There are at least two versions of this song, perhaps more (not including a duet with Joan Baez at the Newport Festival where the lyric about having been loved appears to change to having been low). The 1965 hit is a straight folk song with guitar and banjo. There seems to be a harmonica (quite prominent on some versions) and may be a bass in the mix. This track was not as successful as the previous and probably superior Catch the wind. For some reason (probably contractual) in 1968 a more interesting version with a jazz backing appeared. In both versions the best thing is the voice of the song's writer, Donovan Leitch. The combination of folk and jazz music that informs the later version is very attractive. Donovan clearly understood well the rudiments of folk music and here relies on the age old idea of colours. Wisely, only three are explored - yellow, blue and green, each shaping one idea each, the rest being chorus or refrain. Rather than doing the colour theme to death the other two verses reference a mellow feelin' and the word freedom, hinting at a love reference and a political one, while perhaps evoking drug references, or at least anti-authoritarianism, too. Donovan has enough of a sense of humour to sing on one live version "Yellow is the colour of my true love's teeth In the morning, when we rise But it doesn't matter to me, yeah!" Guitar teachers will show you that with open tuning the basic song is very easy to play, though the twiddly bits are more demanding.
