Born in Glasgow, Donovan Leitch was raised in Hatfield, England, and had an abiding fascination with his Celtic heritage. Donovan was initially positioned as the British Bob Dylan, but his carefree, naive, and happy melodies laid waste to the comparison. Donovan's hit "Mellow Yellow" in 1967 featured horns arranged by John Paul Jones and a whispered chorus by Paul McCartney. The tune was inspired by the rumor that one could get high smoking dried banana peels. Donovan's popularity started to decline in 1969 when he released Barabajagal, a flaccid collaboration with the Jeff Beck Group. The singer moved to the Irish countryside and floated out of sight.