Richard Harris - Macarthur Park

From 50 Greatest One Hit Wonders (Channel 4 programme)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• uk
• tv
• someone
• left
• the
• cake
• out
• in
• rain
• song
• music
• jimmy
• webb
• 60s
• pop

[mardigrasize]

this is a wounderful song about something cherished and forever lost, about the vacume tha can never be filled

[5050zulu1]

remarkable record !! are you mad ? I have eaten alphabet spaghetti and shit better lyrics

[tommieparch]

@5050zulu1 you eat your shit...thats why your brain dead..

[AmishWebmaster]

@5050zulu1 (Part 2) Also, the instrumental interlude is often misunderstood:

Guitar and piano rapid-paced: reflecting on incidences together with "her."

Trumpet: musical representation of shock.

Violin: representing sorrow building into tears, gradually increasing the pitch higher.

Drum: representing heartbeat under panic.

High-pitched voices at the end: angels who are comforting him- hence the apparent emotionless, high-pitched voices. I could go on and on.

[AmishWebmaster]

@5050zulu1 ROCK MUSIC SYMBOLISM for MacArthur Park:

MacArthur Park; The place of reflecting on his "lost love."

Cake: The symbol of this lost love. "sweet green icing"

Cake "left out in the rain:" The "cake" as seen in MacArthur Park through his tears. The "sweet green icing flowing down."

"Recipe" for the "cake" that he "baked:" Relationship that he thought would work out.

[5050zulu1]

@TulseLuper It just makes me cringe every time I have the misfortune to hear it .I almost feel embarassed for him when he sings that ridiculous line about the soggy cake .and as for greatest actor mmm" not in my top ten. but I agree there is a lot of rubbish music about but i have never heared anything as bad as that particular line .

[TulseLuper]

@5050zulu1 Remarkable doesn't mean masterpiece. It's remarkable because it's worth remarking upon. It's an insane mess of a song sung by one of the greatest actors of the 20th century and therefore infused with more passion than it deserves. It's unlike anything I've ever heard. A hell of a lot better than the pop music of today.

[Musicofthenight64]

The live Richard Harris performance is great ! There must be an existing footage that is not interupted . I would love to see it ! And Jimmy Webb ......one of the great song writers of our time !

[ChasBeauregarde]

Lyrics aside, musically - a great tune. As far as structure of a song it reminds me of something off The Beach Boys "Smile" or The Who's "A Quick One".

[5050zulu1]

@spiceyweasel I think its on par with "what do you get when you fall in love you catch enough germs to catch pneumonia after you do he"ll never phone ye. laughable but not as bad as "The soggy cake song " I see your point but he is a professional song writer and must have known he would be ridiculed. but hey he had the last laugh in the end it probably paid his mortgage off

[MrMakkyD]

Certainly one of my favourite all time songs. Was so amazed and emotional to find it in the West End Musical, Pricilla Queen of the Desert, sadly now finished where they incorporated it so amazingly well!

[spiceyweasel]

@5050zulu1 I can understand the confusion these lyrics may cause some people, however, I believe he was referring to having had true love (the cake) it took so long to bake it (reference to how long it takes to build a truly meaningful relationship) left out in the rain (rain pretty much puts a damper on anything unless you are a frog or duck) and I'll never find the recipe again (Poor guy thinks he'll never know love like the one he just lost) It's a really deep song just the same.