songs for broken hearts, no.16

Of all the brilliant songs Jimmy Webb wrote, I think Wichita Lineman is his finest. It's certainly the one I turn to instinctively when I'm needing me some Webb. And I need me some Webb on a fairly regular basis. I connect on a deep level with the approach he takes with his love songs, which are almost always written from the point of view of a lonely searcher longing for a sweetheart who's somewhere far away. There's also invariably that one happy/sad chord change that elevates each of his songs out of the realm of AM radio background music and into the sphere of sublime pop art. In the case of Wichita Lineman, it comes with the line, and I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time... Glen Campbell was the perfect choice for the song, with his mild Country and Western accent expressing just enough wistful emotion to keep things squarely in the middle of the road. The simple guitar break is lovely as well, an archetypal mid-60s minimalist solo that replicates the song's basic melodic hook. ...Funny how this song is so ubiquitous but still always gets me to stop whatever I'm doing to listen every time, no matter where I am. I listen very carefully, savoring every moment of it. And as the yearning in Campbell's voice rises slightly on the fade out, who among us can resist basking in the warm glow of pop perfection?