Who Did It First? by Bob Leszczak

Author:Bob Leszczak [Leszczak, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2014-07-28T16:00:00+00:00

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“MacArthur Park”

Composer: Jimmy Webb

Original Artist: Richard Harris

Label: Dunhill Records; Recording: Dunhill #4134 (45)

Release Year: 1968; Chart: #2 Billboard Hot 100

Cover Artist: Donna Summer

Label: Casablanca Records; Recording: Casablanca #939 (45)

Release Year: 1978; Chart: #1 Billboard Hot 100 and #8 R&B

Richard Harris did it all—acting, producing, directing, writing, and singing. Regarding the latter, Harris had one huge hit record—a song written on singer/musician Buddy Greco’s piano by the prolific Jimmy Webb. The song, laden with metaphoric lyrics, was based upon a relationship between Jimmy Webb and Susan Ronstadt, Linda’s cousin. “MacArthur Park” is a real place on West Sixth Street in Los Angeles, and Jimmy and Susan often met there. Harris’s unique recording of Webb’s composition didn’t sound like anything else being played on the radio. Plus, the song was over seven minutes in length—rivaled only by “Hey, Jude” in 1968. The record became a big hit and reached number 2 on the Pop charts—kept out of the number 1 spot by “This Guy’s in Love with You” by Herb Alpert (A & M #929).

A decade later, the song was revived very differently by disco diva Donna Summer. This time around, the song did reach number 1. Summer’s rendition timed out to three minutes, fifty-three seconds—about half the length of Harris’s original. It was included on her Live and More album (Casablanca #7119).

“Mack the Knife”

Composers: Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Marc Blitzstein

Original Artist: Louis Armstrong

Label: Columbia Records; Recording: Columbia #40587 (45 and 78)

Release Year: 1956; Chart: #20 Billboard Hot 100

Cover Artist: Bobby Darin

Label: Atco Records; Recording: Atco #6147 (45)

Release Year: 1959; Chart: #1 Billboard Hot 100 and #6 R&B

“Mack the Knife” was originally conceived as an afterthought for The Threepenny Opera in 1928 in Germany. The English translation of the opera from Marc Blitzstein played off-Broadway for many years in the 1950s. Satchmo’s 1956 version of the show’s signature song barely reached the Top 20.

Only a short three years later, Bobby Darin released his version. “Mack the Knife” was certainly an interesting choice for a guy who, up until then, was known as a rock and roll singer. Thus far, Darin had Top 10 hits with “Splish Splash,” “Queen of the Hop,” and “Dream Lover.” Many, including Dick Clark, considered releasing the song to be a poor career decision. Those doubters couldn’t have been more wrong. Mackie was back in town, and he stayed at number 1 for nine weeks. The record sold well over a million copies and set Darin up for similarly produced follow-ups such as “Beyond the Sea” (see the entry for that song), “Artificial Flowers,” “Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey,” and “Clementine.” The song won a Grammy for Record of the Year and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Kevin Spacey performed “Mack the Knife” in his 2004 Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea.

“Make It Easy on Yourself”

Composers: Burt Bacharach and Hal David

Original Artist: Jerry Butler

Label: Vee Jay Records; Recording: Vee Jay #451 (45)

Release Year: 1962; Chart: #20 Billboard Hot 100 and #18

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