MacArthur Park -- Richard Harris & Jimmy Webb


BaalChatzaf

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After all these years, this song still gets to me. I cannot account for that rationally.

This number was produced back in the 1960's when D.J.s did their programs live. The D.J.s played this number when that had to go to the loo for a whiz or something more busy than a whiz.

Ba'al Chatzaf

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I agree with you about MacArthur Park. It's a terrific tune.

Various attempts have been made to orchestrate MacArthur Park for a big band. This version by the Maynard Ferguson Band is far and away the best that I know of.

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Ghs

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Here are some interesting details about MacArthur Park from the Wiki article:

"MacArthur Park" is a song written by Jimmy Webb that was originally composed as part of an intended cantata. The song was initially rejected by The Association.[1] Richard Harris was the first to record the song, in 1968. It was subsequently covered by numerous artists. Among the best known covers of the song are Donna Summer's disco arrangement from 1978 and Waylon Jennings' version recorded in 1969. Maynard Ferguson,[2] Stan Kenton[3] and Woody Herman all performed big-band jazz arrangements of the pop song.

The lyrics, which include the lines "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", are symbolic and metaphorical. The song begins as a poem about love, then moves into a lover's lament.[4] When asked by interviewer Terry Gross what was going through his mind when he wrote the lyrics, Webb replied that the lyrics were meant to be symbolic, and they referred to the end of a love affair.

Somehow I cannot imagine The Association singing the song.

Here is a clever parody, "Jurassic Park," by Weird Al Yankovic:

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Ghs

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Another (prehaps deservedely) little-known fact is that it was originally Westlake Park, renamed for General MacArthur in 1942, supposedely at the urging of WR Hearst, who was plugging MacArthur for president. For decades it's been mostly a junkie/wino/wacko hangout.

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Another (prehaps deservedely) little-known fact is that it was originally Westlake Park, renamed for General MacArthur in 1942, supposedely at the urging of WR Hearst, who was plugging MacArthur for president. For decades it's been mostly a junkie/wino/wacko hangout.

Hey Peter!

Don't knock the placement pool from where Governor Moonbeam is going to recruit his key staff personnel!

George - The Association who did "Enter the Young"?

Good grief, I actually own this album!

Adam

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Good grief, I actually own this album!

I have it on "The Association: Greatest Hits."

I like The Association -- they were one of my favorite groups during the sixties -- but MacArthur Park doesn't strike me as their kind of song. Even though Richard Harris couldn't sing very well, his earthy performance worked out well. He gave the tune character.

I'm not sure how appealing MacArthur Park is to younger people. A few years ago, while my neighbors (a married couple in their early twenties) were visiting me, I played the tune for them. Both like the Beatles, the Stones, and other music from the sixties, but neither had ever heard this song before. After a couple minutes, I could tell it wasn't going over well. They glanced at each other as if to say, "Who wants to tell the old guy?" and then one of them said, "Interesting" -- which of course was the kiss of death. I turned it off shortly thereafter. I think MacArthur Park may be one of those "you had to be there" kind of songs. :rolleyes:

Ghs

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Good grief, I actually own this album!

I have it on "The Association: Greatest Hits."

I like The Association -- they were one of my favorite groups during the sixties -- but MacArthur Park doesn't strike me as their kind of song. Even though Richard Harris couldn't sing very well, his earthy performance worked out well. He gave the tune character.

I'm not sure how appealing MacArthur Park is to younger people. A few years ago, while my neighbors (a married couple in their early twenties) were visiting me, I played the tune for them. Both like the Beatles, the Stones, and other music from the sixties, but neither had ever heard this song before. After a couple minutes, I could tell it wasn't going over well. They glanced at each other as if to say, "Who wants to tell the old guy?" and then one of them said, "Interesting" -- which of course was the kiss of death. I turned it off shortly thereafter. I think MacArthur Park may be one of those "you had to be there" kind of songs. :rolleyes:

Ghs

George:

Yes, I agree, you did have to be there, preferably with a bong and some nice Hawaiian herb. There were quite a few songs in the 60's like that! Crimson and Clover and If you're going to San Francisco by Scott McKenzie (good grief look at the hair do!)

"The song was first recorded by Richard Harris on his album A Tramp Shining in 1968 and was released as a single. It was an unusual single, running for more than seven minutes, with a long, climactic orchestral break. Harris topped the music charts in Europe and Australia, and peaked at No. 2 on the American charts. The song peaked at No. 10 in Billboard's Easy Listening survey, and was No. 8 for the year on WABC's overall 1968 chart.[5]

Throughout his recording, Harris can be heard using the incorrect possessive form, "MacArthur's Park". Webb has said he tried correcting Harris during re-takes, but gave up when he simply could not (or would not) sing the correct words.[citation needed]

MacArthur Park received the Grammy Award for "Best Orchestration" in 1969.[6]"

The song's first theme contains the verses and chorus, and the lyrics begin: "Spring was never waiting for us girl." Fanfares in 9/8 time, interrupting the 4/4 time of the song by adding an additional beat to the end of each phrase. This section centers on Dm, the fanfares center on A♭, and the chorus centers on C major.

The second theme is a slow lamenting melody, and starts: "There will be another song, for me." It is in F, and contains many Maj7 and a few M7♭5 chords. At the end of this it briefly goes back into the opening theme.

The third theme is a fast-paced instrumental, centered around G minor. It contains a lot of V/I style chords. The theme chords climb diatonically over a droning bass line. It then goes to an ascension of notes based on the chords G♭, B♭, D♭, and resolves to F.

The first and fourth themes are similar, but have some differences. The "MacArthur's park is melting" starts this time in F, not C. And instead of the line "I don't think that I can take it" starting on a I/III, it starts on a VI, and descends. The finale concludes with a phrase similar to the opening theme (but in A♭ instead of a Dm). The final chord is a B♭." <<<< Wiki cite

http://www.answers.c...rthur-park-song <<<< This has the lyrics

Apparently, according to Wiki over 50 performers have done the song, including Sinatra, Donna Summer and Sammy Davis twice.

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I think MacArthur Park may be one of those "you had to be there" kind of songs. :rolleyes:

Ghs

George:

Yes, I agree, you did have to be there, preferably with a bong and some nice Hawaiian herb. There were quite a few songs in the 60's like that! Crimson and Clover and If you're going to San Francisco by Scott McKenzie (good grief look at the hair do!)

Speaking of "you had to be there" songs from the sixties, "Winchester Cathedral" certainly qualifies. From the Wiki article:

"Winchester Cathedral" is a song released in late 1966 by Fontana Records, whereupon it shot to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was released by The New Vaudeville Band, a novelty group established by the song's composer, Geoff Stephens. Stephens was a big fan of tunes from the British music hall era (or what Americans would call "Vaudeville"), so he wrote "Winchester Cathedral" in that vein, complete with a Rudy Vallée sound-a-like (John Carter) singing through a megaphone. Although recorded entirely by session musicians, when the song became an international hit, an actual band had to be assembled, which toured extensively under the tutelage of Peter Grant, who later went on to manage The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.

The tune went to No. four in the UK Singles Chart. It went all the way to the top in the U.S., however, displacing "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes on December 3, 1966. After a one-week run at No. 1, "Winchester Cathedral" was knocked off the summit by the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations", only to rebound to the top spot the following week. After two additional weeks, it was knocked off the top for good by "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees.

"Winchester Cathedral" topped the Billboard "Easy Listening" chart for four weeks [1]. Cover records by Dana Rollin and The New Happiness reached no higher than No. 70.

The song won the 1966 Grammy Award for 'Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Recording'

Rock & Roll? Okey-dokey.

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One more "you had to be there" song from the sixties.

A comment on the YouTube video hit the nail on the head: "I didn't know that the Enterprise had dancers!" :lol:

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Ghs

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