MacArthur Park is a strange song.
The original was recorded in a teeny studio near Leicester Square, with Richard Harris bellowing his words over the top of lush strings. Listening to it, one is reminded of a manic drunk yelling near the duck pond. Someone left his cake out in the rain.
This remarkable cover by Donna Summer is almost as odd. MacArthur Park becomes a fine piece of disco, achieving a strange poinancy mixed with hot shoe shuffle. It succeeds because it pays no attention whatsoever to the original.
Hmm...still prefer Richard Harris struggling against those strings. Jimmy Webb's weirdest song but a real one-off.
ReplyDeleteYou know, you really should re-launch this blog, there's some great stuff on it so far. Pity about the spam (just delete it).
Strangely, my profile almost matches yours (with the exception of the dancefloor bit and the fact that I WAS once a teenage boy) so I'd like to see more on this blog.
Very Nice Blog !
ReplyDeleteI Like This Very Much.
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