Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/03/16/the-enduring-beauty-of-jimmy-w.html
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This fuckin’ song, man. I dunno what it is about it, but it slays me. Even as a little kid, not understanding the lyrics, I thought it was haunting.
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yeah, this song is one of my favorites, and my goodness, Glen Campbell in his prime was SUCH a handsome guy. i’m swooning.
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Yeah, he kind of glowed.
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Also sampled heavily in the KLF’s Chill Out:
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It’s overall a very unusual popular song; non-traditional chordal shifts in the verse and into the chorus, big interval jumps in both the chorus itself (especially that wildly unexpected octave jump at the end!) and various octave jumps in the strings behind the verse. To top it off, the syncopated riff in the flute following that high note at the end of the chorus builds a lot of tension from its telegraphic, almost mechanical feel.
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It’s beautiful. Yet never fails to invoke this for me:
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My personal favorite cover:
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Some super super super unusual chords too, especially for a pop song.
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One of my favorite songs, and not because of that line, which is to me a nice brainless throwaway that is great in that it doesn’t get in the way of the melody or mood of the song.
And it’s all about the melody and mood of the song, at the end of the verse where the Wichita Lineman “is still on the line” and the melody rises and the little radio interference morse code beep things come in.
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I’m surprised at how great a fit that is for R.E.M.
I mean, I like the song and I like the band, but I wouldn’t have picked the one for the other.
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Exactly what I was saying! That fantastic couplet is nothing special to me. It’s the soaring “still on the liiiine”!
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Same here. It’s been called “the first existential country song”. There were more than a few fabulous country crossover tunes during the mid to late 60s. Like 'Wichita Lineman", ‘Ode to Billy Joe’ is another crossover that stops me in my tracks. Both happen to benefit from great mixed-in string arrangements (easy-listening composition ‘skills’ still hanging on back then).
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He was backed by “The Wrecking Crew”, a loose association of studio musicians (of which Glen was a member) that played on an unbeleivable number of 1960s hit records.
There’s a great documentary of the same name on Hulu. Highly recommended if you’ve not seen it yet.
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Jimmy Webb is a freaking genius.
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They backed Bobbie Gentry on ‘Ode to Billy Joe’ too.
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