Wednesday, February 23, 2011

songs for broken hearts, no.17


The signature Jimmy Webb happy/sad chord change in By the Time I get to Phoenix is a double whammy. It hits you the first time when Glen Campbell sings, I’ve left that girl so many times before. The effect is utterly devastating, to be sure, but does little to prepare you for what’s coming about a minute later with the words ‘that’s all,’ as in, but she’ll just hear that phone keep on ringing, off the wall, that’s all. ...I think what I admire most about Jimmy Webb is his knack for matching just the right words with just the right note at just the right moment. You can’t learn that sort of thing. It’s divinely inspired, one of those rare things that, for a few minutes anyway, makes me believe...




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