Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman - 1968
As we near the top of my list, it's a good time to remind you that these are "My Favorites" that I have played in my 43 years behind the mic. The songs on this list don't have to be released in that time - just played. In 2024, I will have a weekly series here, "The 50 Most Important Country Songs 1980 To Today" That starts in January - and THOSE will have to be released in that time period. And those will not necessarily be my favorites either but I call them as I see and saw them.
This song is pure magic with many calling this of the best songs ever recorded, and I played this gem for many years on Country Radio. It's three minutes of absolute gold that belongs to Glen Campbell. Sure, Rhinestone Cowboy is the one that always comes to mind from him, but this is to me the jewel of his career. Bob Dylan says this is the best song ever written. And so have many others. Jimmy Webb was a beyond brilliant song writer that penned a few for Campbell including this one. This is as universally loved as a song can be, number one country, number one pop, and has been inducted into about every Registry, Music Library, and Hall Of Fame there is. But this masterpiece has a legacy that changed country music at its core. It was a "thinking mans song." It went far deeper than about every other country song with a much more powerful theme. It's wide open to your individual interpretation, as it is emotive and more than anything, it's visual! This was a different way to present country. It started a whole new style that would lead to being far more accepted by the masses and relatable to almost all because of its personality and approach. I don't think they knew it at the time, but they were recording one of the most pivotal and important songs in our history. It was that era's - The Dance - by Garth Brooks. I always felt The Dance was patterned after this. Take a listen - see the similar style, feel and arrangement from start to finish.
Like The Dance, this is more than a song, it's a work of art.
Glen Campbell - Featured In My Guitarist Series
