MacArthur Park (Jimmy Webb) Spring was never waiting for us, girl One of the great standouts of the late 60s. Harris’ performance of the full lyric remains the definitive one for me. The ‘yellow cotton dress’ line still cuts to the bone, and the sheer erratic confusion and sense of epic tragedy remain a reference point through thick and thin, year after year. |
There is a very informative writeup on "MacArthur Park" on Wikipedia. The lyrics largely reflect some of Jimmy Webb's real life experiences. The song is certainly one of the most unique popular recordings of the rock era, and like CD318 I consider it, as recorded by Richard Harris, to be a standout. Regards, -- Al |
For those who may like sentimental ballads, as I do in many cases: You're my world, you're every breath I takeThe first recording using Sigman's English-language lyrics was done in 1964 by the late Cilla Black, who as many will realize was closely associated with the Beatles and producer George Martin. The song was later covered by Helen Reddy among many others. I recently happened across a 2014 performance by the British singer and actress Sheridan Smith, which as far as I am aware was never released as a recording but was performed in a three-part British TV series entitled "Cilla," in which she portrayed Ms. Black. I was struck by how this performance is a remarkable impression of Cilla Black's singing, but at the same time is better IMO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMHILWOo3II Regards, -- Al |
