A long time ago in a blog I mentioned the name Jimmy Webb. It may not mean a lot to you but Webb is probably, along with Lennon/McCartney, my favourite songwriter of all time.
He's one of those guys where music lovers will have heard of his songs but not heard of him. The same goes for John Stewart who wrote one of the most famous songs ever (more of that later).
Jimmy Webb's songs have been recorded by hundreds of artists from Barbra Streisand to Frank Sinatra and more famously Glenn Campbell. His songs have been recorded thousands and thousands of time and some of them have over 200 versions. That's quite something.
I was prompted to write about Jimmy Webb after joining a new Facebook page about him. Yesterday morning I found a fascinating You Tube video from that page. It was about a lady by the name of Suzy (or Suzie) Horton. Suzy was the first girlfriend of Jimmy Webb and the inspiration for many of his songs. She was also part of a girl group he put together to promote his songs. The video states that Jimmy Webb wrote. Didn't We, MacArthur Park, By The Time I Get To Phoenix and many many more about Suzie. It is claimed that more songs may have been written about this lady than any other in the history of pop music. I don't know about that but when she reeled them off there, as the Americans say, sure was a lot.
MacArthur Park is my second favourite piece of pop/rock music of all time. For years the lyrics remained a mystery but then both Webb and Suzy Horton came out to explain that Park is a love song - pure and simple. It's not about drugs and the symbolism isn't as vague as many people have thought. For those not conversant with MacArthur Park, do check out the lyrics. It's the song about a cake being left out in the rain. It has received the accolade of being voted the greatest song lyric of all time. It has also suffered the indignity of being described as the worst song lyric of all time (surely the people who voted that haven't heard Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle of the Road).
Anyway love it or loathe it, actor Richard Harris took it to number two in America and number four in the UK. Donna Summer also had a big hit with a disco version. What was unusual about MacArthur Park was its length. MacArthur Park weighed in at eight minutes and 40 seconds. By contrast Bohemian Rhapsody (often voted the greatest single of all time) lasts just under six minutes.
MacArthur Park is a real life park in Los Angeles. Jimmy Webb and Suzie Horton used to meet up there during their lunch breaks and on one occasion there really was a cake that was left out in the rain and yes its icing did melt.
I know of at least 150 versions of that song from brass bands to crooners, jazz orchestras to do wop versions. So many people have turned their hands to it. It is particularly effective when played by a British brass band.
Jimmy Webb has written so many of my favourite songs like Wichita Lineman, Didn't We and those already mentioned. It was good watching the video to know that many of the songs featured real places that were part of his past.
I think we often overlook the fact that our favourite songs are often written about real places and real people (Vincent by Don McLean being another beautiful example).
There's a very good book entitled Tunesmith where Jimmy Webb describes how he writes a song from the first vestiges of an idea through to its conclusion. Would you believe that he actually uses a rhyming dictionary? What rhymes with dictionary I hear you ask. Well how about penitentiary.
I have seen Jimmy Webb live a couple of times. He doesn't have the greatest voice but who cares. We were in the presence of a musical genius and a man whose songs have been recorded by musical icons (including Elvis Presley).
If you are interested in watching the You Tube video you can find it at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnMkDXOsDs
Watching this video means that I will listen to the old familiar Webb songs in a different light from now on.
Oh and just to finish up - John Stewart wrote Daydream Believer.