| Macarthur Park (song) |
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"MacArthur Park" is an epic song, written by Jimmy Webb and first performed by Richard Harris in 1968 . Harris' seminal recording topped the music charts in Europe, while peaking at number two on the U.S. charts. It was an unusual single, running for more than seven minutes, with a long, climactic orchestral break. The lyrics were more symbolic and sentimental than descriptive (featuring the notable line, "Someone left the cake out in the rain"), and were apparently about a lost love and a rendezvous in the park. It has been Covered more than fifty times, including versions by Waylon Jennings , Glen Campbell , Maynard Ferguson , Liza Minnelli , and most notably, by Donna Summer in a 1978 Disco version that topped the U.S. charts, and ran to six minutes and forty seconds in its full-length version, and seventeen minutes, forty seconds as part of a medley released by Summer. The sentimentality of the song made it an easy target for , '' Pearls Before Swine '', as "Centennial Park" Sydney, Australia landmark , featuring lines such as, "the cake you bake is made of lies". QUOTATION :MacArthur's 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! :Oh, no :No, no Despite the rather poetic homage paid to it, the real MacArthur Park became known for being a violent place after 1985 when drug deals, shoot-outs and occasional drownings became somewhat common there. Before the decline of the neighborhood, the park featured the traditional paddle-boats and a large fountain in the center of the lake; since the park was a popular middle-class destination for over fifty years, it is likely it can be reclaimed in the future. EXTERNAL LINK |
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