Uncool hit parade

Like a turtle in a dark fog
The track below is the sort of thing people usually cite when they want to mock it.

The thing is that it's great. Mel makes a silk purse out of this sow's ear of a song. My favourite part is where Mel changes the lyrics.

The original lyric was

I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea

Mel makes it

I can make a like a turtle in a  dark fog, afloat in the sea

It's a knowing wink not just at the vapid lyrics but also at the incredibly poor diction of Donovan. Junior hearing Dad listening to this elevator version of his music couldn't rush in and say, "Hey, that guy is singing the wrong words," because he never could be sure what the right words were.

If you must, listen to the Donovan original here. Listen to how Donovan sings "I could have tripped out easy." The sound that comes out of his marble-filled mouth is "Coulda tript dow teazy". (Mr. Dow Teazy never realized how close he came to ending up face down in the mud.)

When Mel sings it, every world is clearly articulated. And he gives those words just as much love as they deserve (which is to say none at all).