<p id=”par-1_41″>Some songs that were ignorable in the 1960s became <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/classic-rock/”>classic rock</a> songs after the fact. For example, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/donovan-said-season-of-the-witch-predicted-future.html/?swcfpc=1″>Donovan’s “Season of the Witch”</a> is more famous now than it ever was before. That might have something to do with major cultural changes.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-donovan-would-have-expected-his-other-songs-to-be-bigger-than-season-of-the-witch”>Donovan would have expected his other songs to be bigger than ‘Season of the Witch’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_69″>Donovan helped make psychedelic rock mainstream with <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/donovan-said-sunshine-superman-inspired-the-beatles.html/”>his 1966 record <em>Sunshine Superman</em></a>. The hit single from that album was its title song. Today, people might be more familiar with an album track from <em>Sunshine Superman </em>called “Season of the Witch.” This odd little ditty has inspired <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/heres-lana-del-reys-best-cover-songs.html/”>covers by Lana Del Rey</a>, Hole, and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. It also appeared in the hit Disney series <em>Agatha All Along</em>.</p>
<p id=”par-3_75″>During a 2021 interview with <a href=”https://www.grammy.com/news/2021-donovan-david-lynch-i-am-the-shaman-tales-of-aluna-interview” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Grammy.com</a>, Donovan discussed the popularity of “Season of the Witch.” “It’s crazy!” he said. “It’s not mellow. It’s not ‘Superman.’ <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-michelle-inspired-donovans-jennifer-juniper.html/”>It’s not ‘Jennifer [Juniper].’</a> It’s ‘Season of the Witch’ that has risen. The plays on Spotify, for instance, are extraordinary.” On the surface, an upbeat single like “Sunshine Superman” or “Jennifer Juniper” should be Donovan’s signature tune, but audiences seem more interested in the brooding, strange “Season of the Witch.”</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Donovan – Season of the Witch (Official Audio)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/GU35oCHGhJ0?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-donovan-compared-the-song-to-a-controversial-painting”>Donovan compared the song to a controversial painting</h2>
<p id=”par-4_62″>Donovan felt that “Season of the Witch” was uncharacteristic of his work. “It is an angst-based song,” he opined. “And Donovan, the soft, gentle singer, why is he singing so dark? <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/david-lynch-produced-awesome-song-video-1960s-rock-star.html/”>[Film director and collaborator] David Lynch</a> and I would smile because he gets the same: ‘Here you are promoting peace with meditation and you have these dark forces in your movie!’</p>
<p id=”par-5_74″>“I said to him, ‘Yeah, so what did they say to Picasso when he painted <em>Guernica</em>?” he added. “Did they say, ‘Why are you painting terrible, visionary, dark forces, when really, you should be supporting peace and brotherhood?’ You have to show the dark because out of the darkness of this modern age, we must come out. That darkness has to be plumbed. It seems like I did it with ‘Season of the Witch.’” </p>
<p id=”par-6_39″>For context, <em>Guernica </em>is a mural about the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. The painting’s dark tone shocked people in the 1930s. Despite this, it has become one of the most acclaimed and famous works of Picasso’s career.</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Why is this painting so shocking? – Iseult Gillespie” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/DJnH5CPCImY?start=25&feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/donovan-said-season-of-the-witch-inspired-1-beatles-album.html/”>
Donovan Said ‘Season of the Witch’ Inspired 1 Beatles Album </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-season-of-the-witch-has-become-an-anthem-for-a-witchcraft-revival”>‘Season of the Witch’ has become an anthem for a witchcraft revival</h2>
<p id=”par-7_57″>So why did “Season of the Witch” become so popular? Part of it is simply due to the song’s quality. There are other popular tracks about witchcraft — Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft” and Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” come to mind — but they don’t capture the macabre side of the supernatural quite like “Season of the Witch” does. </p>
<p id=”par-8_76″>On the other hand, “Season of the Witch” might be prominent because witchcraft is gaining new prominence in the Western world. One reason for that boom is that many younger people feel like Christianity is not meeting their spiritual needs. The other part of it is that <em>Harry Potter </em>and the many films, books, and television shows that tried to recapture its success got millions of people interested in witchcraft. Donovan was ahead of the curve.</p>
<p id=”par-9_19″>“Season of the Witch” is getting bigger and bigger as the world enters its own season of the witch.</p>