Night Music: Freedy Johnson, “Wichita Lineman”

I loved this song when Glen Campbell did it, but when I learned about the writer, Jimmy Webb, I got more interested in the way a song gets turned into pop music. For instance, Jimmy Webb wrote that song about MacArthur Park where someone left the cake out in the rain.

Then one day I was sitting in my car, waiting for the parking rules to expire, and WFUV played a Freedy Johnson version of this Jimmy Webb song that Glen Campbell made famous (with strings).

It’s a fantastic song about a guy doing his job, taking care of the electrical wires in Kansas, which makes the fact that Glen Campbell turned it into a hit seem incredible. In any case, Freedy is an excellent songwriter and a fine interpreter, which makes this choice.

2 thoughts on “Night Music: Freedy Johnson, “Wichita Lineman”

  1. Pingback: Today is National Lineman Appreciation Day! | Rock 'n' Roll Remnants

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