| "Epistle to Dippy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Donovan | ||||
| B-side | "Preachin' Love" | |||
| Released | February 1967[1] | |||
| Recorded | December 1966, Abbey Road Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | Baroque pop[2] | |||
| Label | Epic 5-10127 (USA) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Donovan Leitch | |||
| Producer(s) | Mickie Most | |||
| Donovan US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Epistle to Dippy is a song and single by Donovan,[3] released in 1967 outside the United Kingdom only.
Musicians featured are Donovan on vocals and acoustic guitar, Jimmy Page on electric guitar, John Cameron on keyboards and arrangement, Danny Thompson on bass, and Tony Carr on drums. Strings were provided by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Written in the form of an open letter to an old school friend, the song had a strong pacifist message in addition to its florid psychedelic imagery. The real "Dippy" was, at the time, serving in the British Army in Malaysia. According to Brian Hogg, who wrote the liner notes for the Donovan boxed set, Troubadour, Dippy heard the song, contacted Donovan and left the army as a result.[citation needed]
Billboard described the song as a "first rate performance of clever lyric material."[4] Cash Box said the single has an "infectious, near-Eastern flavor and a pulsing undertone."[5]
Chart positions were: # 19 (USA Billboard), # 10 (USA Cashbox), # 10 (USA Record World), and #5 in Canada.[6]
- ^ "Billboard". 28 January 1967.
- ^ "Steve Smith: Wyman and Taylor join the Rolling Stones onstage; Coldplay takes a break". Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 2016-05-07.. Pasadena Star-News. 29 November 2012.
- ^ Show 48 - The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 5] : UNT Digital Library
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. January 28, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. January 29, 1967. p. 29. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 18, 1967" (PDF).