Quite possibly one of the three greatest songs ever recorded.
The fact that it's pure craft vs. autobiographical (Jimmy Webb wrote it as kind of an answer song to "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," its mythical lineman is just a fictional creation) makes not a jot of difference.
Magical, and evocative of a particular time in the U.S. when seeing a guy on a powerline pole could evoke this kind of backstory.
This song! It’s everything… poetry… longing… struggle … the naked metaphor of broken communication and heartbreak… so beautiful I can’t listen to it too often
case in point: "Wichita Lineman" stretched to its absolute limit via the Dick Slessig Combo (Mark Lightcap [Acetone], Steve Goodfriend [Radar Brothers], Carl Bronson)
the original is a beautiful 3 minute song that is one of the few tracks with a righteous claim to the "best American song" title - this cover takes you out of the Yearning Zone and places you on a truck bucket somewhere in the desert, searching in the sun for another overload
The man responsible for dozens of Teenage Symphonies to God
"Sad songs about happy things" (the first time, as a kid, I can recall the sweet/sour combo of melodies that could make you cry attached to songs about endless, bottomless love)
I've long since lost track of how many weddings and funerals I've attended that have featured this song; suffice it to say, "a lot."
God only knows what we'd been without him 🙏🏻
Hey tyler hopefully this doesn’t violate some PI.FYI golden rule
But after nearly two years of writing, editing and arguing, my book about the EP is coming out in May and can be preordered here: https://hozacrecords.com/product/aifl/ The book is about the origins, history and cultural impact of the EP since these little objects first started coming out in the 50s.
Over 50 of my music biz friends then helped me shape the list and review the top 200 ever released, according to us (ha).
For those of you who are into this kind of geekery/snobbery, I can’t wait to hear what you think. A labor of love, as all books are! ❤️
