# MacArthur Park

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414>\
**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:** 1\
**Showing post:** 10

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macarthur-park/1030414/10 "2026-05-26T23:13:59Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> You might also want to consider that it was beaten out for #1 by Herb Alpert’s “This Guy’s in Love with You.” Compared to that song - probably truly the worst #1 of the 60s - “MacArthur Park” is practically Dylan.

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.

His book [Tunesmith](https://www.amazon.com.au/Tunesmith-Inside-Songwriting-Jimmy-Webb/dp/0786884886) is fascinating reading. I bought it for a friend that was a song writer and, after a quick look at it, ended up reading it before I gave it to him.

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