# MacArthur Park **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 26, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414 "2026-05-26T20:52:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/41 "2026-05-27T14:22:37Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > What about Hey Jude? That’s just 2 1/2 minutes of actual song, and 8 intolerable minutes of Na Nas. 🙂 > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > let’s press this sucker! And whoever made that actual decision IRL, they was right! ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/42 "2026-05-27T14:40:36Z")
In a world FULL of songs with crap lyrics, I don’t know why this one gets picked on so much. I love both versions. I hear either one now and it’s a blast of nostalgia, Richard Harris version from back in high school and Donna Summer in my dating years. It’s frightening when I think what my life was like in those years, when our future seemed bright, compared to the frightening shitstorm the US is today. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/43 "2026-05-27T14:54:17Z")
Many years ago we were at my sister’s house with my mother and father an other relatives, setting up for some sort of party outside, when suddenly it began to rain. My mother shouted “Someone left the cake out in the Rain!” At this point, my wife and I started breaking up and singing “MacArthur Park”, to the bewilderment of my mother, who had no clue about wat was so funny. Now when I hear about “MacArthur Park”, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. The second thing is Weird Al Yankovic’s _Jurassic Park_ Footnote 1: One of our friends came up with a “Jurassic Park” parody before Weird Al did. It just cries out for that touch. Footnote 2: We eventually rescued the cake from the rain. No buttercreme frosting ran down, and the cake was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/44 "2026-05-27T14:54:47Z")
The 45 rpm single of “MacArthur Park” ran 7:20. The single version of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” clocked in at 6:54, though the album version was longer. And “Hey Jude” was 7:11. “American Pie” doesn’t count. Though the album version was 8:43, the single split the song into two parts on Side A and Side B. At least, that was the promo single sent to radio stations. I was working in radio at the time, and we always played the album version. Just as a comparison, "Bohemian Rhapsody " was a mere 5:55. At the time that was on the charts I was jocking on a Top 40 station that rotated the Top 20 every 90 minutes. During my 5-hour morning drive shift, I would play that song at least twice and maybe three times. We also played the 8-minute album version of “Blinded By the Light” every 90 minutes. You can only imagine how tiring that was. I liked that song but I came to hate the “chopsticks” part. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/45 "2026-05-27T15:30:36Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > In a world FULL of songs with crap lyrics, I don’t know why this one gets picked on so much. Because the Cool Kids have said it is a bad song. Therefore when you publicly proclaim your hatred, you are peripherally part of the cool kid clique. And anyone that supports it gets looked down on, mocked even. It’s simple tribal bonding. Listen, anyone can hate any song for any reason. I personally hate a lot of songs! 🙂 But I don’t write books about them. No one quotes me as to why, say, Paradise By The Dashboard Light (8’28") is the fucking most annoying song ever made. More than Total Eclipse of the Heart (6’58") or Making Love Out of Nothing at All (5’43") or every other Jim Steinman theatrically-overproduced bombast. Some people, may god help them, actually _like_ it. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/46 "2026-05-27T15:50:22Z")
There were various attempts to get MacArthur Park down to a manageable length for Top 40 radio. Mostly Donna Summer’s version, but I found one edit of Richard Harris. Whether you like the song or hate it, I hope you agree that cutting out the a-go-go instrumental portion knocks throws the entire listening experience out of whack. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/z9i2I8K2u-w/maxresdefault.jpg "MacArthur Park (Edit)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9i2I8K2u-w) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/47 "2026-05-27T16:17:43Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > How much respect do you folks have for Dave Barry As much as you. He’s pretty one-note - his style never changed from his earliest work - but why should it? I discovered him before his first book, when he was writing an occasional free-lance piece that the local newspaper Sunday magazine would run. I was stunned. A so-called humorist who was actually funny. He honed that style to perfection and it’s always (well, almost always) funny. Most other modern humorists like to show off their versatility but they can only do some things really well and the rest simply lay there. Barry is the most consistently funny humorist in history to my reading. And I’ve read everybody. Back to the thread. Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” at 6:13 is usually credited as the song to break the time limit radio on Top 40 radio back in 1965. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/48 "2026-05-27T16:44:42Z")
Thank you! I find ‘the cool kids’ SO tiresome. Who elected them and established what ‘cool’ means? And why are the rest of us ignoramuses supposed to nod and agree, ‘yes, yes, cool, yes!’ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/49 "2026-05-27T17:07:11Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > I find ‘the cool kids’ SO tiresome. They do the same thing with A Horse With No Name. Deliberately misunderstanding the lyrics so they can deride the song. (though I will have to acknowledge “the heat was hot” isn’t as metaphysically profound as the writer probably intended. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/50 "2026-05-27T17:08:20Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Terrible song. End of story. Yep. Pretentious schlock. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/51 "2026-05-27T17:11:13Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Funny that you should mention Dylan. He maintains that another Jimmy Webb song, _Witchita Lineman_, is the greatest song ever written. It too was inspired by something that Webb had seen in real life. Yeah, I was just thinking Webb wrote most of Glen Campbell’s hits, and a number of other bands had hits with his songs. And “Wichita Lineman” may not be the best song of all time, but it’s a very powerful song, and it’s easily the best song Campbell ever recorded. > [@carrps](#): > > Plus, I always want to say “It’s Westlake Park!” Interesting. There’s an actual MacArthur Park (which I’ve been to) in Los Angeles, and I always assumed that was the park in question. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/52 "2026-05-27T17:15:41Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > And “Wichita Lineman” may not be the best song of all time, but it’s a very powerful song, and it’s easily the best song Campbell ever recorded. It’s in the key of F but never resolves to F. > **[Jimmy Webb on Writing His Most Famous Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty3oQbPfVSY%2F)** > > In this clip, Jimmy Webb talks about writing "Wichita Lineman" as well as the influence of The Beatles and Burt Bacharach on his music. Full Video: https://y... ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/53 "2026-05-27T17:20:00Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > It’s in the key of F but never resolves to F. I don’t speak music, so I must confess that means nothing to me. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/54 "2026-05-27T17:26:25Z")
I’d describe “MacArthur Park” as so bad, it’s hilarious. It’s pretentious, it’s overwrought, and I personally can’t help but laugh at the refrain. That’s my take on the song, anyway; YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/55 "2026-05-27T17:43:34Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > To my 16 year-old ears, it sounded “deep.” Who cared if little of it made sense? And Richard Harris was a “hip” actor at the time. Reading Jimmy L. Webb’s story of writing the song, I found out that, no, it’s not an awkward, overblown metaphor… it’s worse. What could be worse? Well, it’s not some poetic journey through a dying relationship. He just wrote down what actually happened: He really did face a breakup by baking his (no-longer-wanting-to-be-a) girlfriend a huge cake, like a wedding cake. Poor Jimmy brought it to a park where he knew she’d be. It started raining and he watched _all the sweet green icing flowing down…_ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/56 "2026-05-27T17:44:34Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Because the Cool Kids have said it is a bad song. Therefore when you publicly proclaim your hatred, you are peripherally part of the cool kid clique. And anyone that supports it gets looked down on, mocked even. It’s simple tribal bonding. Oh bullshit. The reason lots of people dislike this song is that not only is it a terrible song, but you can’t ignore it or get away from it if it’s playing over the sound system wherever you are. Someone mentioned Herb Alpert’s “This Guy’s In Love With You” which is inoffensive dreck, but if it was playing somewhere and you weren’t fond of it, you could just let it go by. It doesn’t grab you by the shoulders and sing loudly in your face. Hardly anyone _cares_ about whether it’s a good or a bad song, because it’s forgettable (this is probably the first time in forty or fifty years that I’ve thought about it) and ignorable. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/57 "2026-05-27T17:46:38Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Oh bullshit. Agreed, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/58 "2026-05-27T17:50:08Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The reason lots of people dislike this song is that not only is it a terrible song, Thank you. cool kid. The rest of us that like it happen to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/59 "2026-05-27T17:55:53Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > Plus, I always want to say “It’s Westlake Park!” > > Interesting. There’s an actual MacArthur Park (which I’ve been to) in Los Angeles, and I always assumed that was the park in question. [It is.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Park#Music) The park got renamed for the general in '42. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/60 "2026-05-27T20:17:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@salinqmind1](#): > > > > In a world FULL of songs with crap lyrics, I don’t know why this one gets picked on so much. > > Because the Cool Kids have said it is a bad song. Therefore when you publicly proclaim your hatred, you are peripherally part of the cool kid clique. And anyone that supports it gets looked down on, mocked even. It’s simple tribal bonding. It’s more than that. You can get away with ridiculous lyrics and tortured rhyme in pretty much any pop song with a good hook but having someone like Richard Harris highlight those words with a layer of ham makes it a legitimate target for ridicule. If Donna Summer had done it first, it would never have gotten the reputation it has now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414.md?page=4)