MacArthur Park
Cake-in-rain ballad
MacArthur Park is a public park in Los Angeles, but the name is best known from the 1968 song by Jimmy Webb, recorded by Richard Harris.
The song's melodramatic lyrics—especially Someone left the cake out in the rain—have made it a cultural touchstone for overwrought sentiment, sometimes admired, often mocked.
Donna Summer's 1978 disco version was a major hit.
- fountainWater-spouting structure
- protestsPublic expressions of opposition
- song lyricsWords of a tune
- Donna SummerDisco era's reigning voice
- lakeEnclosed body of freshwater
Richard Harris · palm trees · metaphor · nostalgia · Los Angeles · recreation area · urban oasis · historical landmark · urban landscape · poetry · symbolism · community gatherings · local history · 1968 · skyline views · musical composition · urban renewal · walking paths
MacArthur ParkYellowstone
Original U.S. national park
untouched wilderness · national park · nature reserve · virgin forest · backcountry
MacArthur ParkLouie Louie
Notoriously unintelligible sixties hit
Blitzkrieg Bop · lo-fi recording · Woody Guthrie · Johnny Cash