I got to sing more songs later, but he has a special place. For instance, it reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. And now for a completely different Wayne. Kramers over-driven 90s distorto tone makes this tune sound a lot more menacing than tender. Specially if you dont have the recipe, another Patrick hereyour analysis is too harsh the striped pants does not work for me at all. Unfortunately, this version does not show the proper deference to my deep and disturbing memories of MacArthur Park. I guess its no surprise Im still in therapy. I will have the things that I desire and my passion flow like rivers from the sky. I always yoke these two things together when I hear the song. Speaking of which, Between the parted pages and were pressed One of my all-time favorites. Oh and after all the loves of my life, yea, after all the loves of my life you'll still be the one and I'll ask myself why yea! You're one of a kind, you've got magic. Five different versions of this song charted in America: The Scottish prog band Beggar's Opera recorded this on their 1972 album, There's not much middle ground on this song, as listeners either love it or hate it. A girl I met introduced me to Jim Webb. Obscure metaphorical references make music, yes green icing left out in the rain and all. Da-do-do-do, da, dah, dah, dahthats all I want to say to you by the Police is a good example of worst lyrics. Interestingly, MacArthur Park , on the western side of downtown Los Angeles, is only several blocks away from the Ambassador Hotel, where RFK was assassinated on June 5th, 1968. Instead of doing a Top 10 list, he did a whole segment of the show talking about 'MacArthur Park' and how he heard three versions on Sirius radio when he was with his son: the Richard Harris one . MacArthur Park. I really do appreciate the Wrecking Crew's playing on the song as well, but my first exposure to this unique song was probably country singer Waylon Jennings version with The Kimberly's. At the time, it was still rare for radio stations to play songs longer than 3 minutes, so Harris' label, MCA, didn't release the song as a single. Agreed! "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1969 Grammy-winning version by country music singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 disco arrangement by Donna Summer in 1978. June 10, 2007 12 AM PT. She became the first female artist of the modern era to have the number one single and album simultaneously on the Billboard pop charts (the week of November 11, 1978). Green icing and all. Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is Copyright 2009-2022, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Additional troubleshooting information here. There will be another song for me "MacArthur Park" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris in 1968. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. "MacArthur Park" was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967 as part of an intended cantata. "MacArthur Park" is a song by Jimmy Webb in 1968, originally composed as part of an intended cantata. There have been various explanations given concerning the meaning of this classic tune (MacArthur Park). I think it is interesting that it has. 45-4134; Vinyl 7"). The last song that Webb played for Harris was "MacArthur Park".[1]. [43][44] It was revisited in 1976 by Jennings, on his album Are You Ready for the Country. [1], In 1967, producer Bones Howe had asked Webb to create a pop song with different movements and changing time signatures. Who knows? Hit for her as well. (On a side note, Maynard Ferguson did a great 10-minute version of the song, great because its all instrumental and therefore has none of the asinine lyrics. The initial connection between Cloudflare's network and the origin web server timed out. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. cookies You could say this was the story of my life. I know the lyrics are dramatic and sad Sorry Patrick, but your critique is ,hmm, only half-baked. Younger contemporary artists continue to keep this recipe fresh. I dont know the figures in sales but I was 11 years old when this was released, never paid any attention to it then but I have an innate ability in poetry and likely in writing lyrics as well though I havent. Yeah, this song was probably the worst song ever written. "MacArthur Park" was first recorded by Richard Harris, after he met the composer at a fundraiser in East Los Angeles, California in late 1967. MacArthur Park - Richard Harris (#2 - 1968) MacArthur Park - The Four Tops (#38 - 1971) MacArthur Park - Donna Summer (#1 - 1978) . Copy. People who hate it just cant understand! I love everything about this song. *In an episode of "Living Single", Max sings a line of "MacArthur Park" at a gathering the night before Synclair and Overton's Wedding. It is The Best Song. [1] When asked by interviewer Terry Gross what was going through his mind when he wrote the song's lyrics, Webb replied that it was meant to be symbolic and referred to the end of a love affair. between the parted pages is good think of a book like a memory that you can go back and forth through. Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? " Heaven Knows " is a song by American singer Donna Summer, with guest vocals from Brooklyn Dreams. People who dont understand the lyrics and the metaphors may not have experienced the pain and feelings about a love lost. Richard Harris was the second to record it. A Tramp Shining Richard Harris May 1, 1968 272 ratings See all 15 formats and editions Streaming Unlimited MP3 $7.99 Listen with our Free App Audio CD $11.98 20 Used from $2.45 2 New from $11.98 Buy the CD album for $11.98 and get the MP3 version for FREE. Webb had been invited to provide the musical backdrop at the piano. Me too! T. Passed away several years ago, but he remains the love of my life. Nice song, but never a favourite of mine. That is, the cake left out in the rain represented the unborn child. The songwriter, Jimmy Webb, was in love with a girl, and they went for a walk in MacArthur Park. '", The first Huey Lewis & the News hit, "Do You Believe In Love?," is a cover of a song Mutt Lange wrote three years earlier called "We Both Believe In Love.". Creating is an art. The comments made my night . Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. It's where he lost her. Said he, [The song] is a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park.. 78.128.81.65 "MacArthur Park" is a song written and composed by Jimmy Webb. But hey, I remember her name and the hill leading to a semetary gate we used to walk to together. Someone left the cake out in the rain, I don't think that I can take it 'cause it took so long to bake it, And I'll never have that recipe again, Again! Jimmy Webbs true masterpiece is about a true love lost and never being able to have it again. But some radio stations on the FM dial (the adventurous new competitor to AM), started playing the song from the album, which prompted MCA to release it. I soon learned after 6 months of emails with him, that he is not and never was what I thought he was. In 2013, the song was remixed by Laidback Luke for the Donna Summer remix album Love To Love You Donna (it was also remixed by Ralphi Rosario and Frank Lamboy), which was released to dance clubs all over America, having a successful peaking at No. Label : Half Moon Uk. Im glad Jimmy Webb was able to put the pain of his heartbreak into words, if it helped him process his grief. Richard Harris was the second to record it. The Lineman of the County was another good song. Who sang the original version of MacArthur Park? Another song did come along and I did sing it but I never forgot that special lady from the past and never will. This version charted at number 23 on Hot Country Songs and number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, making its chart debut on August 23, 1969. Back then, I was kind of like an emotional machine, like whatever was going on inside me would bubble out of the piano and onto paper. Songs like I had too much to dream last night, Lucy in the sky with diamonds & Green tamborine were latched on to by all the tripping minds. A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by country music singer Waylon Jennings on his 1969 album Country-Folk, which included the family group the Kimberlys. Her MacArthur Park, produced by Giorgio Moroder, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in November of 78, and earned Summer her first Grammy nomination. Glen Campbell made Jimmy Webbs songs iconic! At the time I was 18-19 years old, caught up in the Vietnam military draft, and gravely concerned about where my life was going. Holy shee-it, man! After all, the folks over at secondhandsongs.com list over 100 vocal versions, in addition to a ton of instrumentals. At that time (the middle of 1965), Horton worked for Aetna insurance, whose offices were located just across the street from the park. And that latter statement comes off as a fancy way of saying that he doesnt anticipate ever falling in love again like he has with this lady, which is the conclusive sentiment being relayed in the entire tune. Richard Harris was the first to record it in 1968; his version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. Like a striped pair of pants.. The idea to write and compose a classically structured song with several movements that could be played on the radio came from a challenge by music producer Bones Howe, who produced recordings for the Association. Here he does it on The Mike Douglas Show in 1978. The contract lists these personnel: Donna Summer recorded a very complex disco version in 1978 with her producers, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Jennings would record the song again in 76. British electronic duo Pet Shop Boys used a sample of Summers version in their 1999 song New York City Boy. According to Webb, KHJ, a big rock station in Los Angeles, asked for a short version to play. Kelly Rowland was the first Destiny's Child member to have a hit away from the group: her Nelly duet "Dilemma.". [1], The idea to write and compose a classically structured song with several movements that could be played on the radio came from a challenge by music producer Bones Howe, who produced recordings for The Association. No one closed the gate. ), I thought the song is something I dreamt of as a kid The most likely cause is that something on your server is hogging resources. The musicians in the original studio recording included members of the Wrecking Crew of Los Angeles-based studio musicians who played on many of the hit records of the 1960s and 1970s. Bizarrely, this metaphor is actually the tamest one in the whole song. They are not just words printed on a music sheet. The legendary Four Tops hit #38 on the Hot 100 with their impassioned version. If you dont think that you can take it, I suggest you try baking it first (insert winking emoji). The song went to #2 on the pop chart in the US in 1968. Song, though I cannot listen to it when my son is in the room. Seems it could relate to several interpretations like it or not. . And in 1968 Richard Harris (1930-2002) became the first of quite a few what were and are you to think? today. The thing I never understood is why Harris sing MacArthurS Park, with a S. 40 Canadian Adult Contemporary.[29]. There seems to be acid overtones to the song. 1 overall.[23]. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues. It peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey and was number 8 on WABC's overall 1968 chart. The music is abysmal (although I applaud Weird Al Yankovick for giving it new life in his parody, Jurassic Park) and lyrically, the metaphors are not only logically skewed (rivers flowing through the sky) and overwrought, but embarrassing. Mac Arthur Park by Peter Hofmann (1982) Rock / Pop. I fins some of the lyrics to be lovely and others hauntingI love every version and think the meaning is up to the listener. Its about wanting eternal happiness for them in heaven. I think all of the previous comments say it all. Always seemed odd to me, especially as it wasnt written that way in the title. Sinatra did a very good version. By far, Glen Campbell performing this with the Sioux Falls Orchestra in 2002, is the best rendition of this song. It is a single from Summer's Live and More album. The old men playing checkers by the trees, the cake that was left out in the rain, all of the things that are talked about in the song are things I actually saw. Those people that dont like it no one puts a gun to their head and tells them to listen to it. In the 12-inch version, "Heaven Knows" was extended to incorporate the instrumental string introduction and the bridge horn solo of the single version for radio stations, but left out the second verse, and "One of a Kind" was trimmed of a large part of the instrumental break but included the second verse. The 12" Special One-Sided Disco DJ Single has been digitally remastered and included on the Bad Girls digipak double CD release. [1] Webb flew to London and played Harris a number of songs for the project, but none seemed to fit Harris for his pop music debut. I will take my life into my hands and I will use it. Summer's recording of "MacArthur Park", included as part of the "MacArthur Park Suite" on her double album Live and More, was eight minutes and forty seconds long. BY late 1967, Jimmy Webb was a 21-year-old wunderkind of the L.A. songwriter scene with the hits "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell and "Up, Up and Away . Newley sure could sing when he wanted to. MacArthur Park Is A Story About One Of Jimmy Webb's Relationships Source: Rolling Stone "MacArthur Park" describes a true story about a deep heartbreak experienced by the narrator. Marie was the mother of Dean Pitchford, who co-wrote it. So did the lonely wife ever meet up with sad musician. He would famously Shatner the first three couplets, speaking the lyric like overwrought poetry, before breaking into song. Back in the day, MacArthur Park inspired no less than three jokes in The Simpsons. Levy Stubbs crys this song, his is the best version! Thus the cake out in the rain which is famously reference in this song reads as if it is a metaphor for their relationship. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. I will win the worship in their eyes and I will lose it. No easy answers 40 Canadian Adult Contemporary. You didnt listen to this in 1966, as it was not written until 67. Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up. A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs. Her "MacArthur Park," produced by Giorgio Moroder, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in November of '78, and earned Summer her first Grammy nomination. A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by country music singer Waylon Jennings on his 1969 album Country-Folk, which included the family group the Kimberlys. McCourt claims Webb explained to him the song's meaning - cake in the rain and all. "MacArthur Park" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris In 1968. Funny how you remember such iconic times in your life. Love it as you wish, Anonymous. I absolutely adore this song. Harris's version peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #4 on the UK Singles Chart.The song was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1969 Grammy-winning version by country music singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. MacArthur Park was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967. Wasnt just about the whole world on acid (or sumpin else) in1968?? According to Webb, they spent their most enjoyable times together there. Webb delivered "MacArthur Park" to Howe with "everything he wanted", but Howe did not care for the ambitious arrangement and unorthodox lyrics and the song was rejected by the group the Association, for whom it had been intended.[2]. You stole the best part of my heart, Aah! Making cake is not usually a joint project, so it would suggest that only person was invested in the relationship while the other is not. My husband was unfaithful and we divorced. Webb refused to edit the song, so the station ended up playing all 7:20 of it. When did Donna Summer Sing MacArthur Park? The two men became . Artwork for US single release, also used for West German release, Artwork for the Spain single release, also used for the German release under different printing, Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles, Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, List of number-one dance singles of 2013 (U.S.), "Jimmy Webb discusses famous lyrics in 'MacArthur Park', "Muse for Jimmy Webb's 'MacArthur Park' treasures those days", "Jimmy Webb: From 'Phoenix' To 'Just Across The River', "Harris, Richard MacArthur Park Phonograph Recording Contract", The Irish Charts Search Results MacArthur Park", "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada", "Key Tracks: Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park", "Donna Summer's 'Macarthur Park 2013' Remix #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs Chart", "Donna Summer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)", "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)", "Kent Music Report No 236 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978", "Forum Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)", "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart", The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb, On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II, Walk Away: Collector's Edition (The Best of 19771980), Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits, The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer, Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over), Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger), Dream-A-Lot's Theme (I Will Live for Love). T and I were together about 7 years but due Did Journey have a contest to name the group? I did not know he was married at the time because he did not wear a ring and he never mentioned his wife. It is on his 1993 album, The song is referenced in three separate episodes of, Thomas Klopocinski from Roseville, Michigan, Donald G. Gibson from Langley, Bc. Wiki User. Your the lost love of HIS life. [9] It made its way onto the Hot 100 at number 79 on May 11, 1968, peaking at number 2 on June 22, 1968, behind Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You". It features the group Brooklyn Dreams with vocals by Joe "Bean" Esposito . Webb had been invited to provide the musical backdrop at the piano. it all depends on where you were and who you were in love with in July 1966 when tears ran down my pillow as I tried to put back the pieces of my broken heart listening to this song. I remember the game wasnt playing on the pitch during this song so it mustve been five to 3 before kickoff or possibly half time. I thoroughly love the song. The only part of the song I could have done without is when the tempo speeds up, about 2/3 of the way through. [32], According to one database there are at least 191 versions of the song.[33]. Ill tell you what, after all the loves of my life, Im still wondering why. In 1967, producer Bones Howe had asked Webb to create a pop song with classical elements, different movements, and changing time signatures. I was a young kid when this song came out I also got the idea it was about an abortion. He never married but Iater I did. And never let you catch me looking at the sun., And my passion flow like rivers through the sky.. In this live clip, Levi Stubbs cold crushes the lead vocal. MacArthur Park is the title, but the lyrics go MacArthurs Park (possessive). Terms and Conditions. She became the first female artist of the modern era to have the number one single and album simultaneously on the Billboard pop charts (the week of November 11, 1978). He married & has 2 grown up children & I have a husband, Recently Ive found my musician again playing online each week because of the pandemic. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. CORRECTION: In my previous post, change rift to RIFE (I should have first looked it up). Also, you have to ask yourself: Would you like it if YOUR HUSBAND was engaging in brief messages online with a woman he was once in a relationship with? These are just the ten that made the biggest impression on me. Youve got no business talking to him because YOU are married. "MacArthur Park" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris in 1968. In this clip from 1971, the songs writer, Jimmy Webb provides an idea of how he originally envisioned the song. I especially liked the instrumental intermezzo. [4], "MacArthur Park" was first recorded by Richard Harris, after he met the composer at a fundraiser in East Los Angeles, California in late 1967. "MacArthur Park" was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967 as part of an intended cantata. He died a while ago. [3] The inspiration for the song was his relationship and breakup with Susie Horton. Ah, well, youre entitled to your opinion, and all of us old folks ,who fell in love with the song way back when, will continue to love it as we reminisce. It peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey and was number 8 on WABC's overall 1968 chart. [49], According to one database there are at least 194 versions of the song.[50]. ps: Love the song. Additional troubleshooting information here. The pair met in 1959 and moved to New York to write songs. renditions throughout the years include The Four Tops (1971) and Donna Summer Someone will bring it.. English synth-pop duo Soft Cell recorded a modern version of "Tainted Love" in 1981. And Ive heard love likened to a lot of things, but this is the only time Ive heard it likened to a flat iron pressing striped pants. CD album ships from and sold by Amazon.com. If you dont like the lyrics, check out the instrumental version done my Maynard Ferguson. The orchestral-pop belter with multiple movements has inspired a great rolling of eyes for decades, but by now its a standard and part of the American pop-culture landscape. The birds, like tender babies in your hands. Maynard Ferguson recorded a 10-minute jazz instrumental that was released on his 1993 album, Weird Al Yankovic wrote a parody of this called "Jurassic Park" about the blockbuster movie of the same name. In 1965, American singer Gloria Jones recorded the original version of "Tainted Love" as the B-side to the single "My Bad Boy's Comin' Home." The song was a commercial failure, but gained a small cult following in underground British nightclubs in the late '70s. Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 Allegedly, the song was originally meant for The Association, but the group never recorded it. Jimmy Webb moved from Tennessee to California with his mom in the sixties, after his mom passed away, a young Jimmy Webb became a music major at San Bernardino Valley College, he wrote MacArthur Park after his three year relationship that failed. I made a loop of those notes, and put that loop in the [Solid State Logic] desk. I am now 73 and still play the song every once and awhile and it brings back the pain and emotions that have lingered in my heart for over 50 years. Totally agree, it is a work of sheer genius! The whole song is perfection. Record World reported that this version produces a "dazzling" effect and that "the syn-drums and inspired production techniques are occasional and dramatic."[22]. I know you're one of a kind, baby you're static. The staff music composer Colin McCourt used to work for the publisher of this song, Edwin. Many years later, T. and I reconnected, and it seemed like it was in the 60s again. But that location doesnt serve any specific function in the song itself besides being its title and where the whole dilemma is apparently set. They usually flow on the ground. i stumbled across this and its almost 2022 and you probably wont ever see this but i hope you didnt pay attention to Susie Reality They had their first nibble on the charts with a minor hit for Chubby Checker called "Lazy Elsie Molly" in 1964, but had their greatest success as the musical masterminds of The Monkees - they wrote the theme song to their famous TV show and became the group's . Your are the problem, why he is sad and lonely. When asked by interviewer Terry Gross what was going through his mind when he wrote the lyric, Webb replied that it was meant to be symbolic and referred to the end of a love affair. The songwriter talks about some of his greatest hits, including "MacArthur Park" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." His latest album, Just Across the River, features a series of duets with some . I don't think that I can take it. And bring the cake inside, fer cryin out loud! But it is pretty obvious that by and large it is a love song. This medley was also sold as a 12-inch (30 cm) vinyl recording, and it stayed at number one on Billboard ' s Hot Dance Club Songs chart for five weeks in 1978. Does his partner not have the recipe? This was my first hearing of the tune and being a young boy I was listening intently to the lyrics. I can identify with the song-writers ability to express meanings in a n form of lifes experiences common to us all and he has done that in this song which Im sure will be appreciated more in the company of those who can lay down the temptation to criticize something in an abstract form. 1 and her twentieth No. I never get tired of it. This is a magnificent song and sung even more magnificantly by Richard Harris. The Irishman pulled this off brilliantly as did Donna Summers and Wayon Jennings a decade later and countless more who have tried. Jimmy Webb Jimmy Webb wrote the song originally for The Association. No one did! The cake metaphor is slightly corny, but Ive always found the song absolutely heart-wrenching. Coming down! Definitely an LSD trip. Even today he is widely regarded as the King of Pop.. String, woodwind, and brass overdubs were recorded over two sessions on December 29 and 30. 1, giving Summer her first posthumous No. Beautiful. [16], Moroder readily identified "MacArthur Park" as (quote) "a great song for Donna with all those high notes, it was perfect [for her] First, I [located] a key that she could sing really high, but still with a big voice that took an hour or two. Aha!There will be another song for me and I will sing it. Who the heck knows what its about, but sometimes I cry when listening to it. Please do not give it a second thought. So. You stole the best part of my heart, Aah! Otherwise, I still love the song, after all these years. When I was a young girl of 22, I worked for a big oil and gas company where I met a handsome young man, who was 13 years older than me. I had nobody to talk to about anything I came up with that crazy idea on my own from listening to the song. It eventually peaked at #2 that year. Click to reveal Lean back and do your best to remember where you were the first time you heard this song.