The song Wichita Lineman, written by Jimmy Webb and performed by Glen Campbell, keeps popping up in my life.
First I was watching a segment of CBS Sunday Morning (aired on July 31, but I watched later), where Webb was interviewed. He indicated that, after he’d given Campbell “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”, Campbell wanted “another ‘Phoenix'”. Webb replied that he didn’t have ANOTHER ‘Phoenix’. He wrote most of “Wichita Lineman”, but he wasn’t finished; nevertheless, Campbell recorded it, using a guitar solo where Webb thought the song was incomplete.
Then Campbell, who had announced that he had Alzheimer’s in June was interviewed by ABC News in August. He shared the fact that the favorite of his songs was Wichita Lineman, as he noted his favorite lyrics. As Johnny Bacardi noted here: “‘And I need you more than want you/and I want you for all time’ is simply a genius couplet, no doubt about it.”
Here’s the studio version and here’s a live version.
What songs are currently stuck in your mind?
I find myself singing, “There goes my baby” by the Drifters all the time, even though my baby hasn’t gone anywhere!
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. And I agree with Campbell about that lyric 100%.
I’m afraid it’s Bright Eyes because Mrs P told me a funny story about what happened when they sang it at choir last week. It involved one of the group pulling out a pair of flashing bunny ears as they were about to begin.
I was sad to read about Glen Campbell’s alzheimer’s in an interview that he and his daughter gave in the Sunday Times magazine a couple of weeks ago.
Add this to your synchrony for that song: The day you posted this, I bought a compilation album of 60s music on iTunes, and “Wichita Lineman” was on it. It is the only Glen Campbell track I’ve ever bought.
My favourite song is probably “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tommy James and the Shondells, but only because as a young gay boy I made up my own story about what the song was about. I didn’t like the version by Tiffany, which is ironic, considering what a huge supporter of gay rights she is.
… I´d been listening “Wichita lineman” since it was published abaut 1968, here in Chile,when I was 18 -now I´m 62-and I still like it, as well as “By the time…Phoenix”, and others…sorry for mr. Campbell´s alzheimer…I´m still keep on looking for mr. Campbell´s vinyl records(33.1/3rpm), Ï´ve got eleven…¡¡¡¡!!!?.. thank you very much..ricardosanmartinfromChile…