Barabajagal (song)

Background

Recorded in London at Olympic Studios in May 1969, the track was a collaboration between Donovan and the Jeff Beck Group. Some other songs cut during those sessions didn't surface until the 2005 reissue of the Barabajagal album. The first UK single pressings carried the full title "Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)" with "Bed With Me" on the flip side. Later UK copies, which make up most of the pressings, shortened the A-side to just "Barabajagal" and changed the B-side to "Trudi."

The title is a fictional name for a seductive lover in the lyrics; Donovan later said he got the idea from the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" and its phrase "goo goo ga joob." In the US, the single was always credited as "Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)" by Donovan with the Jeff Beck Group, backed with "Trudi." The song hit No. 12 in the UK and No. 36 in the US, marking Donovan's last top 40 hit in both countries; in Canada it reached No. 20, his second-to-last top 40 there.

The Jeff Beck Group provided the instrumental backing. According to Donovan's autobiography, Beck's own guitar hadn't arrived at the studio, so they borrowed a Fender—his preferred brand—for him to play. EMI Records remastered the track for the 2005 Barabajagal reissue.

Did You Know?

• A Czech version of the song was released in 1970 by Václav Neckář on the Supraphon label.
• The song was covered in 1991 by The Love-in on Scream Records, UK.
• In 2016, the song appeared in a Heineken advertisement campaign starring Benicio del Toro.