The track was recorded on December 21, 1967, at Armin Steiner's Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Every single time I hear this song, it cracks me up. 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. Rivers dont flow through the sky. You know who you are. What once was there will never be that hour of splendor in the grass again . In an interview with Newsday in October 2014, Webb explained: Everything in the song was visible. The song was included on Harris's album A Tramp Shining in 1968 and selected for release as a single, an unusual choice, given the song's length and complex structure. MacArthur Park. I still have no the lyrics mean 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. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. "MacArthur Park" was written by Jimmy Webb in the 1960s after the breakup of a relationship. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. There seems to be acid overtones to the song. Its about wanting eternal happiness for them in heaven. This medley was also sold as a 12-inch (30cm) vinyl recording, and it stayed at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart for five weeks in 1978. "Lady Marmalade" is the only song to hit #1 twice in both the UK and US. MacArthur Park was where the two occasionally met for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. By Ken Levine: MacArthur Park - Blogger Richard Harris sang the title as "MacArthur's Park," and since he was the first to record it, that's how most others (including Donna Summer), sang it. "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. Metaphors that are not mixed or that are too vivid make a song limited in its appeal to the masses. 2 in 1976. I loved the song, the lyrics, and the message then and now. MacArthur Park is a song whose enduring success (like its lyrics) cant really be explained. June 10, 2007 12 AM PT. This song was Harris' first hit, a Grammy winner, and named by one poll the \"worse song of all time\", so what's not to like? Over the top, then you consider the crazy lyrics. Other famous musicians who dropped their own renditions throughout the years include The Four Tops (1971) and Donna Summer (1978). You could say this was the story of my life. After all you still could be the one. 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. It having taken so long to bake apparently alludes to the time and energy he put into building the romance up. The only part of the song I could have done without is when the tempo speeds up, about 2/3 of the way through. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. #178 in Musical Soundtracks & Scores. McCartney wrote his duet with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory," after a marital tiff with Linda. This is trying to cram too many conflicting metaphors into one sentence. [3] The inspiration for the song was his relationship and breakup with Susie Horton. Someone will bring it.. Lookout below! Thought it was ( and still think) it is the most clunky melodramatic junk from the 60s. MacArthur Park - the DataLounge They sang a few lyrics and I said, "No, I want to hear the real lyrics, not some parody." Tweet ADVERTISEMENT 1 1. Very moving. 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. MacArthur Park Suite stayed at number one on Billboards Hot Dance. And so it's a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park. journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more. "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. MacArthur Park by Diana Ross and The Supremes (2008) Soul / Funk / Disco. Groovy Photos So Beautiful We Can't Look Away - MSN I was 9 years old when the song came out in 1968. Strange metaphors and strange lyrics were everywhere back then. MacArthur Park is a real park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, but that's about the only tangible reference. I will win the worship in their eyes and I will lose it. "MacArthur Park" is a song by Jimmy Webb in 1968, originally composed as part of an intended cantata. And what does KISS stand for anyway? I would love to read something into it but he has been very happily married for 26 years with two awesome children and so all I can tell myself is dont. [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". You stole the best part of my heart, Aah! I think that makes it great. The meaning behind "MacArthur Park" - The Barbra Streisand Forum - In 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. Younger contemporary artists continue to keep this recipe fresh. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the Queen of Disco, while her music gained a global following. Generally speaking, professional critics are morons. My first true love broke up with me and broke heart when this song first came out in 1968. Always seemed odd to me, especially as it wasnt written that way in the title. Most have forgotten us, even the ones we may remember the most. Richard Harris whose main profession was acting version came out in April of 1968 via Dunhill Records. 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). Donna Summer - MacArthur Park Lyrics | Genius Lyrics I am 86 and I remember when this song , sung by Richard Harris, was first a big hit & then, ten years later, when it was revived by Donna Summers and it was a big. The personnel included Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass guitar, and Tommy Tedesco and Mike Deasy on guitars along with Webb himself on harpsichord. In 2012, "Live and More" was remastered in Japan and included the original LP version of the "MacArthur Park Suite". 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]. Someone left the cake out in the rain. After researching this song my money is on metaphor for sure. McArthur Park by The Burtons (1979) Electronic / Dance. Ooh! MacArthur Park was penned by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb at the behest of producer Bones Howe in 1967. 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. I havent heard this song for fifty years. Check if your university has an FT membership to read for free. 40 Canadian Adult Contemporary. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 11, 1978, for 3 weeks, and earned Summer her first nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. I wasted precious time and years thinking about him. 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. There's nothing in it that's fabricated. The whole song is perfection. The 12" Special One-Sided Disco DJ Single has been digitally remastered and included on the Bad Girls digipak double CD release. We fell in love and had a brief affair. I say affair because sadly that is what it was. Personnel used included Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass guitar, and Tommy Tedesco and Mike Deasy on guitars, along with Webb himself on harpsichord. Its not about breaking your marriage vows and committing mortal sins together. This life is fleeting. Richard Harris was the second to record it. I love Jimmys version on Ten Easy Pieces. Richard Harris 'MacArthur Park'. Whether its about abortion, acid, love lost, or nothing, it is what the listener hears. And this is in addition to actually topping the charts in Australia and Canada. So. 'MacArthur Park' Jimmy Webb | 1968 - Los Angeles Times Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1969 Grammy-winning version by country music singer Waylon . And the old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees. In the video, she can hardly keep a straight face, and the irony drips like sweet-green icing as she smirks her way through the stripe-ed pair of pants bit. Date First Available : December 7, 2006. Sad but true? getting dumped is very hard,but it happened to all of us, and most of us survived and found another person who was probably more right for us. Cookie policy. However, he is still convinced that the addressee is the love of his life, and as such he will never forget her. Im pretty sure Mike himself baked his own version at some point too. English synth-pop duo Soft Cell recorded a modern version of "Tainted Love" in 1981. This is a wonderful song . Due to geographics, time, and the fact that we were older at this point, we would see each other when we were in town and speak on the phone at times. The track was recorded on December 21, 1967, at Armin Steiner's Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Jimmy Webb: From 'Phoenix' To 'Just Across The River' - NPR I played a little piano and she sang it with my accompaniment. Came to this thread via a news article about gangs controlling the park. Learn more about what we're up to at 360Sound. I was just spending some time in UCR after graduating in Peru. Romance is not logical. Almost all of the images in the video are by Nika Akin on Pixabay. He told Mojo magazine : "It was like, 'Why can't we get it together- our piano can. 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. 2. Webb brought the entire cantata to The Association, but the group rejected it. The catch, of course, was how to make a radio hit out of a 17 -minute experimental opus. "MacArthur Park," in its full lyrical eccentricity, had been immortalized in 1968 by actor-singer Richard Harris. "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. To all the lyric haters, you are taking the words way too literally. singer Richard Harris "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. And the comments on this thread hint at how the emotional and memory parts of the brain and the rational parts can be so wildly disconnected! 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. But he isnt crying about it as much as accepting the reality of the situation. And in 1968 Richard Harris (1930-2002) became the first of quite a few In 1978, \"MacArthur Park\" by Donna Summer was number one on the American pop music sales charts for three weeks. You might be right. I was 17 at the time and didnt understand a word of it. LOLJust like you did. I will drink the wine while it is warm and never let you catch me looking at the sun yea, and after all the loves of my life, after all the loves of my life you'll still be the one. Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is Copyright 2009-2022, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Dont be foolish thinking there is something more there. 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. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 11, 1978, for 3 weeks, and earned Summer her first nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. [6] 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. I loved it. Canada, Samuel R. Smith from Evansville, Indiana, United States, More songs thought to be too long to get radio play, More songs that were hits for more than one artist, Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers), Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music. In September 1978, American singer Donna Summer released a multi-million selling vinyl single disco version of "MacArthur Park". [21], 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. Wow, its amazing people take this song so seriously. He knows I am listening because we have exchanged some brief messages online. It was first recorded by actor and singer Richard Harris. LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. [4], Webb and Horton remained friends, even after her marriage to another man. I am now grown up, very successful in my career, never married. I had an English professor in college back in the 60s say the song was about having an abortion. May she rest in perfect peace. I totally buy that someone left the cake out in the rain, if Mr. Stubbs says its so. Hell, I thought it was about an LSD trip! 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. [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. Holy shee-it, man! I occasionally see scenes in TV shows or movies shot in or near the distinctive park. By far, Glen Campbell performing this with the Sioux Falls Orchestra in 2002, is the best rendition of this song. January 6, 2020. Richard Harris sang it well as he did others marvelously in Camelot. At no other point in history could an independently produced single, recorded by an actor mostly known for talking his way (Rex Harrison-style) through the score of Camelot, reach the number two spot on the American charts and become a worldwide phenomenon. As a result, the web page can not be displayed. Right from the start you tore me apart, you took the best part of my heart, Aah! The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 11, 1978, for 3 weeks, and earned Summer her first nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. 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. Romantic love has the shelf life of a fart in a wind tunnel. In 1967, producer Bones Howe had asked Webb to create a pop song with classical elements, different movements, and changing time signatures. Sinatra did a very good version. Memories of those special at a special moment that you wish would have lasted forever though they hardly even existed beyond your dreams. I love everything about this song. 1, giving Summer her first posthumous No. The birds, like tender babies in your hands and the old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. Thats a damn hit! Harris made the first recording of MacArthur Park, and it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. But that location doesnt serve any specific function in the song itself besides being its title and where the whole dilemma is apparently set. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. The shorter seven-inch vinyl single version which omits the song's balladic second movement afforded Summer her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, also becoming the last of seven hit versions of compositions by Jimmy Webb to reach the Top Ten on the Hot 100, with "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer being the only recording of a Webb composition to top the Hot 100. Song, though I cannot listen to it when my son is in the room. It is a single from Summer's Live and More album. There's nothing in it that's fabricated. 2 (CBS), Music to Watch Girls By: The Very Best of Andy Williams, Moon River: The Very Best of Andy Williams, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MacArthur_Park_(song)&oldid=1147962802, Song recordings produced by Giorgio Moroder, Song recordings produced by Pete Bellotte, Song recordings produced by Frank Wilson (musician), Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), Short description is different from Wikidata, Single chart usages for Canadaadultcontemporary, Single chart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary, Single chart usages for Billboarddanceelectronic, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 07:39. It's since. . The vocals about something precious he has lost perhaps the lover died But now that it has in fact disintegrated like a cake out in the rain, he knows he will never have the recipe again to bake another. An extraordinary live version of "MacArthur Park" performed by Jimmy Webb. I could form eight chords by having C-E-G right on the group. Some people go their entire lives without knowing what that feeling is and the only thing worst is never knowing or feeling that undying love for someone. And now, as John Cleese of Monty Python would say, for something completely different. I bet some woman in your life wishes she left you out in the rain. British electronic duo Pet Shop Boys used a sample of Summer's version in their 1999 song New York City Boy. Listening to it now touched my heart all over again. 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. When the other three Tops join him on stage, their harmonies take this number to the sun, and I dont care who catches me looking at it. Isnt the ensemble a perfect description of lost love? Covers soon accrued by everyone from Ray Conniff to Liza Minnelli, and before. Subscribe to The Best Of for more classic music history, videos and playlists: http://bit.ly/WdJ36uComposer Jimmy Webb wrote \"MacArthur Park\" about his breakup with Susan Ronstadt, a cousin of singer Linda Ronstadt. 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.