“Someone left the cake out in the rain…”

In the mid-90s, when columnist Dave Barry wrote about bad songs, the number one reader submission was Jimmy Webb’s “MacArthur Park.” I love this song in all its 7+ minutes of bloviated glory (especially when its lyrics speak of when we “were pressed in love’s hot fevered iron like a striped pair of pants.”) And I’m proud that the library owns it on CD in many different versions, but definitely start with the original with Richard Harris, star of Camelot.

So, in general, if you’re looking for specific songs to listen to, use the Advanced Keyword search in the Catalog, put the song title in quotes (e.g. “MacArthur Park”), and limit it to the material type that you want (e.g. “Music CD”).

If you want to sing this hit with piano accompaniment, do another Advanced Keyword search, but this time use the material type of “Music Score.” You’ll find it in Classic Songs of the 70s. When you’ve practiced it and it’s ready to perform, please let me know. I’ll come listen.

— Tim