Laléna

Lalena is a folk-rock song which was composed and recorded in 1968 by Donovan. 1969 appeared a cover version of the band Deep Purple.

In June 1968 Donovan played the song in the BBC show Top Gear and in the fall of 1968 during a jam session with Paul McCartney, both recordings exist as bootleg. Officially, the song by Donovan was taken in September 1968 in the Olympic Studios in London. Participating musicians Harold McNair (flute), Danny Thompson ( bass), Bobby Orr (drums) and strings of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, producer was Mickie Most. Initially, the song was released as a single in October 1968, with Aye My Love as a B-side. She has served on October 19, 1968 four weeks on the Billboard charts and went to # 33 the first time on LP appeared Lalena on Donovan's Greatest Hits, in January 1969. The lyrics of the song is about an unspecified woman, whose fate it is to live in the night. Donovan said in an interview in 2004, to have been inspired by the title of the actress Lotte Lenya and her role in The Threepenny Opera.

The sung by Rod Evans cover version was released in June 1969 on the album Deep Purple. On June 24, 1969 Deep Purple played it at a radio concert by the BBC, this version is included on a digitally remastered reissue of the album from 2000 as a bonus song. Later Lalena no longer belonged to the live repertoire of the band.

Another cover version of the song published Jane Olivor on their 1977 released album Chasing Rainbows.