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“Wichita Lineman” is one of those rare songs that seems somehow to exist in a world of its own – not just timeless but ultimately outside of modern music.Recorded by Glen Campbell and composed by songwriter Jimmy Webb, “Wichita Lineman” falls

Glen Campbell Song facts

Composer
Jimmy Webb

Genre
Country

Album
Wichita Lineman

Year of release
1968

UK Chart Position
7
somewhere between pop and country music, without really being either. A simple tale of a lonely telephone repairman working in the vast open plains of the American Mid-West, it has just two short verses and one chorus, but says as much in them as many authors say in a lifetime. The final 30 seconds are given over to one of the most evocative instrumental breaks ever and the whole thing hangs together perfectly.
Webb, the man behind the likes of “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and “MacArthurPark”, wanted Campbell to record “Wichita Lineman” from the first. But Campbell struggled to recapture the magic of Webb’s demo, feeling something integral was missing. Eventually, he had Webb drag his Hammond organ into the studio to accompany him as he sang. This time the song worked beautifully. It made number three in the US and helped the album of the same name go double platinum.

Glen Campbell on meeting Jimmy Webb

Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell talks to Gloria Hunniford about how he first met songwriter Jimmy Webb - "I went over to his house and he played me Witchita Lineman...and I'm sure glad he did!".
 
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Johnny Cash

  Johnny Cash provided another great interpretation of a classic American song on his Hurt single.

It's one of those simple songs that appears to be about nothing at all, but in fact is about everything.

Jim
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