Thursday, February 28, 2013

1933 MacArthur's Pompatus

As I'm exposed quite often to the radio, I'm exposed more than most to songs, and the history thereof. So sometimes me and my fellow radio guys debate which songs and songwriters are the worst. Like the infamous Steve Miller, who came up with the odd phrase "cause I speak of the pompatus of love."
Steve was also notable for rhyming "taxes" with "facts is" along with Texas and Justice. I'm guessing he had a little too much pompatus that night of composing.
My vote for worst rhyme of all time goes to Little Green Apples. In which the composer Bobby Russell came up with the strangely unforgettable forgettable tortured rhyme, "God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime." Rhyming green apples and Indianapolis was a strange form of genius.
And bonus points for working Indianapolis into a song period.
Speaking of place names, that brings us to the worst song of all time, as voted by numerous worst song list makers, "MacArthur Park," a song that seeks to describe the loss one feels in a terminated relationship.
It includes the amazing chorus,

"MacArthur Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet green icing melting down
Someone left the cake out in the rain,
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
and I'll never have that recipe again."

Let's just say that someone shouldn't be turned loose with a metaphor. And seriously, if this song is about a woman breaking up with the songwriter, I can see why.
Even having been divorced three times, and nevermind about fruitcakes and ding-dongs, I've never made the egregious mistake of comparing any of my relationships to a baked good.
And no, none of my exes live in Texas.
America, ya gotta love it.

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