It was powerful! MacArther Park is a song that people who have truly been in love and lost that person, will understand. You can hear the heartbreak in Mr Harrisons voice. Who sang the original version of MacArthur Park? Buster, I am 72. Other covers include Donna Summers disco arrangement from 1978 and Waylon Jenningss version recorded in 1969. H. Morris. Still find her in FB ! I cant get enough of the melody and Richard Harris voice. MC5 founding member Wayne Kramers 1991 version would do The Cramps Lux Interior proud. i hope you still listen to your musician This was my first hearing of the tune and being a young boy I was listening intently to the lyrics. Its a song that somehow captures the incomprehensibility, permanence and scale of loss. 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. According to Webb, they spent their most enjoyable times together there. Label : Half Moon Uk. LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Richard Harris, Richard Burton, any Richard could read the phone book and make some ladies cry I think overall it is pretty good. Turn of your brain and experience the music. Explaining how he got together with the actor. In 1978, \"MacArthur Park\" by Donna Summer was number one on the American pop music sales charts for three weeks. journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more. [9] It topped the music charts in Europe and Australia and also won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).[10]. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues. End of story, youve got that right. Hits me to the core, because I can relate to the song. MacArthur Park, in Los Angeles, was where the couple would occasionally meet for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. Jimmy Webb wrote the song in 1967 about his old flame Suzy Horton, a relative of Linda Ronstadt. It clearly says she was never married in the message. This is a wonderful song . After all, the folks over at secondhandsongs.com list over 100 vocal versions, in addition to a ton of instrumentals. Webb had been invited to provide the musical backdrop at the piano. He has 3 grown children and is now divorced. Richard Harris sang it well as he did others marvelously in Camelot. You stole the best part of my heart, Aah! He never married but Iater I did. Thus the cake out in the rain which is famously reference in this song reads as if it is a metaphor for their relationship. 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. I fins some of the lyrics to be lovely and others hauntingI love every version and think the meaning is up to the listener. Most have forgotten us, even the ones we may remember the most. MacArthur Park, located at Wilshire Boulevard & South Alvarado in Los Angeles, was where the couple would occasionally meet for lunch. She says, "Look, we have been together for a long time now; you have to marry me." She proposes. Written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb, MacArthur Park was recorded first by Irish actor and singer RICHARD HARRIS in 1968. Table of Contents What song did the Beatles hate the most? MacArthur Park written by Otto Demler German Mac Arthur Park written by Michael Kunze German L'amore verde written by Mogol Italian Jurassic Park (Japanese Version) written by unknown author (s) Japanese Berzelii Park written by sten Warnerbring Swedish MacArthur Park written by Willy Cruz Tagalog Web covers The 12" Special One-Sided Disco DJ Single has been digitally remastered and included on the Bad Girls digipak double CD release. Every single time I hear this song, it cracks me up. They are not just words printed on a music sheet. . Seems it could relate to several interpretations like it or not. Terms and Conditions. Dont be such a wet blanket fer crissakes. And no, it doesnt contain the worst lyrics. 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. Best Answer. Nice song, but never a favourite of mine. Whether its about abortion, acid, love lost, or nothing, it is what the listener hears. I am old enough to fondly remember the original version, which is still, my favorite, recorded by Richard Harris in 1968. cookies "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris] on the radio. 2011-09-17 15:27:04. The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey.". But that location doesnt serve any specific function in the song itself besides being its title and where the whole dilemma is apparently set. Did Jimmy Web actually get his wife pregnant when she was 15? All Rights Reserved. The birds, like tender babies in your hands and the old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees. 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]. I totally buy that someone left the cake out in the rain, if Mr. Stubbs says its so. I hope that if your heart was ever broken ? [32], According to one database there are at least 191 versions of the song.[33]. "MacArthur Park" was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967 as part of an intended cantata. I think all of the previous comments say it all. Webb brought the entire cantata to The Association, but the group rejected it. It is a single from Summer's Live and More album. Heaven knows it's not the way it should be and heaven knows it's not the way it could be and don't you know there's no need to leave! Heaven knows I never wanna leave you, heaven knows I only wanna please you, don't you know love is what I need! 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? His version illustrates the melancholy and heartbreak that was common in both popular music and film in that era. Thats a hit! "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris] on the radio. British electronic duo Pet Shop Boys used a sample of Summer's version in their 1999 song New York City Boy. I will have the things that I desire and my passion flow like rivers from the sky. Anyone can criticize, especially soulless folks. Trombonist/vocalist and friend-of-the-site Aubrey Logan embraces the camp in her recent version. 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. Click to reveal Now, listening to it I am powerfully reminded of that special one. As for the title of this song, there is in fact a MacArthur Park located in Los Angeles. [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. Printer Friendly . Of basing a discofied arrangement on the template for Webb's arrangement on the Harris version Moroder would recall: "To be honest, it was a very difficult song to [arrange], especially the brass, but we had the best musicians in town."[21]. 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. Almost all of the images in the video are by Nika Akin on Pixabay. My personal favorite. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. And this is in addition to actually topping the charts in Australia and Canada. The last song that Webb played for Harris was "MacArthur Park".[1]. When I turned 50, I met this girl again and asked her to lunch. Never to be shared again ever. 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. [Instrumental Interlude] [Bridge] There will be another song for me And I will sing it There will be another dream for me Someone will bring it [Verse 3] I will drink the wine while it is warm And . Last week he played Macarthur Parkwhat on earth am I to think?.. What on earth are you to think? [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. Kramers over-driven 90s distorto tone makes this tune sound a lot more menacing than tender. Singer Donna Summer became known as the Queen of Disco, defining the genre with her sultry vocals and pulsing rhythms. 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. Well said, glad you got away in time! This was recorded at the short-lived Sound Recorders studio in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967, with the top-tier Los Angeles session musicians that later became known as "The Wrecking Crew." The up-tempo part of the song is the best part of the song. True love is about willing the best for someone. Indeed, it was upon Grecos piano MacArthur Park was composed, and to whom it was dedicated. The song became a number 4 hit for Summer in the US [1] the week of March 17, 1979, and held there for three weeks. That is, the cake left out in the rain represented the unborn child. 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. Back at cha in spades, darlin! Richard Harris was coming off his Camelot film which was really very goodSaw it in Washington DC with Suzie. 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. But it is pretty obvious that by and large it is a love song. MacArthur Park. Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 I loved the song, the lyrics, and the message then and now. I think an entire book could be written about the song and its various meanings. The song is a chameleon. MacArthur Park is a song by Donna Summer from the album Live and More MacArthur Park is a cover song, originally sang by Richard Webb . I was a marching band kid, and always admired the great drum & bugle corps. Otherwise, I still love the song, after all these years. To those who make fun of it, you just dont get it. \"MacArthur Park\" utilized flowery lyrics and metaphors (most famously, love being likened to a cake left out in the rain) that were considered by media such as the Los Angeles Times to be \"polarizing\" and \"loopy.\" The inspiration for \"MacArthur Park\" was the relationship and breakup between Webb and Susan Ronstadt, a cousin of singer Linda Ronstadt. Yeah, this song was probably the worst song ever written. MacArthur Park was where the two occasionally met for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together.The song was recorded by the actor Richard Harris in 1967. Harris' version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. that Love was ignited in your Heart and your relationship will forever Grow! 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 . 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. You're one of a kind, you've got magic. Check if your university has an FT membership to read for free. 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 played a little piano and she sang it with my accompaniment. Webbs composition became Grecos set-closer for forty years. *In an episode of "Living Single", Max sings a line of "MacArthur Park" at a gathering the night before Synclair and Overton's Wedding. MacArthur Park was where the two occasionally met for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. Wiki User. Here he does it on The Mike Douglas Show in 1978. "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. And I havent even touched on the fact that Jimmy Webb wrote this song for his 17-year-old bride, and their wedding party included their 19-month-old child, which would indicate that Jimmy impregnated Patsy when she was 14 or 15. Webb produced this song for Richard Harris, crossing the Atlantic Ocean several times in the process. Now MacArthur Park is what? People who hate it just cant understand! Her MacArthur Park, produced by Giorgio Moroder, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in November of 78, and earned Summer her first Grammy nomination. Richard Harris was the second to record it. I agree with James Byrne, and Richard Harris sings the song with real feeling that I dont find in other versions. The thing I never understood is why Harris sing MacArthurS Park, with a S. He died a while ago. 1 and her twentieth No. A girl I met introduced me to Jim Webb. Take a listen and let me know what you think! Webb initially brought the entire cantata to The Association, but the group rejected it. Andrea from England. If you have nothing to do but dissect lyrics Patrick you have an empty life, certainly no emotions and no sensitivity. Body and soul, you took me out of control. Its an attempt to sound lofty and poetic, but falls flat. [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. These are just the ten that made the biggest impression on me. No one did! The most likely cause is that something on your server is hogging resources. Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, List of number-one dance singles of 2013 (U.S.), 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, 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, Sislt hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittjt Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.196030.6.2021, Forum Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts), Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart, 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.