My wife's excellent idea now 2 years in a row and my Mother in Law's Mothers Day gift.
We take our seats in the 2nd balcony, L section, row F, I'm seat 8.
I check the program. 5 acts, INTERMISSION, 5 acts. Brandford Marsalis headlines the show, which means act number 10, which really means he ends the show.
In the second set, # 3 up, I see listed Jimmy Webb. What? Can't be that Jimmy Webb, can it? Jazz artists have covered him I know, but he doesn't exactly write jazz songs. Sometimes, very far from it. So it must be another Jimmy Webb I haven't heard of.
During the opening presentation, Ross Porter confirms that it is indeed that Jimmy Webb, to him, "one of the most important songwriters of the last 50 years."
Really? Exciting!
Most of Jimmy's hits were before my time, but I have a giant soft spot for Jimmy Webb in the form of Wichita Lineman. I only became aware of this masterpiece through Gomez, who covered it on a BBC radio show a few years back. I found the Glen Campbell hit, which is good, but a little too fast for me. Gomez got it right. But, Wichita Lineman, written by Webb and interpreted by Gomez is certainly in my top 25 songs of all time.
Jimmy Webb himself is a wonder on stage. He's very funny and incredible on the piano.
He talks and noodles, noodles and talks.
He plays a couple of heartfelt hits, which I don't really know. Very dramatically, I might add.
The, he starts into something musically I recognize bits of. He really makes a dramatic feast of the chords and melody, noodles in and around around keys like Mozart would after hearing his first free jazz album. Then finally, Jimmy begins the vocal:
"MacArthur Park is melting in the dark..."
Oh shit no. Deja Vu. Flashback. I see colours and smell burning toast.
My good friend Ron made me aware of this song a few years back, not because of Jimmy Webb, but because he told me that Richard Harris had made a pop album in 1968. I didn't believe him. I remember at the time, that after Googling the hell out of it, I was blown away that Richard Harris has made a successful pop album. And I do remember grazing over Jimmy Webb's name. But I had never put the man who wrote MacArthur Park together as the same man who wrote Wichita Lineman...until last night.
Jimmy Webb. Extraordinary songwriter. Richard Harris. Extraordinary drunkard and actor.
I have, over time, discovered many other wonderful songs penned by Webb. But, since I first heard MacArthur Park, something has always bothered me about it.
It's not Richard Harris or the arrangement.
Mainly, it's the lyrics:
After an unusually lengthy instrumental opening for a pop song, Sir Richard finally begins:
"MacArthur Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!"
What? Are you kidding? What drugs were they doing to come up with this...hit?
I feel embarrassed just listening to it.
I personally would rather have access to the shit they were taking back in 67, that helped them write it, than ever hear this song again. Either from the studio album with vocals by Sir Richard himself, or live, by the pop music Bard himself.
I mean, really, what are these ridiculous lyrics about?
"MacArthur Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!"
This sounds like an LSD trip to me. If something's melting, it's gotta be LSD, the weird imagery (green flowing icing, a yellow dress foaming, old men playing checkers) oh yea, LSD.
Lots of LSD. And maybe a little free love and organic baking thrown into the mix.
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