To Sing For You (1965) – Donovan

I had to laugh when I read the first comment under the video of this song: “heyy that’s a good song, man!” Of course it is – especially when that reaction comes from Bob Dylan himself. Dylan’s remark comes after hearing Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan perform To Sing For You, and I agree with him completely: yes, it is a good song. I’ve mentioned this track many times in other posts, usually in reference to that same scene where Donovan and Dylan face off in a friendly folk duel in D. A. Pennebaker’s documentary Don’t Look Back. The film follows Dylan’s 1965 tour of England. In the scene, Donovan sings To Sing For You, and Dylan replies with It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.

My favourite Donovan song will always be Catch the Wind, which I still consider one of the greatest folk love ballads I’ve ever heard. It also makes me especially nostalgic, and you can read more about that in my corresponding article. So yes, if I could only take 50 songs to a desert island, Catch the Wind would be an easy choice. To Sing For You, though, is forever tied in my mind to that aforementioned Don’t Look Back moment. Yet as a standalone piece, it’s a gentle and tender ballad – beautifully written, with a soft and charming melody. I must admit I slightly prefer the quicker version heard in the documentary over the original studio recording.

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Below is further detail on the often-cited and much-discussed interaction between Bob Dylan and Donovan.
The following excerpts are taken from the relevant Wikipedia article:

During Bob Dylan’s trip to the UK, the British music press were making comparisons of the two singer-songwriters which they presented as a rivalry. Donovan is the undercurrent In the documentary. Near the start of the film, Dylan opens a newspaper and exclaims, “Donovan? Who is this Donovan?” and Alan Price from The Animals spurs the rivalry on by telling Dylan that Donovan is a better guitar player, but that he has only been around for three months.

Then of course they eventually do meet in the second half of the film, along with Derroll Adams, in Dylan’s suite at the Savoy Hotel despite Donovan’s management refusing to allow journalists to be present. According to Pennebaker, Dylan told him not to film the encounter, but once the camera rolled, Donovan plays his song “To Sing For You” and then asks Dylan to play “Baby Blue“. Dylan later told Melody Maker: “He played some songs to me. … I like him. … He’s a nice guy.”

In an interview for the BBC in 2001 to mark Dylan’s 60th birthday, Donovan acknowledged Dylan as an influence early in his career while distancing himself from “Dylan clone” allegations.

The one who really taught us to play and learn all the traditional songs was Martin Carthy – who incidentally was contacted by Dylan when Bob first came to the UK. Bob was influenced, as all American folk artists are, by the Celtic music of Ireland, Scotland and England. But in 1962 we folk Brits were also being influenced by some folk Blues and the American folk-exponents of our Celtic Heritage … Dylan appeared after Woody [Guthrie], Pete [Seeger] and Joanie [Baez] had conquered our hearts, and he sounded like a cowboy at first but I knew where he got his stuff – it was Woody at first, then it was Jack Kerouac and the stream-of-consciousness poetry which moved him along….(read the remainder here) 

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To Sing For You is from Donovan’s debut album – released in the US as Catch the Wind, and in the UK as What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid. Donovan had performed around Britain and had become well known in British folk circles before his record contract. His 1964 demo tapes (released as Sixty Four in 2004) show a great resemblance to both Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. On the album too, his music primarily consists of singing and playing mouth harp and acoustic guitar. In the UK the album reached No. 3, with no other album of his reaching a higher position. In the United States it peaked at No. 30 during a twenty-three-week run on the chart.

[Verse 1]
When you’re feeling kind of lonesome in your mind
With a heartache following you so close behind
Call out to me as I ramble by

[Chorus]
I’ll sing a song for you
That’s what I’m here to do
To sing for you

[Verse 2]
When the night has left you cold and feeling sad
I will show you that it cannot be so bad
Forget the one who went and made you cry

[Verse 3]
When you feel you just can’t make it anymore
With your head bowed down, you’re staring at the floor
Search out to me with your weary eyes

[Chorus]
I’ll sing a song for you
That’s what I’m here to do
To sing for you

[Verse 4]
Now every man, he has his work, you know
And to find out mine, you ain’t got far to go
Call out to me with your weary eyes

References:
1. Donovan – Wikipedia
2. What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid – Wikipedia