"Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" is a song by

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

. He based it on "Can I Do It For You", a song by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy. The name "Gyp" refers to Donovan's best friend,

Gyp Mills Gyp Mills (born David John Mills, 9 July 1946 – 18 June 2019),

, known then as Gypsy Dave, and is one of many songs that Donovan wrote and recorded as a dedication to his close friends. Pye Records first released the song in the UK as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to Donovan's song "Turquoise" in October 1965. Similar single releases in Canada, France, and Scandinavia followed. Hickory Records released it as the A-side to the

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

-themed "The War Drags On" in July 1966. In France, it was issued as a B-side to "

Colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

" in 1975. The song has since been issued on numerous collections of Donovan's music and as a bonus track to his 1965 album ''

Fairytale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cul ...

'' (1996).

Cover versions

The Animals recorded the song in December 1966 for the '' Animalism'' album. After reconfiguring the band as

Eric Burdon and the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

, they continued to perform it in their

live set Live-set refers to any performance of electronic music that is generated live out of a bank of equipment or a laptop rather than a DJ mix, which is played from a pre-recorded medium, such as vinyl and CD with turntables or audio files with DJ soft ...

and released it as the title track of a four-song EP in France in 1967. Others to record the song include the Jim Kweskin & His Jug Band on their 1966 self-titled debut album; the Soul Survivors for the B-side to their 1967 hit "

Expressway to Your Heart "Expressway to Your Heart" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by the Soul Survivors. It appeared on their 1967 album, ''When the Whistle Blows Anything Goes'', which was produced by Gamble and Huff. The song reached # ...

"; Belfast Gypsies (1967); Santa Esmeralda (1977);

The Vietnam Veterans The Vietnam Veterans is a French psychedelic band, hailing originally from Chalon-sur-Saône, a commune in eastern France. They released six full-length albums during the 1980s, starting in 1983. The band was praised by many alternative music p ...

on their debut album On The Right Track Now (1983) and The Raconteurs on Help Us Stranger (2019). {{authority control Donovan songs The Animals songs 1965 songs Songs written by Donovan Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) Pye Records singles MGM Records singles 1966 singles