Catch the Wind (song)
Encyclopedia
"Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish
singer-songwriter
Donovan
. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on March 12, 1965 through Pye Records
(Pye 7N 15801) and a few months later in the United States through Hickory Records
(Hickory 45-1309). The single was backed with "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" on both the United Kingdom and United States releases.
"Catch the Wind" was the first release by Donovan. It reached #4 in the United Kingdom and #23 in the United States. The single version featured Donovan's vocals with echo and a string section. The song was re-recorded for Donovan's first album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
without the vocal echo and strings.
The song is said to have similarities to Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom
".
When Epic Records
was compiling Donovan's Greatest Hits
, they were either unable or unwilling to secure the rights to the original recordings of "Catch the Wind" and "Colours". Donovan re-recorded both songs with a full backing band, and these were included on the greatest hits album with session musicians Big Jim Sullivan
and John Paul Jones
. The CD release of the album uses the original 1965 album version.
, and Johnny Rivers
(1965), Bruce Springsteen
(1967), Cher
(1966), Siluete
(1966), and Glen Campbell
(1967). In 1968, Dottie West
, Claudine Longet
, and the bluegrass
duo of Lester Flatt
& Earl Scruggs
all produced separate recordings. Also in 1968, actor Peter Fonda
recorded it on the Chisa label, as the b-side to his version of Gram Parsons'
"November Night". These were followed by versions from The Lettermen
(1970), Mike Berry (1970, recorded under the name "Timothy Barclay"), and Hee Haw
co-host and country music star Buck Owens
(1971).
In 1977 Sammy Hagar
recorded the song for his eponymous second album
. Former member of The Bangles
Susanna Hoffs
recorded the song as a bonus track for the Japanese version of her 1994 solo album
; this recording also appeared on the UK CD single for the song "All I Want".
Canadian folk band The Irish Descendants
recorded the song for their Gypsies and Lovers album in 1995.
In 2007, The Spill Canvas
released their EP Denial Feels So Good
, which includes a cover.
A cover version is featured prominently in the opening scene of the Miami Vice
episode "Golden Triangle, Part 2."
Versions of this tune we also released in 1966 by The Blues Project, Live at The Cafe Au Go Go
, and in 1970 by the We Five
.
On her 2004 CD Room
, Katey Sagal
recorded a version. Sisters Joan Baez
and Mimi Fariña
recorded a duet which appeared on the "Generations of Folk" series (Volume 3, Classic Harmonies).
Adam Bomb and the WMD's covered the song on their 2009 live album, Live from Tehran.
Eartha Kitt
released her version in 1972.
In 1965, German Liedermacher
Reinhard Mey
recorded a German version Geh und fang den Wind on a single, his first release. (His name here is incorrectly spelled Rainer May). The translation was done by Joe Menke. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cylo0IB_EWY
An alternate version of Catch the Wind was also covered by Matt D in 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVgPFJf3jrg
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on March 12, 1965 through Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
(Pye 7N 15801) and a few months later in the United States through Hickory Records
Hickory Records
Hickory Records is a United States record label founded by Acuff-Rose Music in 1954 which operated the label up to 1979. Present owner Sony/ATV Music Publishing revived the label in 2007. Originally based in Nashville, functioning as an independent label throughout its history, it has had several...
(Hickory 45-1309). The single was backed with "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" on both the United Kingdom and United States releases.
"Catch the Wind" was the first release by Donovan. It reached #4 in the United Kingdom and #23 in the United States. The single version featured Donovan's vocals with echo and a string section. The song was re-recorded for Donovan's first album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid is the debut album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United Kingdom four days after Donovan's 19th birthday on 14 May 1965, through Pye Records . Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden, and Geoff Stephens produced the album...
without the vocal echo and strings.
The song is said to have similarities to Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom
Chimes of Freedom
"Chimes of Freedom" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan , produced by Tom Wilson. It was written in early 1964 and was influenced by the symbolist poetry of Arthur Rimbaud. The song depicts the feelings and thoughts of the singer...
".
When Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
was compiling Donovan's Greatest Hits
Donovan's Greatest Hits
Donovan's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in January 1969 , and in the United Kingdom in March 1969 . Donovan's Greatest Hits was a major seller, reaching #4 in the US...
, they were either unable or unwilling to secure the rights to the original recordings of "Catch the Wind" and "Colours". Donovan re-recorded both songs with a full backing band, and these were included on the greatest hits album with session musicians Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
and John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
. The CD release of the album uses the original 1965 album version.
Use in TV Commercials/Movies
- In 1992, in the movie The Efficiency Expert
- In 2005, the TV show, Cold Case used this song at the end of the episode "A Perfect Day."
- In 2006, the song was featured in the movie FlickaFlicka-Chart performance:...
- In 2007, GEGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Ecomagination used the song in a television commercial promoting their achievements in wind power. - In 2009, thatgamecompanyThatgamecompanyThatgamecompany, stylized as thatgamecompany, is an American independent video game developer co-founded by University of Southern California students Kellee Santiago and Jenova Chen. The studio is currently a second-party developer for Sony Computer Entertainment, and is under contract to create...
used it in a promotional advertisement of PlayStation Network title FlowerFlower (video game)Flower is a PlayStation 3 video game. It was developed by Thatgamecompany, designed by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark, and announced at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show. Flower was released on February 12, 2009, via the PlayStation Network. The game was intended as a "spiritual successor" to Flow, a...
. - In 2009 MassMutual used the song in a personal financial services commercials.
- In 2009, the movie, The Invention of LyingThe Invention of LyingThe Invention of Lying is a 2009 fantasy romantic comedy film that is written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. This film is the directorial debut of Gervais. The film stars Ricky Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie...
used almost the whole track following the scene in which the protagonist's mother dies. - In 2011, the TV show, ParenthoodParenthood (2010 TV series)Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC...
used this song at the end of the Nov 8th episode, "In-Between"
Cover versions
Early covers of the song included those of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Chet AtkinsChet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, and Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
(1965), Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
(1967), Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
(1966), Siluete
Siluete
Siluete was a former Yugoslav and Serbian rock band from Belgrade, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1961 - 1971:...
(1966), and Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
(1967). In 1968, Dottie West
Dottie West
Dottie West was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and co-recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists...
, Claudine Longet
Claudine Longet
Claudine Georgette Longet is a French singer and recording artist who was popular during the 1960s and 1970s. She is also an actress and a dancer.Born in Paris, France, Longet was married to pop singer Andy Williams from 1961 until 1975...
, and the bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
duo of Lester Flatt
Lester Flatt
Lester Raymond Flatt was a bluegrass musician and guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his membership in the Bluegrass duo The Foggy Mountain Boys, also known as "Flatt and Scruggs," with banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades; besides his work with Scruggs, he...
& Earl Scruggs
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs is an American musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music...
all produced separate recordings. Also in 1968, actor Peter Fonda
Peter Fonda
Peter Henry Fonda is an American actor. He is the son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda...
recorded it on the Chisa label, as the b-side to his version of Gram Parsons'
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
"November Night". These were followed by versions from The Lettermen
The Lettermen
The Lettermen are an American male pop music vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959...
(1970), Mike Berry (1970, recorded under the name "Timothy Barclay"), and Hee Haw
Hee Haw
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
co-host and country music star Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
(1971).
In 1977 Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
recorded the song for his eponymous second album
Sammy Hagar (album)
Sammy Hagar is Sammy Hagar's second solo album, released in 1977. It is also often referred to as The Red Album, as it features Hagar's first anthem, "Red", which is also the basis for his nickname "The Red Rocker"....
. Former member of The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
recorded the song as a bonus track for the Japanese version of her 1994 solo album
Susanna Hoffs (album)
Susanna Hoffs is the second solo album by Susanna Hoffs. The style of the album is more folk oriented than her earlier work. Columbia Records didn't like the change in style and the disagreement led to Hoffs being dropped by Sony and signing to London Records.The album is much more personal and...
; this recording also appeared on the UK CD single for the song "All I Want".
Canadian folk band The Irish Descendants
The Irish Descendants
The Irish Descendants are a folk group from the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. All the members, born of Irish emitters, were workers in the Newfoundland fishing industry before forming the band in 1990 out of the remnants of two former Newfoundland bands – The Descendants...
recorded the song for their Gypsies and Lovers album in 1995.
In 2007, The Spill Canvas
The Spill Canvas
The Spill Canvas is an alternative rock band from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.-Career:The Spill Canvas started as a side project for lead singer, Nick Thomas, who at the time, was guitarist and backup vocalist for Metalcore outfit Nodes of Ranvier ....
released their EP Denial Feels So Good
Denial Feels So Good
Denial Feels So Good is the second EP from the emo/rock band The Spill Canvas. It was released on May 1, 2007. It was the band's first release under Sire Records.-Track listing:...
, which includes a cover.
A cover version is featured prominently in the opening scene of the Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
episode "Golden Triangle, Part 2."
Versions of this tune we also released in 1966 by The Blues Project, Live at The Cafe Au Go Go
Live at The Cafe Au Go Go
Live at The Cafe Au Go Go is the debut album by the American band The Blues Project, recorded live during the Blues Bag four-day concert on the evenings of November 24-27, 1965 at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York City...
, and in 1970 by the We Five
We Five
We Five was a 1960s folk rock musical group based in San Francisco, California. Their best-known hit was their 1965 remake of Ian and Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind", which reached #1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart...
.
On her 2004 CD Room
Room (album)
Room is the second album of actress Katey Sagal. It was originally released on June 1, 2004 by the record label Valley Entertainment.-Track listing:# "Life Goes Round"# "Heaven Is Ten Zillion Light Years Away"# "Daddy's Girl"...
, Katey Sagal
Katey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
recorded a version. Sisters Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
and Mimi Fariña
Mimi Fariña
Mimi Baez Fariña was a singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters to a Scottish mother and Mexican-American physicist Albert Baez .- Early years:Fariña's father, a physicist affiliated with Stanford University and MIT, moved his family...
recorded a duet which appeared on the "Generations of Folk" series (Volume 3, Classic Harmonies).
Adam Bomb and the WMD's covered the song on their 2009 live album, Live from Tehran.
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
released her version in 1972.
In 1965, German Liedermacher
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Reinhard Mey
Reinhard Mey
Reinhard Friedrich Michael Mey is a German singer-songwriter, known to fans as "Liedermacher". In France he is known as Frédérik Mey....
recorded a German version Geh und fang den Wind on a single, his first release. (His name here is incorrectly spelled Rainer May). The translation was done by Joe Menke. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cylo0IB_EWY
An alternate version of Catch the Wind was also covered by Matt D in 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVgPFJf3jrg