Atlantis

Album

Barabajagal

Label

Epic records

Genre

Folk-pop

Composer(s)

Donovan Leitch

Entered Chart

Apr 5, 1969

Peak Date

May 24, 1969

Released

November 1968

Recorded

May 1968

Catalog #

Epic 5-10434

B-Side

To Susan Waiting On The West Coast*

This song begins as a long narrative poem in which Donovan tells of the legendary island of Atlantis. Exotic and mythological images were on the minds of many Hippies in the '60s, and Atlantis was the symbol of the conterculture moment with the hope that if true love is found, Atlantis will be reached. The only sung lines in the song are: Way down beneath the ocean Where I wanna be she may be The background vocals are credited as "Donovan's fans." It is rumored that Paul McCartney, who had earlier contributed to Donovan's hit "Mellow Yellow," sang backing vocals, although some sources state that the song was recorded while McCartney was in Scotland. In America, this was released as the B-side of "To Susan On The West Coast Waiting," which entered Billboard's Top 40 in March 1969 and left after just two weeks, peaking at #35. "Atlantis," though, started getting some airplay and climbed to #7 in May. The song was used in a violent scene in the movie Goodfellas. Asked by Uncut magazine what he thought about his song being used in the film, Donovan replied. "I embrace the use of my songs in film, TV and ads, as it is the most direct way to communicate today. Then the question is, do I care whether it's in a violent scene? But I've studied film and I know about juxtaposition - you can't present a violent scene with a violent piece of music, you have to contrast it with the opposite. When I knew it was Scorsese's film, I didn't even have to see the scene – I said, fine, let them use it. It's caused a lot of disturbance in my fan world, but it was an honor to be asked by a great director to use 'Atlantis' in a violent scene as it points out the futility of violence." Donovan re-recorded the song as a parody "Hail Atlantis" on the animated series Futurama. He also redid the song with the German group No Angels for the German soundtrack of Atlantis: The Lost Empire entitled "Atlantis 2002."

The continent of Atlantis was an island
Which lay before the great flood
In the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean
So great an area of land, that from her western shores
Those beautiful sailors journeyed
To the South and the North Americas with ease
In their ships with painted sails

To the East Africa was a neighbor, across a short strait of sea miles
The great Egyptian age is but a remnant of The Atlantian culture
The antediluvian kings colonized the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis
Knowing her fate, Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the Earth
On board were the Twelve:
The poet, the physician, the farmer, the scientist
The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends
Though Gods they were
And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind
Let us rejoice and let us sing and dance and ring in the new

Hail Atlantis!
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be

Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be

My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I want to see you some day
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
My antediluvian baby
My antediluvian baby, I love you, girl
I want to see you some day
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah
I want to see you some day, oh
My antediluvian baby
My antediluvian baby, I want to see you
My antediluvian baby, gotta tell me where she gone
I want to see you some day
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, oh yeah
Oh glub glub, down down, yeah
My antediluvian baby