Performance & security by Cloudflare. Glen Campbell made Jimmy Webbs songs iconic! "MacArthur Park" was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967 as part of an intended cantata. McCourt claims Webb explained to him the song's meaning - cake in the rain and all. There will be another dream for me The club's original owner, Elmer Valentine described the scene to Vanity Fair: So she's up there playing the records. MacArthur Park Donna Summer | Last.fm It's where he lost her. 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. Singer Donna Summer became known as the Queen of Disco, defining the genre with her sultry vocals and pulsing rhythms. When I hear it I will always remember the bittersweet memories. A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by Scottish progressive rock band Beggars Opera on their 1972 album Pathfinder. OK, Ill wait. OK, it striped my pair of pants to learn that one of the pioneers of outlaw country won his first Grammy with this song. I know you're one of a kind, baby you're static. MacArthur Park the icing, the cake, and all! Quiz MacArthur Park is a real park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, but that's about the only tangible reference. Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park" Lyrics Meaning 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. Younger contemporary artists continue to keep this recipe fresh. MacArthur Park is a song whose enduring success (like its lyrics) cant really be explained. McArthur Park by The Burtons (1979) Electronic / Dance. 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 still have no the lyrics mean "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris] on the radio. Among other classics, Webb wrote 'Wichita Lineman', and Campbell's shimmering, aching version of same is unquestionably one of the best records ever made. Table of Contents What song did the Beatles hate the most? And the old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees. Then why was he investing so much time and energy into the relationship with a clearly disinterested partner who lets him do all the work into making this cake? Donna Summer - MacArthur Park Suite [Original Extended Version He has 3 grown children and is now divorced. It is a song that brings out emotion of loss. [32], According to one database there are at least 191 versions of the song.[33]. 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. Memories of those special at a special moment that you wish would have lasted forever though they hardly even existed beyond your dreams. The initial connection between Cloudflare's network and the origin web server timed out. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Like a striped pair of pants.. You are dreaming if you think any good will come from this it wont. 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). ps: Love the song. Who sang the original version? Jimmy Webb may have been a bad drug user back in the late 60s, but that Oklahoma Dawg had talent, which cannot be denied. And now, as John Cleese of Monty Python would say, for something completely different. After his relationship with Susie Horton melted in the dark, Jimmy Webb crashed on pianist Buddy Grecos couch for a while. They usually flow on the ground. Nothing! Summers died Thursday at age 63. Contact your hosting provider letting them know your web server is not completing requests. Wiki User. Your are the problem, why he is sad and lonely. The greatest musical joke ever written. I think an entire book could be written about the song and its various meanings. 10 Great Versions of the pop classic MacArthur Park, This is where it all started, the 1968 original. I was around 9yrs old when it was first released and I remember how much sadness I felt with some of the lyrics. In an interview with Newsday in October 2014, Webb explained: Everything in the song was visible. "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. 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! Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. I know MacArthur Park is one of those polarizing songs that people tend to love or hate.I have always been drawn to the complicated changes in tempo and melody and even some of the lyrics as well. 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. MacArthur Park (song) explained " 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. I thought: 'That's it that's the song we've been looking for almost a year. It makes me so sad since my husband died but it is also healing at the same time. Coming down! Definitely an LSD trip. Most have forgotten us, even the ones we may remember the most. This is trying to cram too many conflicting metaphors into one sentence. The lyrics are below with comments about the song.Note: This long song with unusual lyrics makes a video difficult. 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. I believe theis song came straight from the hand of God. i hope you still listen to your musician today. Richard Harris 'MacArthur Park' | by Aidan Curran | Medium Someone once told me that the song had to do with a woman having an abortion. But it was her dance hits that won her Grammys. Italian producer Giorgio Moroder would recall that he and his collaborator Pete Bellotte had been interested in the concept of either remixing a track as yet undecided on which had been a hit in the 1960s or else remaking a 1960s hit as a dance track: Moroder "I remember that I was driving in on the Hollywood Freeway, and I heard the original song [i.e. The complete version of "MacArthur Park" on the LP, then, pulls the neat trick of recasting the traditional medley as a sort of megamix - incorporating original compositions "One of a Kind" and future single "Heaven Knows" as interludes. She says, "Look, we have been together for a long time now; you have to marry me." She proposes. to circumstances we had to part. 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. MacArthur Park was where the two occasionally met for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. Donna Summer - MacArthur Park Lyrics | Genius Lyrics I was a young kid when this song came out I also got the idea it was about an abortion. Who recorded MacArthur Park? - Answers Or simply put, the sentiments expressed in MacArthur Park is how Jimmy apparently felt upon learning that Suzy was no longer interested in him. The nearly 18-minute Donna Summer musical medley MacArthur Park Suite incorporated the original songs One of a Kind and Heaven Knows. McCartney wrote his duet with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory," after a marital tiff with Linda. [31] The Andy Williams version (1972) debuted on the Easy Listening chart in early August and rose to number 26 over the course of five weeks. 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! And so it's a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park. Patrick, I think you are absolutely right and although I agree with you, I still love the song for all of its goofiness. MacArthur Park, located at Wilshire Boulevard & South Alvarado in Los Angeles, was where the couple would occasionally meet for lunch. We were both married and had successful lives with wonderful children and spouces. Still find her in FB ! Other covers include Donna Summer's disco. Song Lyric Sunday | "MacArthur Park" - Donna Summer By this point, there were multiple levels of irony going on for any artist that covered MacArthur Park.. Jimmy Webb Jimmy Webb wrote the song originally for The Association. LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. 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. His version illustrates the melancholy and heartbreak that was common in both popular music and film in that era. 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. It seems like at least a misdemeanor to narrow this list to ten versions. If you dont like the lyrics, check out the instrumental version done my Maynard Ferguson. The meaning behind "MacArthur Park" - The Barbra Streisand Forum - In Who sang the original version of MacArthur Park? That version, released as a single in 1968, is more than seven minutes long and includes four distinct sections. Ooh! At that time (the middle of 1965), Horton worked for Aetna insurance, whose offices were located just across the street from the park. Mac Arthur Park / Didn't We, a Single by Richard Harris. Oh contraire, to the nay sayers.I believe that McArthur Park is one of the best songs of all time and its creator, Jimmy Webb, wrote it and many other wonderful songs for Richard Harriss dubut album, A TRAMP SHINING. Your are blessed if you are one of these people. Who sang the original version of MacArthur Park? - AnswersAll The birds, like tender babies in your hands and the old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees. . My first true love broke up with me and broke heart when this song first came out in 1968. This song was Harris' first hit, a Grammy winner, and. True love is about willing the best for someone. You might be right. However, they turned it down because they thought it was awful, and in doing so, ruined their chances at being mentioned on this list. I am in bits about this song at the moment. You didnt listen to this in 1966, as it was not written until 67. Seems it could relate to several interpretations like it or not. God just put in the freezer for safekeeping when he called your partner home. Out of the blue, Harris, who had just starred in the film Camelot and had performed several musical numbers in it, suggested to Webb that he wanted to release a record. "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1969 Grammy-winning version by country music singer Waylon . He never married but Iater I did. \"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. Date First Available : December 7, 2006. what were and are you to think? On the ground beneath your knees. Terms and Conditions. One was Marge putting on her resume that she wrote it, another was an Indian kid, a relative of Apu's, singing it in the school talent contest, and the third was Troy McClure's agent, voiced by Jeff Goldblum, actually being called MacArthur Park. Down inside (down inside) don't get caught with foolish pride (don't get caught with foolish pride) blow the other things aside (things aside) it's only you and me (you and me, you and)believe in us (believe in us) we were always meant to be (always meant to be) me for you and you for me (you for me) 'til eternity ('til eternity). Otherwise, I still love the song, after all these years. Heaven Knows (Donna Summer song) - Wikipedia As a result, the web page can not be displayed. Me too! And in 1968 Richard Harris (1930-2002) became the first of quite a few Cookie policy. Thought it was ( and still think) it is the most clunky melodramatic junk from the 60s. The original version of this epic Jimmy Webb tune is melodramatic mush by Irish actor-singer Harris, but in one of the all-time transformations, the Queen of Disco made it a regal display of. (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. Kramers over-driven 90s distorto tone makes this tune sound a lot more menacing than tender. It having taken so long to bake apparently alludes to the time and energy he put into building the romance up. MacArthur Park Suite stayed at number one on Billboards Hot Dance. June 10, 2007 12 AM PT. When did Donna Summer Sing MacArthur Park? That song has been written in the context of a mans personal feelings about a broken relationship which he portrays in such a way that many people have appreciated it, as I do, and I feel that this song is a valuable piece of art from a gifted writer. In September 1978, American singer Donna Summer released a multi-million selling vinyl single disco version of "MacArthur Park". 1, giving Summer her first posthumous No. The Irishman pulled this off brilliantly as did Donna Summers and Wayon Jennings a decade later and countless more who have tried.