When I first heard this in Donna Summer's version I'd thought it was another song that the macarthur's park had just finished. Now with RUclips everything was clear now.
I never knew that Glen Campbell had recorded this song. And he sings it so clearly that I understood every word, which means a lot to me. As I am a lyrics guy. Was always a fan of Glen Campbell, but did not realize he had recorded this. A Facebook friend had shared this. Thanks for posting.
Also first time hearing this. You’re so right about lyrics. Campbell got all the words out without sacrificing the tone. He could make anything sound good, and you still understood the words.
RH is who I know the song by, and his version is what I compare others to. Sonewhat like Julie Driscoll's version of This Wheel... Yes the original is good, but it's how I know the song.
As a drummer I play this song every now and then and it's the Richard Harris version only. Diana Ross did a version of this too and in my opinion this one is better than hers is, but that's just me, but still none compare to Harris.
For sure, a good voice. A bit like Neal Diamond. But the effect here, due to the arrangment, is almost soulless. Nostaligia, pain and loss should be the undercurrent and that's only slightly noticable. A good voice wasted.
You cannot say enough about Glen Campbell's musicianship. His guitar prowess will be remembered but his musical compositions during the 60s and 70s are amazing.
@@TampaDave What about his compositions on the guitar? I just watched a video of ten of the best guitarists in Nashville sitting around listening to Glen playing "his" song Gentle On My Mind and just in awe.
Nothing beats the Richard Harris version. It is the first version and the version that made the song famous around the world in 1968 mainly because of the depth of emotion Harris produced.
@@darkwitness2718 Yes, and the words mean quite literally what they say. He just wrote down what he observed watching people in MacArthur Park. Someone actually did leave a cake out in the rain.
@@RobNMelbourne Correct. Webb said that there was no hidden meaning, he just wrote what he observed but people were always free to make their own interpretations. The Richard Harris version is the best and most popular performance of the song and has stood the test of time.
Bottom line is if you're a musicophile like myself I've always knew about Glen & his amazing voice & exceptional guitar playing! He was admired by his peers & contemporaries like Van Halen & U2 to even Lenny Kravitz!🤔@@Monorail-Beyond-the-Veil
I have always loved this song ... seriously LOVE it. To me, Jimmy Webb is a genius. My favorite version of course is done by Richard Harris. Not because the others aren't good. Glen Campbell is stellar ... it's just that Harris actually TOLD the guy he wasn't a "singer" yet he knocked it out of the "park"! I know it's me but I always thought of the cake in the rain as a metaphor for the ending of the relationship, especially when added to the "... I'll be thinking of you, and wondering why". Maybe "why" it failed? Anywho, thank you for posting this. The song always brings a tear to my eye and this is no exception. I checked. My wife is NOT cutting onions, so it's all on you! Again thank you!!! :)
Musically, MacArthur's Park is one of the most melodic, evocative songs I ever heard, but the lyrics are like... What??? To me, the Richard Harris original recording will always be the definitive, best version of this song.
I consider it the best version because it’s part of my youth. I also liked Donna Summers version for dancing. Having now heard Glen’s version, I like that one too!
Thank you for the good explanation! The lyrics in this song have always been a mystery to me. I'm now 70 years old and am very fond of the Donna Summer disco version of this song. However, hearing Glen Campbell helps me understand it better.
That person who left the cake out in the rain did us a great favour despite the distress caused at the time! Just imagine. Was a real cake really left in the rain!
It’s not true at all. Donna Summers’ marketing team were notorious liers…. she was very difficult to work with/for and found it almost impossible to perform with the pressure of the industry bods and moguls bearing down on her…. often took weeks to record one song.
It was a perfect song for its time. And sounded very hippie-ish, with what sounded like weird lyrics. One of the best songs ever recorded in the 60's. The long bridge in the middle of the song was the best part of the song. "There will be another song for me..."
Glen Cambell played this live on TV with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Has abyone else ever done that? I don't think so. Richard Harris did a studio version.
i was 7 yrs old when i first heard it and was blown away from it, i was a piano player at 5 yrs old very impressed with the changes. *Richard Harris* version for me, Donna Summer i had a crush on her. Wow, never knew Glenn Campbell sang it, i can add to my collection. MacArthur Park was a beautiful park, i remember my parents taking me and me taking my kids but seeing it turned ugly. now, it's just sad. drugs trash etc. Edit: Official address 2230 E. 6th Street & Alvarado the lake is between Wilshire Blvd & 7th street Thanx for the song
Richard Harris sung with such passion and his version, in my opinion, was the best! One of my favorite movies is Camelot (1967), the soundtrack was phenomenal, led by Harris!!!
In 1984 my wife and I were dating and drove to Dallas, Texas from Shreveport, Louisiana to see Richard Harris perform Camelot. He is far and away my favorite King Arthur. Fast forward 28 years, I had the privilege of taking my mother to see her favorite entertainer, Glen Campbell on his farewell tour. Very blessed to have seen many of the best performers of our time but, especially these 2.
Nice to hear everyone liking all the versions-its the magic of music- we are fortunate indeed that we can internalise-compartmentalise all the versions to intermingle with our emotions of the time to provide chemical highs in the brain milieu-flows!.😎
I stayed near McArthur Park, when I was in LA, a few years ago. Not a place to go to a night. I felt like buying a green cake to leave out in the rain, but it was sunny all the time I was there. Also, a couldn’t find a bakery , let alone one that had cakes with green icing.
Thank you for uploading this. It's beautiful. I only ever knew the Richard Harris version ... which began my teenage crush on him! :) This song, and Itchykoo Park where my 2 favourite songs from my teens ... yet it's only now that I've realise they are both ambiguous and have Parks in their titles. I still love them both.
McArthers Park was never meant for disco. Words mean nothing kin disco music, it's the tempo that matters. This song was meant for listening to, not dancing to. Richard Harris put his heart and soul into it and just cannot, cannot be beaten.
I too prefer the Richard Harris version, but I must say that I saw Andy Williams do it a while back at the Moon River Theater in Branson and it was electrifying.
Thanks Carl. I know MacArthur Park. In 1980 I was living in Montreal thinking about Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne.' I had some ideas about the places he was singing about. One day I drove this writer Charles Deny who'd written the movie I was working on. He'd known Cohen, he known Suzanne. He started naming all these places in Old Montreal. Well, I live in Old Montreal, I knew all those places. I hadn't a clue. After that I started paying more attention. I realized I was living like my heroes, in wonderful places, surrounded by amazing people, all worthy of songs and poetry. Maybe the first sign this was working for me was a few months later when I recognized Abbie Hoffman walking up Beaver Hall Hill one Sunday morning. He was still on the lam, had plastic surgery, been under for 7 years. I knew the songCarmelita sung by Linda Ronstadt. Later I moved to Echo Park. I knew those places. I knew the junkies who used to sit every morning by the Pioneer Chicken Stand, that that wasn't on Alvarado, it was on Echo Park Ave. They were waiting for the House of Spirits to open so they could buy some vodka to take the edge off not being able to score heroin. (Junkies I"m told like to shoot up early in the morning.) The local LAPD Senior Lead Officer Joe one day said to me, "Remember all those people that would wait every morning on the curb at the Pioneer for the House Of Spirits to open?" I did. I always thought when my son got to be about ten years old I'd take him by to meet them. Best anti drug program ever. "They're all dead. All of them." What happened? "AIDS, overdose, exposure, infection, a stabbing..... " So they were there in the 70s when Warren Zevon wrote this song, they were gone by the late 90s. Over the years different people of course. Not sure where Zevon lived, but Jackson Browne and the Eagles lived on Echo Park Terrace two doors from my friend Isa. Makes me wonder what the story behind the cake was. I'm reassured but sad that the cake was a real cake. I hope those people found some happiness.
First time hearing this version. Nice. Glenn was so talented. Richard Harris's version was very heart felt. But god I loved Donna Summer's disco version. Her MacArthur Park Suite version is still one of my favorite tunes. It just gets ya going!
Come on, truth is you were just in love with Donna Summer like the rest of us from that time. She was so exceedingly gorgeous. The day she passed in 2012 my heart broke.
This song reminds me of the loss of my wife of 2 years, 2 weeks, and 2 days. "Spring was never waiting for us." She was struck by a driver high on drugs. The cake 🎂 I always saw as a symbol for whatever tragedy one might plug-in to make it personally yours.
It made me tear up thinking of your loss. What a painful thing for you to go through. I hope you find comfort in a new love when the time is right and the person who comes into your life is the right one.
this has always been my favorite song, it came out when I was 18 and in love with a beautiful girl, we used to sit on a stone wall with the transistor radio playing. it was the best
There's a MacAthur Park Restaurant in Palo Alto too. 37 years ago I spent a lot of time there because I worked for a startup that did their restaurant point orf sale system.
Love Glen Campbell. One of the best musicians ever, but I still prefer the Richard Harris, aka. Dumbledore, version. The jazz instrumental at the end just makes it phenomenal.
I grew up in LA and have gone to MacArthur Park many times. I never knew the song referred to the same park. My friend Kim and I saw Richard Harris at the taping of the Hollywood Palace Show.
The Richard Harris version is the one true version in my book. All others are campy copies. We used to play this in Jr. High band. It was actually cool -- especially the instrumental part.
Richard Harris had the best version by far. Donna Summers disco version was pretty good as well. I like Glenn Campbell but his version is just OK. Btw, I think MacArthur Park is one of the greatest songs in pop music ever.
This has sat in my list of greatest songs for so many years. Jimmy Webb is one of the most successful composers of 20th century and his association with Glen Cambell, {(one of the most successful entertainers of the 20th century) superstar, singer and one of the greatest guitarists to have ever lived} is legendary. But though his version and Donna Summer's versions of McArthur Park are both brilliant, they both pale in comparison to Richard Harris's take on the song.
You kinda wonder what Glen Campbell’s life would’ve been without alcohol. Great voice, fantastic guitar player and when sober fine actor. You never hear a bad word about him. Genuinely nice man. RIP
Seventy five years old. Tuned out pop music around age 22, and have never picked it up again. I have heard of MacArthur Park, and I think I was there once on a trip to the West Coast, but I never heard the song. It was shocking. This so describes my brain at around 30, which would be 1978. Wow.
Waylon Jennings sang my favorite rendition. The grit in his voice reminds you that your heart was dragged out of your body because it was so broken. He meant every word.
The Campbell version featured the lyrics, while Harris, IHMO, emoted so much one can't understand them. Fortunately, I missed the Simmers version. The first thousand times I heard the Harris version, I thought it was the emotional ravings of a poor schlemiel tripped out on acid. When I worked at a greasy spoon back in the '70s, one of my regular customers would often sit at the counter and entertain me with his poetry. One day he recited, "There once was a fish who sailed around the world...", and then descend into either a slough of despair, or a pinnacle of euphoria. I would frequently have to take a short break, running back into the kitchen, or perhaps even out to the alley to keep from losing control of my stifled laughter. Such was my impression of the Harris version, with poignant lyrics drowned by overacting. Not until I heard the Campbell version, was I able to hear the meaning of the lyrics. A good, honest ballad style will often let the poet's message be heard. Richard Harris was the best Dumbledore. Thank you, Glenn Campbell, for rescuing the lyrics.
Though I like Glen Campbell, I have one of Waylon Jennings early albums with this song on it. It's amazing!!! His voice is incredible! It's before he grew his iconic beard. He's clean shaven on the album cover. That smooth baritone voice carries the emotion written into the song so perfectly.
Bought that LP. Waylon's was the first version of this song I heard . love his version as well as the others . Until now I hadn't heard Glenn's version . It's great too.
Glen Campbell one of the most beautiful mens voices ,thanks this is a great version of the song ,different generations different tastes also love Donna Summer’s version !
To me, this (and I don't mean just this one song) proves that people generally put too much emphasis into "the song", rather than "the execution". Richard Harris made this song great. If it hadn't been for his version, this song would not have attained its glory. People who easily accept "all" covers of a song they like probably fail to appreciate some of the intricacies that make some versions great, and others not so.
Nice, but the Richard Harris version, to me, penetrated my soul. The song is about a sad guy who didn't open his mouth and reveal his love for this girl >>>> Here is the clue: "...and after all the loves of my life, I keep thinking of her, and wondering WHY?? " So Guys, don't hold it back - express your love. If you snooze (like this guy) you lose ! !
I read somewhere Jimmy Webb was dating Linda Ronstadt, and ate lunch in this park. She left him, he was totally miserable about it, When he watched these kids at a Birthday party go mental when there was a very heavy rain, ruining the party, Webb thought his being so upset about it was like what the kids were doing. he decided to just get over it.
I have laughed at the song....and...have cried along with it. Depending upon my mood I can go either way. But Jim Webb was a great songwriter....in an era of many great songwriters.
When I was 10 all I heard was a cake ! When I heard it next by Richard Harris I was 25 & ex lover had committed suicide the night before it was then I understood it & cried my eyes out ❤Glenn was a talented man who came from nothing! ❤
I never heard of this song until I heard Maynard Ferguson's (jazz trumpet) version. He recorded it in the late 60's I think but I didn't hear it till the mid-70's. I thought it was an amazing song, but hadn't heard the lyrics. Then Donna Summer's version came out. I thought she did a good job, but boy, were those lyrics weird! Many years later I heard the Richard Harris version (the original, I think) and I thought it was horrific! I was so glad I had already loved the song for 25 years at that point. Never heard Glenn Campbell's version before. I think he does it well. I can't wait to hear Weird Al's version.
But, are we talkin' about Maynard's studio version or the one from Live at Jimmy's? You haven't heard MacArthur Park until you've heard it from Live at Jimmy's! And then there's the rest of the album!
@@eddarby469 The 1st version I heard was from the M.F. Horn album, I presume that's the studio version you are talking about. Much later I got 2 different CD's - The Essential Maynard Ferguson and The Essence of Maynard Ferguson. They really are 2 different CD's! McArthur Park is on each CD. At least 1 of them had a slightly different version, that's probably the Live at Jimmy's version you're talking about. I recently found an LP of Live at Jimmy's at a church flea market. I will get to hear for sure. I love both versions I have heard!
Live at Jimmy's (MF Horn 4 & MF Horn 5) will be a version not on the other recordings. I was also introduced to him with MF Horn 1 & MF Horn 2. My HS band played Country Road from MF Horn 2. There's no one else like Maynard! RIP
I love this version far better than the one by the Four Tops or Donna Summer - nothing against the latter two, but this version is much more beautiful, almost perfect.
Everything is subjective. I prefer Summer version. She brought this song to a whole new generation. The sales were astronomical. Regardless of your taste, it’s a beautiful song.
Once you understand the meaning behind the lyrics, it makes perfect sense. And whomever has lived on planet earth for a length of time has felt these emotions.
am 70 now and believe it or not I never caught the sexual-- "the yellow dress on the ground below her knees" . When younger I simply did not analyze the words most of the time I couldnt understand them anyway or in some cases hear them. anyway the dress below her knees 'as steamy as it gets"
Lainie Kazan did it on Australian TV and The Supremes , 3Degrees , Vic Damone , Sammy Davis have all recorded it or sung it in cabaret ! Of course we all danced Donnas whole Suite till we dropped ! 👏👏❤️
This still doesn't tell me why a guy would be so tore up about a stupid cake or why it was left outside or how he baked it but doesn't have the recipe. I knew what the words are, but they are still stupid. It's even worse when Richard Harris sings it. BTW, Glen Campbell was singing a lot of Jimmy Webb songs back then.
Sorry, Carl. As much as I have always enjoyed Glenn Campbell's music, his rendering of this is colorless. Richard Harris has the definitive version of MacArthur Park. He put his voice and his soul into the recording. And God bless those of you who look down on disco covers, but Donna Summers recording is amazing.
Maybe I am wrong, I would have to listen to Donna Summer's version again, but I think her version does NOT include this part at 2:49.
I think you are indeed right! Funny I never noticed that before.
I don't remember either but I didn't hear her version much it was on some other records I had back in the 70's
In Queen Donna Summer's version this excerpt appears. Congratulations from Brazil.
When I first heard this in Donna Summer's version I'd thought it was another song that the macarthur's park had just finished. Now with RUclips everything was clear now.
theres a vid somewhere of her doing the full vertion it says that on it.
I never knew that Glen Campbell had recorded this song. And he sings it so clearly that I understood every word, which means a lot to me. As I am a lyrics guy. Was always a fan of Glen Campbell, but did not realize he had recorded this. A Facebook friend had shared this. Thanks for posting.
I concur with your sentiment 100% ♡
Australia
Also first time hearing this. You’re so right about lyrics. Campbell got all the words out without sacrificing the tone. He could make anything sound good, and you still understood the words.
I loved Richard Harris singing MacArthur Park. To me, it seems he put his whole heart into it.
Richard said he wasn't a trained singer so he would act the song out.
I totally agree. Although I like Glen Campbell, it doesn't hold a "candle" to Harris'.
I concur with your sentiment 100%♡
Australia
RH is who I know the song by, and his version is what I compare others to. Sonewhat like Julie Driscoll's version of This Wheel... Yes the original is good, but it's how I know the song.
As a drummer I play this song every now and then and it's the Richard Harris version only. Diana Ross did a version of this too and in my opinion this one is better than hers is, but that's just me, but still none compare to Harris.
Great Song, Great version. Glen had God given talent, we all were blessed just to hear Him in whatever he did. Great song Jim Webb, and thank you.
He has the most gentle kind voice
Like Velvet.@@lisastephens7702
Good choice of versions, the one really make you appreciate Glen's voice. Makes me miss him.
Glen Campbell could’ve sung the phonebook and I would’ve still listened. What a voice!
A higher compliment I can't imagine.
For sure, a good voice. A bit like Neal Diamond. But the effect here, due to the arrangment, is almost soulless. Nostaligia, pain and loss should be the undercurrent and that's only slightly noticable. A good voice wasted.
Wichta Lineman and Galveston are my two favorite Songs of Mr. Campbell. 🎉🎉🎉🎉
@@theobolt250A Beautiful Sound!!! Yes yes YES! 🙌
Richard Harris version is the best, i don't care what anyone says, not taking anything away from Glen Campbell, he's a great artist
He sang it bullet straight, no frills, just belted it. #1
First time hearing by Glen Campbell. Sounds really great.
You cannot say enough about Glen Campbell's musicianship. His guitar prowess will be remembered but his musical compositions during the 60s and 70s are amazing.
"His" musical compositions were actually composed by Jimmy L Webb.
@@TampaDave What about his compositions on the guitar? I just watched a video of ten of the best guitarists in Nashville sitting around listening to Glen playing "his" song Gentle On My Mind and just in awe.
@lawrencetaylor4101 That song was written by John Hartford. One of Glen's few top hits NOT written by Webb (who, incidentally, is still touring).
Nothing beats the Richard Harris version. It is the first version and the version that made the song famous around the world in 1968 mainly because of the depth of emotion Harris produced.
Jimmy Webb who wrote the song said that the Richard Harris version was the second one recorded but the first one that was released .
@@darkwitness2718 Yes, and the words mean quite literally what they say. He just wrote down what he observed watching people in MacArthur Park. Someone actually did leave a cake out in the rain.
@@RobNMelbourne Correct. Webb said that there was no hidden meaning, he just wrote what he observed but people were always free to make their own interpretations. The Richard Harris version is the best and most popular performance of the song and has stood the test of time.
I have never heard Glen Campbell's version before. It's quite nice but nothing beats the Richard Harris version.
Glen Cambell was one of the most underrated singers/ composers of all time.
What?? Maybe in your mind.
@@quentincrisp6933 Looks like 28 people (so far) agree with him... so NOT in his mind.
The masses are always the ignorant!@@Monorail-Beyond-the-Veil
Bottom line is if you're a musicophile like myself I've always knew about Glen & his amazing voice & exceptional guitar playing! He was admired by his peers & contemporaries like Van Halen & U2 to even Lenny Kravitz!🤔@@Monorail-Beyond-the-Veil
I don’t consider him underrated by any means.
I have always loved this song ... seriously LOVE it. To me, Jimmy Webb is a genius. My favorite version of course is done by Richard Harris. Not because the others aren't good. Glen Campbell is stellar ... it's just that Harris actually TOLD the guy he wasn't a "singer" yet he knocked it out of the "park"! I know it's me but I always thought of the cake in the rain as a metaphor for the ending of the relationship, especially when added to the "... I'll be thinking of you, and wondering why". Maybe "why" it failed? Anywho, thank you for posting this. The song always brings a tear to my eye and this is no exception. I checked. My wife is NOT cutting onions, so it's all on you! Again thank you!!! :)
Musically, MacArthur's Park is one of the most melodic, evocative songs I ever heard, but the lyrics are like... What???
To me, the Richard Harris original recording will always be the definitive, best version of this song.
I love Richard Harris singing McArthur Park. The best rendition. 💕
I consider it the best version because it’s part of my youth. I also liked Donna Summers version for dancing. Having now heard Glen’s version, I like that one too!
No no no! Only the Richard Harris version thankyou! He wasn't a trained singer but HE MADE THAT SONG!
Thank you for the good explanation! The lyrics in this song have always been a mystery to me. I'm now 70 years old and am very fond of the Donna Summer disco version of this song. However, hearing Glen Campbell helps me understand it better.
I grew up in L.A. and knew MacArthur Park well as a child. It was once called Westlake Park. There were paddle boats on the lake. Good memories.
That person who left the cake out in the rain did us a great favour despite the distress caused at the time!
Just imagine. Was a real cake really left in the rain!
All that sweet green icing melting down, I can't take this it's too much me me to handle.
Yep a breakup psychedelic picnic ! 🤣 You had to indulge then !
Donna came into the studio and sang this 17 minute long song in one shot spotless.
RIP queen of disco.
Is this true? Did she record MacArthur Park Suite in one take?
I really don't care. Harris had the masterpiece
Well done for not caring. The world needs more men like you.
It’s not true at all. Donna Summers’ marketing team were notorious liers…. she was very difficult to work with/for and found it almost impossible to perform with the pressure of the industry bods and moguls bearing down on her…. often took weeks to record one song.
She was great singing this song ll
It was a perfect song for its time. And sounded very hippie-ish, with what sounded like weird lyrics. One of the best songs ever recorded in the 60's. The long bridge in the middle of the song was the best part of the song. "There will be another song for me..."
Glen Cambell played this live on TV with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Has abyone else ever done that? I don't think so. Richard Harris did a studio version.
i was 7 yrs old when i first heard it and was blown away from it, i was a piano player at 5 yrs old very impressed with the changes. *Richard Harris* version for me, Donna Summer i had a crush on her. Wow, never knew Glenn Campbell sang it, i can add to my collection. MacArthur Park was a beautiful park, i remember my parents taking me and me taking my kids but seeing it turned ugly. now, it's just sad. drugs trash etc.
Edit: Official address 2230 E. 6th Street & Alvarado
the lake is between Wilshire Blvd & 7th street
Thanx for the song
Richard Harris sung with such passion and his version, in my opinion, was the best! One of my favorite movies is Camelot (1967), the soundtrack was phenomenal, led by Harris!!!
Mine too those were the days!
In 1984 my wife and I were dating and drove to Dallas, Texas from Shreveport, Louisiana to see Richard Harris perform Camelot. He is far and away my favorite King Arthur.
Fast forward 28 years, I had the privilege of taking my mother to see her favorite entertainer, Glen Campbell on his farewell tour.
Very blessed to have seen many of the best performers of our time but, especially these 2.
Nice to hear everyone liking all the versions-its the magic of music- we are fortunate indeed that we can internalise-compartmentalise all the versions to intermingle with our emotions of the time to provide chemical highs in the brain milieu-flows!.😎
This song was played by the school band at my high school graduation and I loved it!
I stayed near McArthur Park, when I was in LA, a few years ago. Not a place to go to a night. I felt like buying a green cake to leave out in the rain, but it was sunny all the time I was there. Also, a couldn’t find a bakery , let alone one that had cakes with green icing.
Would've liked to hear Richard Harris sing "Wichita Lineman".
Thanks for the backstory about this song. Glad you played Glen, just cuz Glen was amazing.
Thank you for uploading this. It's beautiful. I only ever knew the Richard Harris version ... which began my teenage crush on him! :) This song, and Itchykoo Park where my 2 favourite songs from my teens ... yet it's only now that I've realise they are both ambiguous and have Parks in their titles. I still love them both.
McArthers Park was never meant for disco. Words mean nothing kin disco music, it's the tempo that matters. This song was meant for listening to, not dancing to. Richard Harris put his heart and soul into it and just cannot, cannot be beaten.
No song rendered in the style of disco can ever be about anything but disco.
I concur with your sentiment 100%♡
Australia
@@simonignoblius8091
I concur with your sentiment 100%♡
Australia
If anyone could do it Donna Summer did!
Never heard this version before. BRILLIANT !!!
I too prefer the Richard Harris version, but I must say that I saw Andy Williams do it a while back at the Moon River Theater in Branson and it was electrifying.
Never heard this version.
I adore Glenn Campbell.
Gorgeous!
Thanks Carl. I know MacArthur Park. In 1980 I was living in Montreal thinking about Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne.' I had some ideas about the places he was singing about. One day I drove this writer Charles Deny who'd written the movie I was working on. He'd known Cohen, he known Suzanne. He started naming all these places in Old Montreal. Well, I live in Old Montreal, I knew all those places. I hadn't a clue. After that I started paying more attention. I realized I was living like my heroes, in wonderful places, surrounded by amazing people, all worthy of songs and poetry. Maybe the first sign this was working for me was a few months later when I recognized Abbie Hoffman walking up Beaver Hall Hill one Sunday morning. He was still on the lam, had plastic surgery, been under for 7 years. I knew the songCarmelita sung by Linda Ronstadt. Later I moved to Echo Park. I knew those places. I knew the junkies who used to sit every morning by the Pioneer Chicken Stand, that that wasn't on Alvarado, it was on Echo Park Ave. They were waiting for the House of Spirits to open so they could buy some vodka to take the edge off not being able to score heroin. (Junkies I"m told like to shoot up early in the morning.) The local LAPD Senior Lead Officer Joe one day said to me, "Remember all those people that would wait every morning on the curb at the Pioneer for the House Of Spirits to open?" I did. I always thought when my son got to be about ten years old I'd take him by to meet them. Best anti drug program ever. "They're all dead. All of them." What happened? "AIDS, overdose, exposure, infection, a stabbing..... " So they were there in the 70s when Warren Zevon wrote this song, they were gone by the late 90s. Over the years different people of course. Not sure where Zevon lived, but Jackson Browne and the Eagles lived on Echo Park Terrace two doors from my friend Isa. Makes me wonder what the story behind the cake was. I'm reassured but sad that the cake was a real cake. I hope those people found some happiness.
And I was living the junkie life in New Orleans. Who cares?
First time hearing this version. Nice. Glenn was so talented. Richard Harris's version was very heart felt. But god I loved Donna Summer's disco version. Her MacArthur Park Suite version is still one of my favorite tunes. It just gets ya going!
Come on, truth is you were just in love with Donna Summer like the rest of us from that time. She was so exceedingly gorgeous. The day she passed in 2012 my heart broke.
This song reminds me of the loss of my wife of 2 years, 2 weeks, and 2 days. "Spring was never waiting for us." She was struck by a driver high on drugs. The cake 🎂 I always saw as a symbol for whatever tragedy one might plug-in to make it personally yours.
I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your bride. May this song comfort you.
I want to add my message to the previous comment - I know it doesn't help much when people say it but I too am sorry for your loss.
Sending you a Hug and Blessings ❤
It made me tear up thinking of your loss. What a painful thing for you to go through. I hope you find comfort in a new love when the time is right and the person who comes into your life is the right one.
My condolences for your loss
Excellent rendition ❤️🔥🎤
this has always been my favorite song, it came out when I was 18 and in love with a beautiful girl, we used to sit on a stone wall with the transistor radio playing. it was the best
There's a MacAthur Park Restaurant in Palo Alto too. 37 years ago I spent a lot of time there because I worked for a startup that did their restaurant point orf sale system.
Love Glen Campbell. One of the best musicians ever, but I still prefer the Richard Harris, aka. Dumbledore, version. The jazz instrumental at the end just makes it phenomenal.
I grew up in LA and have gone to MacArthur Park many times. I never knew the song referred to the same park. My friend Kim and I saw Richard Harris at the taping of the Hollywood Palace Show.
The Richard Harris version is the one true version in my book. All others are campy copies.
We used to play this in Jr. High band. It was actually cool -- especially the instrumental part.
Richard Harris had the best version by far. Donna Summers disco version was pretty good as well. I like Glenn Campbell but his version is just OK. Btw, I think MacArthur Park is one of the greatest songs in pop music ever.
This has sat in my list of greatest songs for so many years. Jimmy Webb is one of the most successful composers of 20th century and his association with Glen Cambell, {(one of the most successful entertainers of the 20th century) superstar, singer and one of the greatest guitarists to have ever lived} is legendary. But though his version and Donna Summer's versions of McArthur Park are both brilliant, they both pale in comparison to Richard Harris's take on the song.
Congratulations on your good taste...We need more people like you, keep it up and good luck..hugs alex....from Brazil....
Thank you for this posting....been a very long time since I was in MacArthur Park.....
The best. Fantastic rendition. Bravo Glen Campbell.
What happened to the fantastic Orch break ? Was it not country enough ?? 🤣
Richard Harris's version has to be the best
Certainly the weirdest.
Totally! It's Richard Harris' song all the way.
You kinda wonder what Glen Campbell’s life would’ve been without alcohol. Great voice, fantastic guitar player and when sober fine actor. You never hear a bad word about him. Genuinely nice man. RIP
I'd love to see a music video of this song.
ruclips.net/video/anuvvFGtROE/видео.html
Seventy five years old. Tuned out pop music around age 22, and have never picked it up again. I have heard of MacArthur Park, and I think I was there once on a trip to the West Coast, but I never heard the song. It was shocking. This so describes my brain at around 30, which would be 1978. Wow.
I personally prefer Richard Harris' version. I don't like the Donna Summers version. Some things aren't meant to be disco.
Nothing is meant to be disco. A tome best forgotten.
Et bien moi je l’adore cette version de Donna Summer. Et avec sa sublime voix ! C’est encore bien mieux.
Funny. The song lives on as disco anthem.
There was a big tribute to songs of the past done to Disco in the 70s ! You had to be there and hopefully a Dancer !! 🕺👏👏
Look up Jimmy Webb’s own version, from his ‘unplugged’ album ‘Ten Easy Pieces’. You might prefer that. The whole album’s very good in my opinion.
Waylon Jennings sang my favorite rendition. The grit in his voice reminds you that your heart was dragged out of your body because it was so broken. He meant every word.
I agree, his duet with The Kimberly's is poignant and beautiful.
I always loved Waylons version.
The Campbell version featured the lyrics, while Harris, IHMO, emoted so much one can't understand them. Fortunately, I missed the Simmers version. The first thousand times I heard the Harris version, I thought it was the emotional ravings of a poor schlemiel tripped out on acid.
When I worked at a greasy spoon back in the '70s, one of my regular customers would often sit at the counter and entertain me with his poetry. One day he recited, "There once was a fish who sailed around the world...", and then descend into either a slough of despair, or a pinnacle of euphoria. I would frequently have to take a short break, running back into the kitchen, or perhaps even out to the alley to keep from losing control of my stifled laughter.
Such was my impression of the Harris version, with poignant lyrics drowned by overacting. Not until I heard the Campbell version, was I able to hear the meaning of the lyrics. A good, honest ballad style will often let the poet's message be heard.
Richard Harris was the best Dumbledore.
Thank you, Glenn Campbell, for rescuing the lyrics.
It was called General MacArthur Park until the city council thought that wars should not be honored as much as they used to be.
Thanks for your efforts! This is much appreciated! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂❤🎉🎉❤❤
Richard Harris quivering voice really gives the pain of life,Giens voice is to functional.
Though I like Glen Campbell, I have one of Waylon Jennings early albums with this song on it. It's amazing!!! His voice is incredible! It's before he grew his iconic beard. He's clean shaven on the album cover. That smooth baritone voice carries the emotion written into the song so perfectly.
Bought that LP. Waylon's was the first version of this song I heard . love his version as well as the others . Until now I hadn't heard Glenn's version . It's great too.
All the songs of my childhood I am relistening to them at 2x speed and they all become banger dance tracks!
Thanks! That was great 👍
Glen Campbell one of the most beautiful mens voices ,thanks this is a great version of the song ,different generations different tastes also love Donna Summer’s version !
“Jurassic Park is frightening after dark, all the dinosaurs are running wild” Weird Al’s take…hilarious!
Congratulações pelo ótimo vídeo. Excelente explanação sobre a letra desta imortal canção. Abraços desde São Paulo - Brasil .
🌹
To me, this (and I don't mean just this one song) proves that people generally put too much emphasis into "the song", rather than "the execution". Richard Harris made this song great. If it hadn't been for his version, this song would not have attained its glory. People who easily accept "all" covers of a song they like probably fail to appreciate some of the intricacies that make some versions great, and others not so.
"'MacArthur Park' is about cake-making, mates." --the ghost of my great-uncle Frankie, master baker, Snedsnill, Salop.
First time hearing this version; absolutely incredible.
The only version I’ve ever heard was by Richard Harris, in this version the music is louder than his voice
Nice, but the Richard Harris version, to me, penetrated my soul. The song is about a sad guy who didn't open his mouth and reveal his love for this girl >>>> Here is the clue: "...and after all the loves of my life, I keep thinking of her, and wondering WHY?? " So Guys, don't hold it back - express your love. If you snooze (like this guy) you lose ! !
A literal image that becomes a metaphor for the lost relationship.
I read somewhere Jimmy Webb was dating Linda Ronstadt, and ate lunch in this park.
She left him, he was totally miserable about it, When he watched these kids at a Birthday party go mental when there was a very heavy rain, ruining the party, Webb thought his being so upset about it was like what the kids were doing. he decided to just get over it.
Thank you for the explanation. That "cake" thing always bugged me. It all makes sense now. Again, thanks!
Peace.
I like Weird Al’s version: “Someone left the fence off in the rain…”
Always loved this song, and Campbel’s version.
I have laughed at the song....and...have cried along with it. Depending upon my mood I can go either way. But Jim Webb was a great songwriter....in an era of many great songwriters.
Richard Harris version is the best.
The world worships the original !!! That's all ! And we young ones danced to the whole Disco Suite till we dropped in the 70s !! 🕺💃💖👏👏
Disco is for dpshts.
As an Irishwoman I have to Say Richard Harris sang It marvellously.Glen Is Amazing too, with his Irish and Scottish roots!
What a load of shite
Harris was born and raised in Lancashire Northern England. My Dad from their often repeated that fact.
When I was 10 all I heard was a cake ! When I heard it next by Richard Harris I was 25 & ex lover had committed suicide the night before it was then I understood it & cried my eyes out ❤Glenn was a talented man who came from nothing! ❤
Richard Harris is MacArthur Park 😎
There only one that can sing MacCarthurs Park ! Richard Harris !
Someone did leave a cake out in the rain? Well I’ll have to take down the cork boards full of notes, photos and coloured string in the attic.😢
Listening to MacArthur Park is all about trying to stay awake. (Smile)
I have always loved Richard Harris' version, but I like Glenn's version too.
Richard Harris did it the very best !
Some songs are deeply personal and can only be explained by the person who wrote it.
I never heard of this song until I heard Maynard Ferguson's (jazz trumpet) version. He recorded it in the late 60's I think but I didn't hear it till the mid-70's. I thought it was an amazing song, but hadn't heard the lyrics. Then Donna Summer's version came out. I thought she did a good job, but boy, were those lyrics weird!
Many years later I heard the Richard Harris version (the original, I think) and I thought it was horrific! I was so glad I had already loved the song for 25 years at that point.
Never heard Glenn Campbell's version before. I think he does it well.
I can't wait to hear Weird Al's version.
Look up on here, Beggars Operas version! Also i am going to try this at karaoke!
It's all in the name....."weird"....🌽 corny slapstick stuff........(no go.)fail....imho.😮don't like the lad.
But, are we talkin' about Maynard's studio version or the one from Live at Jimmy's? You haven't heard MacArthur Park until you've heard it from Live at Jimmy's!
And then there's the rest of the album!
@@eddarby469 The 1st version I heard was from the M.F. Horn album, I presume that's the studio version you are talking about. Much later I got 2 different CD's - The Essential Maynard Ferguson and The Essence of Maynard Ferguson. They really are 2 different CD's! McArthur Park is on each CD. At least 1 of them had a slightly different version, that's probably the Live at Jimmy's version you're talking about. I recently found an LP of Live at Jimmy's at a church flea market. I will get to hear for sure. I love both versions I have heard!
Live at Jimmy's (MF Horn 4 & MF Horn 5) will be a version not on the other recordings.
I was also introduced to him with MF Horn 1 & MF Horn 2. My HS band played Country Road from MF Horn 2. There's no one else like Maynard! RIP
LOVED DONNA SUMMERS VERSION. HER VOICE LIFTED THIS SONG TO A NEW DIMENSION .
Same but it's also the incredible arrangement for the disco version.
Much as I like the music of Glen Campbell, I much prefer the Richard Harris version of MacArthur Park.
The real genius here is Jimmy Webb
I love this version far better than the one by the Four Tops or Donna Summer - nothing against the latter two, but this version is much more beautiful, almost perfect.
Beautiful
I'm sorry but Donna took this song to a whole other level. Especially when she sung it live.
Everything is subjective. I prefer Summer version. She brought this song to a whole new generation. The sales were astronomical. Regardless of your taste, it’s a beautiful song.
Richard Harris. Period.
@@SSJ2Phenom
You're sorry.
I'll go that far. Psssh.
Disco d!psh!t.
Sorry but the Glen Campbell version has no depth and is emotionally pale compared to Richard Harris heart felt version.
Once you understand the meaning behind the lyrics, it makes perfect sense. And whomever has lived on planet earth for a length of time has felt these emotions.
am 70 now and believe it or not I never caught the sexual-- "the yellow dress on the ground below her knees" . When younger I simply did not analyze the words most of the time I couldnt understand them anyway or in some cases hear them. anyway the dress below her knees 'as steamy as it gets"
I am in my 60s, and didn't realize until I read your comment. :-O Honestly, it never entered my mind what that meant.
"Love's hot, fevered iron"
"On the ground around your knees" (her dress)
Lainie Kazan did it on Australian TV and The Supremes , 3Degrees , Vic Damone , Sammy Davis have all recorded it or sung it in cabaret ! Of course we all danced Donnas whole Suite till we dropped ! 👏👏❤️
Someone gave me an Andy Williams album when I was about 10. That was the first time I heard Mac Arthur Park. It's a great song. Thanks.
Beautiful
I love Maynard Ferguson’s recording from his “Live at Jimmy’s “ album.
Richard harises is the best version
This still doesn't tell me why a guy would be so tore up about a stupid cake or why it was left outside or how he baked it but doesn't have the recipe. I knew what the words are, but they are still stupid. It's even worse when Richard Harris sings it. BTW, Glen Campbell was singing a lot of Jimmy Webb songs back then.
Waylon Jennings and The Kimberly's cover is the best imo.,performed as a duet it's beautiful.
Sorry, Carl. As much as I have always enjoyed Glenn Campbell's music, his rendering of this is colorless. Richard Harris has the definitive version of MacArthur Park. He put his voice and his soul into the recording. And God bless those of you who look down on disco covers, but Donna Summers recording is amazing.