At about the age of 14 I was sitting at the back of the bus on the way home from school talking with friends about what ‘mellow yellow’ meant. I was told it meant the high you got from smoking banana skins! Ten years later Donovan, writer of the hit song, Mellow Yellow, performed at Adelaide’s Apollo Stadium. Around the same time Grateful Dead performed a concert alongside the pyramids at Giza.
This song compares aspects of the two concerts. I’m not sure I believe this now that I come
to write it, but I have always said this was the only song I had ever written that took
as long to write as it takes to play it. That is, it just popped out organically
as a finished product. It couldn’t have been that quick but I do remember it
happened very quickly and with little effort. And I still consider it a fine
song. Rare for songs to just come put like that.
And 24 year old Michael thought he was getting old … ha!
BANANA SKINS
AND INCENSE
Mellowing in my old age
Donovan sure had it won
Sitting up there on a bed of flowers
Apollo Stadium looks and cowers at his beauty
The critics they canned him while others they loved him
I just sat on the fence
Remembering dreams and talk about burning
Banana skins and incense
Banana skins and incense
Had a hit and got high
Got as high as a kite
I’m going to Itchycoo Park tonight
Where the Small Faces are knocking out ballads
Little tin soldiers and all
But life in the classroom ain’t bad
I’m viewing the wonders of Giza
Grateful Dead under a full bright moon
Jerry Garcia saying, “I’ll tell you soon what happened there”
When he knows!
The critics they weren’t there while others they loved it
I read it in Rolling Stone
And I had a dream and did some burning of
Banana skins and incense
Banana skins and incense
Had a hit and got high
Got as high as a kite
I’m putting away my strings for the night
‘Cos Itchycoo Park would be far too cold
And after all we’re getting old.
