If you loved the string arrangements in this song, you MUST listen to Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. ruclips.net/video/jiU2lrGnT7U/видео.html
If you like this song, Glen perfected it over the decades and the live versions decades later are much better than the studio version. This song isn’t country, it’s literally in a class of its own.
Yes. There are some younger ones can find today but they are playing the old stuff or new material in the style of the older. I would point out Mo Pitney as an example. His version of Borrowed Angel worth checking out.
Country is no different than Rock if you think about it............50's-60s-70s and maybe 80s...........GEMS are in there , you just have to look and listen.... :)
Let's put it this way, Glen Campbell was not strictly country music, he was one of the first crossovers to do "pop" music. Because he was from Arkansas and he did some country songs or songs that sounded somewhat country music, he was typically labeled country. But he was so much more than one category...he was studio musician in LA, played on all kinds of songs, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra. even substituted in the Beach Boys and sang for them when Brian Wilson quit touring. He could play the snot out of the guitar and was world class. Had his own Tv variety show
Agreed. I think of this as Pop as much Country. Back then the lines were not always as well defined as now. I think of Jimmy Webb's stuff as classic pop/crooner stuff. This is an all-time classic, for sure. Glenn at the top of his game.
Galveston & Gentle on My Mind are two other essential Glenn Campbell tunes that you will love. Glenn was an original member of the "Wrecking Crew" who were a group of studio musicians that played on a lot of great music in the 60s. Rest in Peace Glenn.
The melody in this song just makes your brain/heart/soul melt. It is so beautiful, it is very easy to become extremely emotional. First heard it as a very young kid, still hits me the same 50 years later. Incredible composition.
Carol Kaye was a bass player along with Glen and others that were studio musicians back in the day that played on many popular songs in that era Her bass in this is so sweet Not many know how great she was
Not to mention the birth and racing name of my beautiful retired racer Greyhound! She ran her last race March 1st 2019 and I've had her since May of '19. She is Leeloo now, and the most gentle animal spirit I've ever met.
The Wrecking Crew , the best musicians of which Glenn was a member in the beginning, played the music. Outstanding, it makes the song. They played on many big hits in the 6O’s.
My son decided he wanted to be a lineman when the crews rolled into Florida after one of the bad hurricanes. They were like superheroes to him. He pointed them out to us and our eyes opened to something we (to our shame) took for granted. (We are generations deep of college-educated artists and architects, so…yeah…sorry) Now he’s a lineman and the swagger is pretty high (he’s 21 and making a LOT of money-so he can be a bit forgiven.) But this is actually their anthem-they sing it at important events (like lineman rodeos, graduations, lineman weddings-and when they’re drunk, which is often-again-they’re mostly young, they work hard in a VERY dangerous profession and they make a LOT of money so again…pray for them)
Oh, man, this song always gets me. Our close friend was a lineman and when he died in a tragic accident years ago, we dedicated this song to him. Whenever we hear it, it brings back so many good memories of someone we still miss terribly.
My daddy was a lineman for GTE. He would get called out at all hours after a major storm. I'm sorry about the loss of your friend. This song brings back great memories for me as well. RIP daddy, Glen, and your friend. ❤😊
The "lineman" is someone working on the electrical lines.....I love when he sings that he can hear her "through the whine" and the violins come in and sound like a whine. That part you talk about sounds like the old telegraph code......Magic.
And don’t forget the double meaning: “through the whine/wine”. One of the most economical songs ever written. I’ve heard that Glen didn’t wait for Jimmy to write the third verse (went with the solo instead), but really what else did this song need to say. Quality beats genre every time.
I lived in rural West Texas as a child. I remember when the wind blew I could often hear the power lines outside my house make a buzzing, whining sound.
Him and SRV are the two best guitarists I have ever seen live. Rik Emmett is the best guitarist/singer combo I have ever seen...but Glen and SRV were the pinnacle of guitar playing..bar none.
I'm sure others have probably said this.. but even though Glen was mostly a country artist.. he did cross over into pop music.. and this, for me, is a straightforward pop song.. and one of my favorites. Great reaction.. loved how you picked up on the subtleties of the musical arrangement. It's all telling part of the story. The "pulsing" of the piano, guitar and strings in the background representing the electricity flowing through the electrical lines. It's a masterpiece.
Jimmy Webb ( the songwriter) said he was inspired while seeing some blue collar workers talk about something and realized inside every person is a poet with their own story to tell. To him, this is what this song is about - the lineman on the wire, lonely and missing his wife, but felling connected to her through the telephone wires. The best songs - country or otherwise - that are timeless are about a positive connection which is there even if the other person isn't. Glen Campbell's voice has that kind of tone that can say lonely, sad, happy and love all within one lyric. The way his voice almost deadens when talking about a vacation that won't happen, or rises when he talks about hearing her through the whine, tells another story within the music.
My brother worked at the Country Club in Arizona where Glen was a member and said Campbell was a real nice guy and brought out his acoustic guitar several times to just play for the employee's. Campbell joked to them that his performance in "True Grit" was so good that it won John Wayne an Oscar. He couldn't read music and yet was a sought after studio session player and joined the Beach Boys briefly. He died of Dementia slowly...
On the last day of boot camp leave, in 1968, I took a one hour cassette and filled out with this one song. I played this tape until it wore out and THEN made another one (and wore that one out too). Realistically, I've heard this song over 5000 times and I STILL get choked up when I hear it. I will never get tired of this incredible piece of music. Many songs move me but none like this. GREATEST SONG EVER!
The only problem I have with "Whichita Lineman" is that it is too short,wish they would have extended the instrumental at least a few more minutes.Always loved Glen Campbell's music.
Way too short. Its cos Glenn was pressing Jimmy Webb to finish the song. Jimmy had only 2 verses and told Glenn it wasnt done. Glenn took it, added a solo, repeated the last refrain and that was it, history was made.
As others have noted, this really counts more as country-pop than straight up c&w music of its era. Song by the genius Jimmy Webb, brilliant arrangement by Al De Lory, solid playing by Glen and the Wrecking Crew.
I'm old enough to remember when this was always being played on the radio 1968 ish. Its a staggeringly good song beautifully sung with great instrumentation, so pleased you liked it. When music is that good it defies genre but country music often goes through phases of being cool and then shit. Gram Parsons worked hard to make country music cool with EmmyLou Harris in the early 70s. Check out their rendition of 'Love Hurts' from the album Grievous Angel 1974. It might register on the Emo scale.
I remember this on AM radio as well. My aunt sang to this and Gentle on my Mind while ironing clothes. Glen Campbell got his own summer show about that time.😊
"And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time." One of the best lines ever written by the great Jimmy Webb. "Less of Me" is another great song by Glen.
As Others have said Glen Cambell used to be part of The Wrecking Crew (google them) and when they backed him up on this song they all gave him their best .
Thank you for your wonderful reaction to a masterpiece that I love! Haunting homage to the hard working man! That part you loved...symbolic of the electricity flashing through the wires! 👍👍👏👏🎉🎉
It may the prettiest song ever written/produced/recorded….its mind boggling how good it is! I’m not sure this song has a genre…I don’t know of anything else like it. Carol Kaye with that bass VI part is so wonderful:)
Glen Campbell was a ‘session man' playing (guitar) with almost every popular group, singer, be it ‘pop', country, ‘folk’, rock, ‘blue-grass'…and anything else requiring an excellent guitarist. He successfully bridged all these genres, developing his own style appealing to a very broad audience, proving to be a very successful singer.
The glory that is Wichita Lineman - I've been listening to this since the 60s and it still gets me every time. Tony Joe White does a gorgeous job of this one too. You can just stick a pin in any Glen Campbell song and you will love it
This song is an example of what's called the Nashville sound, because a lot of if not almost all country albums were recorded there, and they tended to put a LOT of emphasis on the production of the music, using orchestral instruments and whatever they needed to get a song to sound like how the producer wanted it to. And it was that way a long time, until in the 70's some artists got big enough they bucked that system and decided they would produce their songs the way they thought they should sound, and they became known as outlaws, because they were fighting the system, and their music became known as "outlaw country". They just wanted their songs to sound the way they thought they should, not how some producer thought it should. That being said, I recommend a few songs by Marty Robbins, firstly "My Woman,My Woman, My Wife", then "Don't Worry (About Me)", then a couple from his western side, "El Paso" and "Big Iron". I think you will enjoy any and all of these.
I honestly thought this was one hit you right away. Your face just - I thought you might cry. I could jut listen to him all day. Great reaction. I loved you taking it back and taking it back and taking it back again.
Gentle On My Mind by Glen Campbell. Undeniably country song written by John Hartford from 1968. It has to be the single release. A masterpiece of lyrics and music. Glen Campbell's singing and John Hartford on banjo. You won't regret it. I have cried listening to that song.
You like the OLD country, not the new stuff. Me too. Listen to country from the 50s and 60s, you’ll be happier. 70s country is good, look for stuff from artists considered Outlaw.
Glen Campbell was an incredible guitar player, as well. These songs take me right back to my home, with Mom & Dad listening to the radio. Check out his "Galveston", too, about a Vietnam War soldier longing for home. Also check out Marty Robbins' "El Paso". Vintage Western music is awesome.
I grew up in this era. Several of my friends' parents had stereo systems and they constantly played this kind of music... orchestral backing, smooth crooning vocalist... rather than country, it's called "Easy Listening". At the same time you had parents like my mom, who spent her days listening to the AM radio station from Chicago (WLS) which played top 40 hits. She just loved to bop around the kitchen to the latest catchy jam. Glen Campbell was one the artists that was able to start building a bridge between these two types of popular music, with pieces like this. If you want to hear more crooners that crossed this bridge, may I suggest Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, and Bobby Darren. There are more, but these are a good place to start.
Emmylou Harris "Boulder to Birmingham". Emmylou is exquisite in every way. I wasn't a great fan of country music until I discovered Emmylou, years ago. She was a key that opened a door to different country stuff I wouldn't have considered before finding her. You can get a foot into country by listening to an artist that wasn't country but they explored country music themes. For me, and many others, that's the rock group The Byrds. And they did it with an album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo".
John Denver, considered country music, is also beautifully produced - Rocky Mountain High, Annie's Song, Sunshine On My Shoulders, are just a few hits!
That sound you noted that the strings make between verses, always sounded to me like an imitation of the sound that the telegraph machine made as it went across the wire. I wonder if they meant it that way.
I don't think telephone or telegraph lines could possibly overload, except at the point of origin. This, in my opinion, is about electrical lines. Trouble linemen can relate to the loneliness(?) of working trouble by themselves
Also, if you want to know more about the music and musicians behind him, if you can find it, watch the documentary 'The Wrecking Crew'. I think you would really enjoy it and you will come away with a sense of the first era of recorded rock and roll. It's an amazing piece of music history that you don't even realize was there.
My mother had such a crush on Glen Campbell. She played his record albums all the time especially on Sunday when we (siblings) all had to pitch in with the big weekly cleaning chores. I’m 60 now, haven’t heard this song in decades but I can sing along like I heard it yesterday. So nostalgic. Nice to see you enjoying it :)
Glen Campbell is one of the two best guitarists I have ever seen live...Stevie Ray Vaughn is the other. Glen started as a world renown session guitarist.
Glen Campbell was part of a session group called The Wrecking Crew. They played on MANY hits of the 60's and 70's. You should check out the movie on RUclips. A GREAT musical history lesson. Great reaction!!
Glad you found this Legend, mate. Glen was a master guitarist and became a member of the world-famous Wrecking Crew, studio musicians. He played with the Beach Boys and then made his break as a super star singer. Had his own television show and went on to star in films. Glen sadly passed away in 2017, leaving a gap in modern music.
I’ve always thought that the song goes back and forth between his outer and inner life. The melody is so haunting. I used to sing it to myself while pet sitting and an African gray parrot I kept would sing “searching the sun for another overload” with me. Then he’d whistle (more like screech) the “still on the line” part. Good times.
Thank you for the respectful review. I listened to Glen Campbell when I was a teenager in the 1960s. Although rock was my favorite genre, to me the genius of musicians like Glen Campbell, the Bee Gees, and the Carpenters also stood out because their music was so incredibly beautiful. Liked and subscribed.
Glen Campbell was the first concert I ever attended simply because of this song. I was in 9th grade (junior high school), saved up my babysitting money, and spent it on a ticket to hear Glen sing this live. I came to your channel because of my love for BTS and your honesty and appreciation for their contribution to making the world a better place through music, sincerity and hard work. So glad I went into your list of videos (to see if I had missed any of your BTS reactions) and noticed Galveston by Glen Campbell and before I clicked it, I saw Wichita Lineman. Thank you for having an open mind, Mark! Enjoy you journey(s)!
This song is perfect and so beautifully recorded. Your reaction is close to what this deserves, thanks for having to back up and listen again. One of the most perfect songs ever recorded.
When you think that this is about a man that climbs power poles along the highways back in the day when that's where all the electricity came from, and Kansas is a flat plain where the roads look like endless ribbons through endless fields of grain. Very lonely work.
He's singing about a real man whose job it is, as a lineman, to keeps the power grid operational. The orchestral strings simulate the sound of electricity "singing in the wires" as they course through the power lines and what a blessing electricity is. He is lamenting the fact he can't be with his love while duty calls but duty he will do. This song is a masterpiece about everyday life, like many other C&W songs.
this is one of the greatest songs ever produced. "where's the playground Susie" another Jimmy webb song by glen - his acoustic guitar outro slays me every time..in fact his acoustic playing throughout is spectacular
Member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, a singer, songwriter and great guitarist. The story songs in Country music can take you many places, make you laugh, Ray Stevens and Roger Miller great at that, make you cry, George Jones, He Stopped Loving Her Today. If you want a song to paint a picture, Charlie Daniels, The Devil Went Down to Georgia or Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues or Ghost Riders in the Sky
Glen Campbell's music often combined orchestral arrangements, traditional pop hooks, and countrified lyrical themes. This sound is known as "countrypolitan" music and was pioneered by Chet Atkins when he was a prominent producer at RCA Victor in Nashville, Tennessee in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This style is also called "the Nashville Sound" and country-pop music. Other countrypolitan singers include: Patsy Cline, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Lynn Anderson, Roger Miller, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold, Donna Fargo, Tom T. Hall, Faron Young, Sammi Smith, Dottie West, Hank Williams, Jr., Crystal Gale, Freddy Fender, Bill Anderson, Jim Reeves, Brenda Lee, Skeeter Davis, Marty Robbins, Ronnie Milsap, and Roy Clark among many others.
This is an absolute classic Mark tbh, often played by my parents throughout my childhood and heard many times over the years, I could probably sing this word for word in my sleep. Fun fact the late Steve Wright, this was his favourite song of all time and a section of the instrumental sequence formed part of his Radio 1 theme and then when he moved to Radio 2 until he left just a year before he passed away although he did continue to do Sunday Love Songs till he passed away.
Glen was one of the greats, both in singing, and in guitar playing. Before he was famous, he was part of a group of studio musicians who were called "The Wrecking Crew". They played the music in just about every American in the 1960's. There is a nice documentary on them. Glen had many hits in the 60's and 70's. Great reaction.
Great voice, and one of the top guitarists in the world! You should listen to him and Roy Clark guitar dual! He was a member of the studio musicians called, THE WRECKING CREW who played the music for lots of vocal stars & many hit songs. Great response, bro! Thanks for posting.😊😊😊😊
Glen Campbell's voice is only exceeded by his brilliance on the guitar
If you loved the string arrangements in this song, you MUST listen to Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. ruclips.net/video/jiU2lrGnT7U/видео.html
@@floyd2222 OH, Yeah!!! ✌
Glen Campbell from the legendary "Wrecking Crew" Studio band
And his hair…
If you like this song, Glen perfected it over the decades and the live versions decades later are much better than the studio version.
This song isn’t country, it’s literally in a class of its own.
The secret is to listen to older Country music. That's where you'll find the treasures.
Yes. There are some younger ones can find today but they are playing the old stuff or new material in the style of the older. I would point out Mo Pitney as an example. His version of Borrowed Angel worth checking out.
100 percent
Country is no different than Rock if you think about it............50's-60s-70s and maybe 80s...........GEMS are in there , you just have to look and listen.... :)
@@Newfie-zc7ug I agree.
This is the Country music I heard in the 70s . Great music.
Let's put it this way, Glen Campbell was not strictly country music, he was one of the first crossovers to do "pop" music. Because he was from Arkansas and he did some country songs or songs that sounded somewhat country music, he was typically labeled country. But he was so much more than one category...he was studio musician in LA, played on all kinds of songs, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra. even substituted in the Beach Boys and sang for them when Brian Wilson quit touring. He could play the snot out of the guitar and was world class. Had his own Tv variety show
“Countrypolitan,” they called it.
Agreed. I think of this as Pop as much Country. Back then the lines were not always as well defined as now. I think of Jimmy Webb's stuff as classic pop/crooner stuff. This is an all-time classic, for sure. Glenn at the top of his game.
From Delight, AR
If I'm not mistaken, that great bass line at the beginning was Carol Kay, another member of that LA studio musician group called the Wrecking Crew.
He was the most in-demand session guitarist of his day. You might also like “Rhinestone Cowboy.”
One of the most beautiful songs ever written. It's so good.
Agreed!!
Gentle on my mind as well.
@@markabusireactions
Greetings from Florida
Thanks for giving Glen a 🎶 listen. This and Galveston were my favorite childhood songs by him. Enjoy❤
Absolutely
@@salty-tomatoboth, Jimmy Webb classics.
'I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time' too good
Yeah, my favorite line in the song too.
This is such a powerful line. I've argued that it's not a compliment. What do you think?
I can't think of many other line to express your feelings to someone. It brings tears to my eyes remembering my late wife.
That lyric is one of the best of all time.
@@turnerdan53 May God bless you and keep you during your separation (temporary) from your wife.
If you liked this one, you'll love his "Galveston", also written by the incomparable Jimmy Webb.
Incredible story of how they came to work together
Yup, agreed! "Galveston" next.
Galveston & Gentle on My Mind are two other essential Glenn Campbell tunes that you will love. Glenn was an original member of the "Wrecking Crew" who were a group of studio musicians that played on a lot of great music in the 60s. Rest in Peace Glenn.
Fantastic song .😊
We Galvestonians concur!
Another similar great classic Campbell -Webb collaboration is By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Great song too. Check out the Isaac Hayes version, one of the few covers of a great song that, imho, surpasses the original.
Check out another one of his classics called Gentle On My Mind. You’ll love it!
I’ve heard this song a thousand times & it never fails to move me. I always well up. Just a gloriously perfect song.
The melody in this song just makes your brain/heart/soul melt. It is so beautiful, it is very easy to become extremely emotional. First heard it as a very young kid, still hits me the same 50 years later. Incredible composition.
Carol Kaye was a bass player along with Glen and others that were studio musicians back in the day that played on many popular songs in that era Her bass in this is so sweet Not many know how great she was
Glen used her bass to play the solo of this song.
@@chitownlee Yeh, he turned up the treble knobs on the bass and amp to get that sound
Watch “The Wrecking Crew” documentary if you have not seen it. So good!
@@mledbetter I've seen it, was great!
Not to mention the birth and racing name of my beautiful retired racer Greyhound!
She ran her last race March 1st 2019 and I've had her since May of '19.
She is Leeloo now, and the most gentle animal spirit I've ever met.
The Wrecking Crew , the best musicians of which Glenn was a member in the beginning, played the music. Outstanding, it makes the song.
They played on many big hits in the 6O’s.
Yes! Thy were the background musicians for more artists and big hits than I can name!
Isn't it deliciously haunting? Swear, I've never known a lineman nor ever been to Wichita but this song always makes me feel like I do! Thanks!
I have, both!! But not at the same time...❤😂
I have two nephews who are linemen.
I farm outside of Wichita. This is in my top three.
My son decided he wanted to be a lineman when the crews rolled into Florida after one of the bad hurricanes. They were like superheroes to him. He pointed them out to us and our eyes opened to something we (to our shame) took for granted. (We are generations deep of college-educated artists and architects, so…yeah…sorry) Now he’s a lineman and the swagger is pretty high (he’s 21 and making a LOT of money-so he can be a bit forgiven.) But this is actually their anthem-they sing it at important events (like lineman rodeos, graduations, lineman weddings-and when they’re drunk, which is often-again-they’re mostly young, they work hard in a VERY dangerous profession and they make a LOT of money so again…pray for them)
One of the best lines ever is: "And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time".
Oh, man, this song always gets me. Our close friend was a lineman and when he died in a tragic accident years ago, we dedicated this song to him. Whenever we hear it, it brings back so many good memories of someone we still miss terribly.
My daddy was a lineman for GTE. He would get called out at all hours after a major storm. I'm sorry about the loss of your friend. This song brings back great memories for me as well. RIP daddy, Glen, and your friend. ❤😊
The "lineman" is someone working on the electrical lines.....I love when he sings that he can hear her "through the whine" and the violins come in and sound like a whine. That part you talk about sounds like the old telegraph code......Magic.
Absolutely!!
And don’t forget the double meaning: “through the whine/wine”. One of the most economical songs ever written. I’ve heard that Glen didn’t wait for Jimmy to write the third verse (went with the solo instead), but really what else did this song need to say. Quality beats genre every time.
@@wpollock1 check out the interview Webb did with Beato for the instrument that played that telephone code sound.
I lived in rural West Texas as a child. I remember when the wind blew I could often hear the power lines outside my house make a buzzing, whining sound.
I believe the lyric is "through the wires," the power lines he's inspecting.
Glen is one of the Guitar Gods of Country Music. Along with Roy Clark, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. He is an amazing guitarist.
Him and SRV are the two best guitarists I have ever seen live. Rik Emmett is the best guitarist/singer combo I have ever seen...but Glen and SRV were the pinnacle of guitar playing..bar none.
Don't forget Don Rich
I would add Dolly Parton to that list - and she plays with NAILS
@@sharonwhitaker458I forgot about Roy Clark..phenomenal!
Great recommendations for future Matk reactions reactions above.
I'm sure others have probably said this.. but even though Glen was mostly a country artist.. he did cross over into pop music.. and this, for me, is a straightforward pop song.. and one of my favorites. Great reaction.. loved how you picked up on the subtleties of the musical arrangement. It's all telling part of the story. The "pulsing" of the piano, guitar and strings in the background representing the electricity flowing through the electrical lines. It's a masterpiece.
Jimmy Webb ( the songwriter) said he was inspired while seeing some blue collar workers talk about something and realized inside every person is a poet with their own story to tell. To him, this is what this song is about - the lineman on the wire, lonely and missing his wife, but felling connected to her through the telephone wires. The best songs - country or otherwise - that are timeless are about a positive connection which is there even if the other person isn't. Glen Campbell's voice has that kind of tone that can say lonely, sad, happy and love all within one lyric. The way his voice almost deadens when talking about a vacation that won't happen, or rises when he talks about hearing her through the whine, tells another story within the music.
I worked with a line crew. When this song came on, I’d call them on the radio so we could hear our song.
My brother worked at the Country Club in Arizona where Glen was a member and said Campbell was a real nice guy and brought out his acoustic guitar several times to just play for the employee's. Campbell joked to them that his performance in "True Grit" was so good that it won John Wayne an Oscar. He couldn't read music and yet was a sought after studio session player and joined the Beach Boys briefly. He died of Dementia slowly...
On the last day of boot camp leave, in 1968, I took a one hour cassette and filled out with this one song. I played this tape until it wore out and THEN made another one (and wore that one out too). Realistically, I've heard this song over 5000 times and I STILL get choked up when I hear it. I will never get tired of this incredible piece of music. Many songs move me but none like this. GREATEST SONG EVER!
"By The I Get To Phoenix" and "Galveston". Highly recommend those from Campbell.
Gentle on My Mind and a cover of the Foo Fighters, Times Like These are two more GC goodies.
Galveston! Great one!
Glen Campbell is a king in country music. You should check out his live performances. He's a guitar virtuoso.
And if you like Glenn's guitar skills you should also listen to Roy Clark!
I wasn’t even upset that you kept starting it over. I could and have listened to this over and over.
It was just such a good start to a song 😂
The only problem I have with "Whichita Lineman" is that it is too short,wish they would have extended the instrumental at least a few more minutes.Always loved Glen Campbell's music.
Way too short. Its cos Glenn was pressing Jimmy Webb to finish the song. Jimmy had only 2 verses and told Glenn it wasnt done. Glenn took it, added a solo, repeated the last refrain and that was it, history was made.
Can't believe I just wrote about this in one of my responses. There's a RUclips video where Jimmy Webb talks about it. He's a phenomenal songwriter!!
Glen Campbell was a HUGE crossover artist. He had number one hits on country charts, and pop charts. Very talented man.
As others have noted, this really counts more as country-pop than straight up c&w music of its era. Song by the genius Jimmy Webb, brilliant arrangement by Al De Lory, solid playing by Glen and the Wrecking Crew.
It really has that Wrecking Crew/Wall of Sound sound to it.
Not even country at all. Just pop
I'm old enough to remember when this was always being played on the radio 1968 ish. Its a staggeringly good song beautifully sung with great instrumentation, so pleased you liked it. When music is that good it defies genre but country music often goes through phases of being cool and then shit. Gram Parsons worked hard to make country music cool with EmmyLou Harris in the early 70s. Check out their rendition of 'Love Hurts' from the album Grievous Angel 1974. It might register on the Emo scale.
I remember this on AM radio as well. My aunt sang to this and Gentle on my Mind while ironing clothes. Glen Campbell got his own summer show about that time.😊
Same here. I was ton years old. Even then, I could hear its beauty.Now that I'm 60+ I can admit it.
Gentle on my mind..another good one by him.
This song will reduce some to tears
"And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time."
One of the best lines ever written by the great Jimmy Webb.
"Less of Me" is another great song by Glen.
I subscribed because of this review. "Wichita Lineman" is the great existential country song.
Same
Also the first existential country song.
If you want to see Glen play the guitar go to 'Glen Campbell- Gentle on my mind' (terrific guitar work)
William Tell Overture... Live
WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE‼️
Genuine reaction! I agree, whoever arranged the strings, did a beautiful job.
The genius of Jimmy Webb + the voice of Glen Campbell = beauty
As Others have said Glen Cambell used to be part of The Wrecking Crew (google them) and when they backed him up on this song they all gave him their best .
That bass playing is beautiful.
Thank you for your wonderful reaction to a masterpiece that I love! Haunting homage to the hard working man! That part you loved...symbolic of the electricity flashing through the wires!
👍👍👏👏🎉🎉
It may the prettiest song ever written/produced/recorded….its mind boggling how good it is! I’m not sure this song has a genre…I don’t know of anything else like it. Carol Kaye with that bass VI part is so wonderful:)
Beautiful song, melts me every time I hear it 💗.
Glen Campbell was a ‘session man' playing (guitar) with almost every popular group, singer, be it ‘pop', country, ‘folk’, rock, ‘blue-grass'…and anything else requiring an excellent guitarist.
He successfully bridged all these genres, developing his own style appealing to a very broad audience, proving to be a very successful singer.
The story of a simple man with deep and complicated feelings. Lovely
I listened to this song around the clock after Glen Campbell passed away.
The glory that is Wichita Lineman - I've been listening to this since the 60s and it still gets me every time. Tony Joe White does a gorgeous job of this one too. You can just stick a pin in any Glen Campbell song and you will love it
Never got to see Glen, but I did see Tony Joe White! Amazing talent
This song is an example of what's called the Nashville sound, because a lot of if not almost all country albums were recorded there, and they tended to put a LOT of emphasis on the production of the music, using orchestral instruments and whatever they needed to get a song to sound like how the producer wanted it to. And it was that way a long time, until in the 70's some artists got big enough they bucked that system and decided they would produce their songs the way they thought they should sound, and they became known as outlaws, because they were fighting the system, and their music became known as "outlaw country". They just wanted their songs to sound the way they thought they should, not how some producer thought it should. That being said, I recommend a few songs by Marty Robbins, firstly "My Woman,My Woman, My Wife", then "Don't Worry (About Me)", then a couple from his western side, "El Paso" and "Big Iron". I think you will enjoy any and all of these.
@DBShouse69 But this song was recorded in Los Angles.
Try John Denver's Rocky Mountain High another great feel good tune
This is an all time classic. Grammy’s and all that. Wrecking Crew nailed it.
Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb (the song writer) were a perfect match.
I honestly thought this was one hit you right away. Your face just - I thought you might cry. I could jut listen to him all day. Great reaction. I loved you taking it back and taking it back and taking it back again.
This song will haunt you in a good way for the rest of your days :)
TOTALLY
Gentle On My Mind by Glen Campbell. Undeniably country song written by John Hartford from 1968. It has to be the single release. A masterpiece of lyrics and music. Glen Campbell's singing and John Hartford on banjo. You won't regret it. I have cried listening to that song.
You like the OLD country, not the new stuff. Me too. Listen to country from the 50s and 60s, you’ll be happier. 70s country is good, look for stuff from artists considered Outlaw.
Quite possibly the greatest pop song ever recorded, great reaction by the way,,
Thanks!
Bob Dylan, no slouch at songwriting, has allegedly said that it's the greatest song ever written.
Glen Campbell was an incredible guitar player, as well. These songs take me right back to my home, with Mom & Dad listening to the radio. Check out his "Galveston", too, about a Vietnam War soldier longing for home. Also check out Marty Robbins' "El Paso". Vintage Western music is awesome.
I grew up in this era. Several of my friends' parents had stereo systems and they constantly played this kind of music... orchestral backing, smooth crooning vocalist... rather than country, it's called "Easy Listening". At the same time you had parents like my mom, who spent her days listening to the AM radio station from Chicago (WLS) which played top 40 hits. She just loved to bop around the kitchen to the latest catchy jam. Glen Campbell was one the artists that was able to start building a bridge between these two types of popular music, with pieces like this. If you want to hear more crooners that crossed this bridge, may I suggest Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, and Bobby Darren. There are more, but these are a good place to start.
❤❤❤❤Nat King Cole singing I Remember You, lyrics by Mercer & Schertzinger
Emmylou Harris "Boulder to Birmingham". Emmylou is exquisite in every way.
I wasn't a great fan of country music until I discovered Emmylou, years ago. She was a key that opened a door to different country stuff I wouldn't have considered before finding her. You can get a foot into country by listening to an artist that wasn't country but they explored country music themes. For me, and many others, that's the rock group The Byrds. And they did it with an album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo".
Kills me every time. Especially that line
'well you really got me this time
and the hardest part is knowing I'll survive'
So true it hurts
John Denver, considered country music, is also beautifully produced - Rocky Mountain High, Annie's Song, Sunshine On My Shoulders, are just a few hits!
That sound you noted that the strings make between verses, always sounded to me like an imitation of the sound that the telegraph machine made as it went across the wire. I wonder if they meant it that way.
I don't think telephone or telegraph lines could possibly overload, except at the point of origin. This, in my opinion, is about electrical lines. Trouble linemen can relate to the loneliness(?) of working trouble by themselves
I like that Morse code-sounding di-dits in the background, too.
That was the best intro I’ve ever heard!!!
Thanks for a good laugh!
I remember this on the radio in my childhood. Haven’t heard it for years. It’s got a complex and haunting melody.
Glenn Campbell was a member of The Wrecking Crew and Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound as a guitar player. Then someone figured out he could sing as well.
And a backup/replacement singer for the Beach Boys before that.
The Beach Boys figured it out, lmao.
And Glen's best friend was Alice Cooper.
Golfing buddies - Andy Williams would play with them too (3...2...1...mind blown).
@@visarr Alice Cooper could get along with anyone. At one point he hung out with Groucho Marx.
The lineman is working on the *telephone* lines, not electrical. 😊
It electrical. He was looking for overloads. Telephones don’t overload
This song is sublime
No autotune, pure talent.
Also, if you want to know more about the music and musicians behind him, if you can find it, watch the documentary 'The Wrecking Crew'. I think you would really enjoy it and you will come away with a sense of the first era of recorded rock and roll. It's an amazing piece of music history that you don't even realize was there.
Beautiful song. Amazing performance.
My mother had such a crush on Glen Campbell. She played his record albums all the time especially on Sunday when we (siblings) all had to pitch in with the big weekly cleaning chores. I’m 60 now, haven’t heard this song in decades but I can sing along like I heard it yesterday. So nostalgic. Nice to see you enjoying it :)
Glen Campbell is one of the two best guitarists I have ever seen live...Stevie Ray Vaughn is the other. Glen started as a world renown session guitarist.
IDK if you've discovered Linda Ronstadt but she came up w/the Eagles and was at the front end of 'country rock'.
Glen Campbell was part of a session group called The Wrecking Crew. They played on MANY hits of the 60's and 70's. You should check out the movie on RUclips. A GREAT musical history lesson. Great reaction!!
I never really liked country either but this song is so Beautiful!!!!
Glad you found this Legend, mate. Glen was a master guitarist and became a member of the world-famous Wrecking Crew, studio musicians. He played with the Beach Boys and then made his break as a super star singer. Had his own television show and went on to star in films. Glen sadly passed away in 2017, leaving a gap in modern music.
I’ve always thought that the song goes back and forth between his outer and inner life. The melody is so haunting. I used to sing it to myself while pet sitting and an African gray parrot I kept would sing “searching the sun for another overload” with me. Then he’d whistle (more like screech) the “still on the line” part. Good times.
Old country music is beautiful ❤
Glen is one of the most talented guitarist ever. Country music has always evolved and broken new boundaries 😮
Thank you for the respectful review. I listened to Glen Campbell when I was a teenager in the 1960s. Although rock was my favorite genre, to me the genius of musicians like Glen Campbell, the Bee Gees, and the Carpenters also stood out because their music was so incredibly beautiful. Liked and subscribed.
Thank you!!
Cool tune. Haven't heard it in a long time. Thank you.
You can't drive across Kansas without hearing this one on the radio...
The song makes you feel like your in the setting! Great job reacting to this!
Glen Cambell’s talent was a gift he left in us. He was special.Love❤a guitar slayer also.
I’ve loved this song for forever. I’ve never thought of it as Country.
Thank you, the man was an inspiration in his own quite, unassuming way but with an abundance of talent. Please do continue.
Glen Campbell was the first concert I ever attended simply because of this song. I was in 9th grade (junior high school), saved up my babysitting money, and spent it on a ticket to hear Glen sing this live. I came to your channel because of my love for BTS and your honesty and appreciation for their contribution to making the world a better place through music, sincerity and hard work. So glad I went into your list of videos (to see if I had missed any of your BTS reactions) and noticed Galveston by Glen Campbell and before I clicked it, I saw Wichita Lineman. Thank you for having an open mind, Mark! Enjoy you journey(s)!
This song is perfect and so beautifully recorded. Your reaction is close to what this deserves, thanks for having to back up and listen again. One of the most perfect songs ever recorded.
When you think that this is about a man that climbs power poles along the highways back in the day when that's where all the electricity came from, and Kansas is a flat plain where the roads look like endless ribbons through endless fields of grain. Very lonely work.
He's singing about a real man whose job it is, as a lineman, to keeps the power grid operational. The orchestral strings simulate the sound of electricity "singing in the wires" as they course through the power lines and what a blessing electricity is. He is lamenting the fact he can't be with his love while duty calls but duty he will do. This song is a masterpiece about everyday life, like many other C&W songs.
You might like By The Time I get to Phoenix and Galveston.
this is one of the greatest songs ever produced.
"where's the playground Susie" another Jimmy webb song by glen - his acoustic guitar outro slays me every time..in fact his acoustic playing throughout is spectacular
For more Country Not Country, you might like “Elephant” by Jason Isbell or “She’s No Lady” by Lyle Lovett.
Member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, a singer, songwriter and great guitarist. The story songs in Country music can take you many places, make you laugh, Ray Stevens and Roger Miller great at that, make you cry, George Jones, He Stopped Loving Her Today. If you want a song to paint a picture, Charlie Daniels, The Devil Went Down to Georgia or Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues or Ghost Riders in the Sky
Glen Campbell's music often combined orchestral arrangements, traditional pop hooks, and countrified lyrical themes. This sound is known as "countrypolitan" music and was pioneered by Chet Atkins when he was a prominent producer at RCA Victor in Nashville, Tennessee in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This style is also called "the Nashville Sound" and country-pop music.
Other countrypolitan singers include: Patsy Cline, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Lynn Anderson, Roger Miller, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold, Donna Fargo, Tom T. Hall, Faron Young, Sammi Smith, Dottie West, Hank Williams, Jr., Crystal Gale, Freddy Fender, Bill Anderson, Jim Reeves, Brenda Lee, Skeeter Davis, Marty Robbins, Ronnie Milsap, and Roy Clark among many others.
This is an absolute classic Mark tbh, often played by my parents throughout my childhood and heard many times over the years, I could probably sing this word for word in my sleep. Fun fact the late Steve Wright, this was his favourite song of all time and a section of the instrumental sequence formed part of his Radio 1 theme and then when he moved to Radio 2 until he left just a year before he passed away although he did continue to do Sunday Love Songs till he passed away.
Check out Galveston by Glen Campbell.
Gorgeous chords! If you haven't seen it check out the documentary The Wrecking Crew!
Glen was one of the greats, both in singing, and in guitar playing. Before he was famous, he was part of a group of studio musicians who were called "The Wrecking Crew". They played the music in just about every American in the 1960's. There is a nice documentary on them. Glen had many hits in the 60's and 70's. Great reaction.
My dad was a lineman. He also sang and played instruments. He definitely appreciated this song at the time.
This is a song that you just don't want to end.
Great voice, and one of the top guitarists in the world! You should listen to him and Roy Clark guitar dual! He was a member of the studio musicians called, THE WRECKING CREW who played the music for lots of vocal stars & many hit songs.
Great response, bro! Thanks for posting.😊😊😊😊
Has been mentioned that it was one of the most beautifu songs ever written or produced. Your right ....the whole song is perfection