (reissues)".
(5 November 1966). "Record Reviews > Pick of the Week".
"Big Maybelle – Got a Brand New Bag". [[AllMusic]].
Thompson, Dave. "Georgie Fame – Third Face of Fame". AllMusic.
Betamax King. “Canadian Dairy ‘Mellow Yellow’ Commercial 1986.” YouTube, uploaded by Betamax King, 7 July 2018. Accessed 13 October 2025.
(10 September 1999). "Mind the Gap".
(25 June 2015). "Abraham Mateo pone música a 'Los Minions'". [[Las Provincias]].
(22 June 2015). "'Minions': Michel Teló conta como adaptou música tema do filme". [[Globo.com]].
(11 January 1967). "Go-Set's National Top 40".
"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 3". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
"Search listener".
"South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (D)".
"Mellow Yellow – Awards". AllMusic.
"CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending DECEMBER 17, 1966".
(17 December 1966). "100 Top Pops".
"Jaaroverzichten 1967". [[Ultratop]]. Hung Medien.

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