- Wichita Lineman
"Wichita Lineman" is a
popular song written byJimmy Webb in 1968, first recorded byGlen Campbell and widely covered by other artists. Campbell's version, which appeared on his 1968 album of the same name, reached #3 on the U.S. pop chart, remaining in the Top 100 for 15 weeks. In addition, the song also topped the American country music chart for two weeks, and the adult contemporary chart for six weeks. In2004 , "Rolling Stone " magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" ranked "Wichita Lineman" at #192. It has been referred to as 'the first existential country song'.Webb was inspired to write the
lyrics when he saw a solitary lineman in rural northernOklahoma . [ [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=194 The Greatest Songs Ever! Wichita Lineman Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More ] ] The lyric describes the longing that a lonely telephone or electric power lineman feels for an absent lover who he imagines he can hear "singing in the wire" that he is working on. Such a sonic vibration is commonly induced by wind blowing across small conductors. There is uncertainty as to which "Wichita" is intended;Wichita, Kansas ,Wichita County, Kansas (which is over 250 road miles away),Wichita Falls, Texas , andWichita County, Texas have all been suggested as possibilities, and others believe that Webb had entitled the song "Ouachita Lineman," but that Campbell later changed that title to its present form.Fact|date=July 2007"Wichita Lineman" has been recorded by a diverse range of artists; from
Ray Charles ,Sammy Davis, Jr. andDwight Yoakam toKool and the Gang ,Bobby Broom andUrge Overkill .James Taylor recorded the song on his album, "Covers", released in September 2008. Taylor includes the soulful rendition in the first set of his current U.S. tour.Performers have included:
* German singer Katja Ebstein recorded "Wichita lineman" in German language for her first single record: "Der Draht in der Sonne" in February of 1969.
*Johnny A on 'Sometime Tuesday Morning'
*Jimmy Barnes and David Campbell, on "Double Happiness"
*Ken Berry on "Ken Berry R. F. D."
*Dennis Brown on "Tracks of Life"
*Glen Campbell on "Love Story"
*Johnny Cash on "Unearthed Volume Three"
*Andy Williams on "Happy Heart"
*Clouds
*The Fatback Band on "Let's Do It Again"
*Friends of Dean Martinez on "Wichita Lineman"
*Gomez for a radio session
*Wade Hayes
*British Electric Foundation on "Music of Quality and Distinction "
*Steve Hogarth on the H Natural tour
*Freedy Johnston on "Unlucky"
*Landfacts - Meters Remix on "For Your Consideration" EP [http://space.troo.net/foryourconsideration/03_landfacts_manfieldline.mp3]
*Shawn Lee on "Soul Visa"
*The Lettermen on "I Have Dreamed"
*Hank Marvin on Solid Gold Collection
*The Meters , on "Struttin'"
*Dwight Yoakam , on "Under the Covers"
*Optiganally Yours on Spotlight On...
*Peter Nero on "Love Story"
*R.E.M. on their "Bittersweet Me " single
*The Rolling Stones at their concert inWichita, Kansas on their "A Bigger Bang" tour on 1st October 2006 (Short intro and chorus only)
*Scud Mountain Boys on "Pine Box"
*Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 (Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1969)
*Stone Temple Pilots with Glenn Campbell on a rare black and white video
*"Tennessee" Ernie Ford
*These Animal Men "secret track on Come on Join the High Society" and "Childline" Charity compilation CD
*Urge Overkill , on "Americruiser/Jesus Urge Superstar" (listed as "Witchita Lineman")
*Jimmy Webb , on "Ten Easy Pieces"
*The White Stripes various Live Shows
*Cassandra Wilson , on "Belly of the Sun"
*Steve Poltz various live shows
*Culturcide spoofed it on "Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America"
*Spoofed in aPinky and the Brain sketch onAnimaniacs with the line "I am a telephone repairman from this area"
*Homer Simpson , in the Simpsons episodeCo-Dependent's Day
* Tony Joe White
* The UK bandGomez covered the song in May 2008 in a BBC Radio 2 session.Arrangement
In the first recording, by Glen Campbell, a notable feature of Al de Lory's orchestral
arrangement is that the violins and aGulbransen Synthesizer mimic the sounds that a lineman might hear when attaching a telephoneearpiece to a long stretch of raw telephone or telegraph line i.e. without typical lineequalisation and filtering. One would be aware of high-frequency tones fading in and out, caused by the accidentalrectification (therusty bolt effect ) ofheterodyne s between many radio stations (the violins play this sound); and occasional snatches ofMorse Code from radio amateurs or utility stations (this is heard after the line of lyric, "is still on the line"). Heterodynes are also referenced in the lyric, "I can hear you through the whine". Fact|date=October 2008The bass solo was played by Campbell himself on a
Danelectro six-string bass borrowed from friend and session bassistCarol Kaye ; the pulsing effect is tremolo from aFender amplifier. On a 1969 appearance on the Smothers Brothers TV show, Campbell played the solo on a Fender Precision VI six-string bass guitar. Fact|date=October 2008References
*"The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", 6th Edition, 1996
Chart positions
External links
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6596037/sort/rank?pageid=rs.RS500&pageregion=blob "Rolling Stone" 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Wichita Lineman]
succession box
before = "Electric Ladyland " by Jimi Hendrix Experience
title = "Billboard" 200 number-one album (Glen Campbell album)
years =December 21 -December 27 1968 March 8 -March 28 1969 April 5 -April 11 1969
after = "The Beatles" byThe Beatles
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