This song is sweet, painfull nostalgia. I WAS a lineman for the county when this song was written and when I hear it I am transported back to driving the roads in my van. Like the song, I was a faultfinder. I could drive along looking up at the plethoro of wires for pairs of wires that had become twisted together - overloads. Hit the pole with a sledgehammer and if you're lucky the wires will untwist otherwise you have to climb the pole. In hot weather the copper wires expand and sag and touch, that's why he can't go on a vacation until it rains. When the wind blows it vibrates the wires and they whine (sing) . You can hear them when you are up the 'stick'. -singing. When it snows, the snow builds up all along the wires and the extra weight can cause them to break 'can't stand the strain'. Again, hit the pole with a sledgehammer and the snow springs off (or snaps the wire if you're unlucky, in which case you've got to run a new one.)
your insight on these lyrics -is like incredible. the insight on the rain and hot weather sagging the copper --- this just makes this song even better.
As an infantry soldier in Vietnam (1970), I had a battery operated cassette player and Glen Campell's cassette with this song on it. So many evenings after foxholes were dug and fighting positions readied, this is the song that brought a bit of home to us as we'd watch the sun go down hoping to survive the night to see that sun again and play Campbell's song yet once again. (1/61st Infantry Mechanized, 5th Infantry Division, US Army - I Corps, DMZ area)
John Kieffer Thank you Mr Kieffer for your bravery and your service. My Dad was in Viet Nam and great music like this helped him keep his sanity. He passed away in 2005 and I miss him dearly. 27 years active duty....God bless all our service personnel.
@@DavidJones-sc6jc I know. Webb wrote it in like 5 minutes. The tempo was much different. Not nearly as beautiful. When they gave it to Campbell to record, he helped shape it into what we hear above. This is very much Campbell's song too and it shows him at his best.
This song...boy, this song. I remember as a kid riding in the back of our big ol' Chrysler New Yorker going on some road trip, heading to someplace with my parents and sister when this song would come on the radio. For the next 3 minutes there would be silence as it played; such great memories. Unfortunately, they have all left this world and are hopefully at a better place, but this song keeps them alive in my heart, thoughts, and prayers. Now I am not a country music fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this is one of my favorite songs of all time; so beautiful, and full of meaning for me.
flexicool - somehow our memories are quite similar. I was a teenager when Glen Campbell was a star. I live on the other side of the world, and happy to find people with the similar memories and emotional waves. Good bless all!
Driving my truck into the afternoon sun. No smart phone, three on the tree, dust on my window. This song comes on and I can breathe and relax. Many many years ago. Before the whole world lost it's damn mind.
a d The world has been "losing its mind" for 1000's of years already. Killing, torture, war, deceit, despair and madness have all been around for that long. So unless you have been alive for millennia, I don't really see your point.
It's a great song to have in your history... Someday when you are 60 years old....this song will approach being a century old....near forgotten, but it will be the rhythm that pulses through your memories. Best wishes 😀
James Daniels It really is - all the more surprising that the songwriter, Jimmy Webb, originally hated it and the “fake” rhyme (“time” and “line”) that follows - it took him years to finally appreciate its greatness
I actually remember watching this as a 6 year old. We always watched the Smothers Brothers. I remember asking Dad what a lineman is...Dad did not answer so I turned to look at Dad...he was kissing Mom. They are both gone now...thanks for the memories Glen.
Hard to believe this song is nearly 55 years old, and it's as beautiful today as it was in 1968. I bought the 45rpm when I was 10 when it first came out and I still play on you tube regularly.. The song still gives me goosebumps.
This truly is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written. Every time I hear it, I think of my late Mum, cooking in the farm kitchen when I was about 6, listening to the only AM radio station we had. I hear this, and it makes me miss her so very much.
I first heard Glen Campbell's hit, "Gentle on my Mind," when I was 12 years old - I was mesmerized by his voice, the words to the song, and the music itself. It never occurred to me that he was considered 'country.' That album, Gentle On My Mind," was the first vinyl album I purchased, and it took a great deal of baby-sitting money for me to buy it. The following year, in 1968, I was definitely a Glen Campbell fan and continued to love all his subsequent albums, especially those songs which were written by Jimmy Webb. "Wichita Lineman" is probably my favorite, followed by "Where's the Playground Susie," and "Galveston." It's heartbreaking to know that Glen is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease...probably one of the worst conditions of aging, and to watch a loved one disappear in front of your eyes is unimaginable. My heartfelt love and compassion goes his family, and to ALL those who are living and caring for a friend or loved one who is suffering from this cruel disease.
celestial1933 you do know that Glen Cambell was one of the last saints of the soul.His music reached an untouchable secret place where only those who have it will understand me..
I turned 60 today.8/4/24.'Wichita Lineman' is my favorite song of all time! Huge thanks to Jimmy Webb and Glen Campbell for bringing this stunning masterpiece to life! Blessed be.
Arguably, THE finest C & W song of all-time. KUDOS to Al De Lory, who arranged , orchestrated, & produced Jimmy Webb's Masterpiece for Glenn. RIP, to both of you. --------------------MJL, 76 y/o
Hard to believe this song is nearly 50 years old, and it's as beautiful today as it was in 1968. I bought the 45 when it first came out and I still have it, scratches and all. The song still gives me goosebumps.
Couldn't agree more, but of course the way it is delivered in this particular melody by this particular singer gives it power off the charts! I was going to comment saying the exact same thing, but I figured it was so obvious someone already did, and you did, so now I don't have to! 😁
I was a rock guitar player at this time but the Jimmy Webb / Glen Campbell union was one of the greatest - I didn't think of it as 'country' etc - just amazing lyrics and melody.
I was 8 when this song came out, liked it then. but there is something about it that brings me to tears every time I hear it .For me, it's not so much the words, though the lyrics are awesome and the music suits them very well. It's the haunting melody, the arrangement, and the way it just touches my soul. That makes it very special.
Songs are time capsules, and have that ability to pull us right back to the time we first heard them. They haunt in that way also, in addition to the truths you already laid out, because the trip all the way back in time to it is not always pleasant. Speaking of society in general, so much has gotten so much more complicated, perverse, and just plain wicked, it can evoke a disturbing, haunting feeling like you say, to be able to return to a simpler, cleaner time. What a song!
I was reading an interesting story about the song Wichita Lineman, and I think I have it right. Apparently, the reason that the song is so short is that when it was brought to Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb said that it was unfinished, and that he had intended to go back and add more to it. Once he heard what Glen had done with the song, he was so impressed that he did not go back and add to the song.
I was 300 ft up in a Wind Turbine in West TX, When We heard that Glen Campbell passed away, We cranked up the I-phone and played this song Wichita Lineman in tribute while we were commissioning the turbine for the night. I will always remember where and what I was doing on this day RIP Glen Campbell
"Wichita Lineman," after over forty years in music, most of it professionally, remains the absolute most difficult song I have ever attempted to learn and master. And I still can't get it right--and maybe I never will. Glen employs chords I never even knew existed. And it is great artists like him who challenged me to work harder as a songwriter and musician. The thing with great songwriters and performers and entertainers like Glen Campbell, is that they make it appear and sound so easy and effortless and beautiful, but the music is much harder than it looks. To those of us hopefuls who attempt to emulate Campbell's work, his music always remains just a little bit out of reach, like some distant and mysterious angel. When you look up the word "Musician" in the dictionary, it's Glen Campbell's picture you see. The Great Glen Campbell passed away just today, August 8, 2017. But the Wichita Lineman is still on the line.
Totally agree Pete, Glen was a fantastic guitar player before becoming a singer. To my endless regret I've lost a very very early album I had of his that was just him playing guitar and in the notes said 'Glen is also hoping to expand his career into vocals" !!!! Brilliant allround muso, incredibly underrated guitar player, such and emotive singer, truly a real loss. I'm in Aus so never saw him live but had a double album live concert with Al DeLory conducting the backing music which I played to death. He closed with the Lord's Prayer and that would move you to tears no matter what your religious persusion.
Totally agree Pete, Glen was a fantastic guitar player before becoming a singer. To my endless regret I've lost a very very early album I had of his that was just him playing guitar and in the notes said 'Glen is also hoping to expand his career into vocals" !!!! Brilliant allround muso, incredibly underrated guitar player, such and emotive singer, truly a real loss. I'm in Aus so never saw him live but had a double album live concert with Al DeLory conducting the backing music which I played to death. He closed with the Lord's Prayer and that would move you to tears no matter what your religious persusion. ( the reason for the duplication of reply is because someone used my computer and set up and account!!).
Wichita Lineman was released when I was 13.....loved it then and love it now. Thank you, Pete, for your eloquent comments about a truly, gifted, irreplaceable artist!!!! May our "Rhinestone Cowboy" rest in peace!!!! 💛
I agree, Pete. I have always wondered if he was using some alternate tuning perhaps. Drop d? I can almost get it right, but there is something a little off.
One of the great late 1960s songs gives me goosebumps listening to this written by the genius Jimmy Webb who has written many songs for other pop artists
My father passed away over 15 years ago . He loved country music . I grew up listening to it . Every time I hear songs like this its as if he's still here and it brings tears to me when I know he's not
“Galveston” is so beautiful ♥️ I was driving when they announced Glen’s passing on the 60’s station on Sirius. The song they played was “Gentle on My Mind”
This is a type of music that brings back memories of an America that is forever gone - a time of innocence, virtue and integrity. I will forever cherish that America of my youth.
For 3 minutes this song transports whomever the listener is into the world of the Lineman. He is stoic, he is noble and he carries the love for his woman in his heart no matter how far he must go.
Glen's performance is so impressive as he looks straight into the camera - you feel he's signing to you only. He comes across as a sincere and genuine person.
My dad used to listen to this song. I hadn't thought of it in years, but for some reason it came into my head yesterday. I figure my late father was saying, "Hello!"
Your words touched me, but for a moment I didn't fully understand why. I'm probably of your dad's generation, as I would also listen to that song if I had a recording (maybe I do somewhere in my records). But I don't have a daughter; nobody to listen to it with me and learn it in their childhood. To me it's sweet that he had that, and that you remember him by it. But to you it might otherwise be just another song "from the old days", the way I thought of my own dad listening to, say, Benny Goodman. Bittersweet the way time passes, styles and artistry evolve, and memories become treasured. You'll appreciate that fact even more someday -- hopefully in a happy way. Thanks for your comment.
~ This song makes me feel like a child again and in this 21st century as a 59 yr old woman this song mr beautiful vocals and music ~ I loved watching your show when I was growing up ~ That was prime time viewing and that was a good time to be living ~ Love you man ~ mgf
sorry to hear it Rich, death has such a terrible sting. I am no stranger to it and you don't ever get over it no matter what people say. The pain dies a bit over time but no matter how old someone is too, it still hurts like mad. Some people also when a loved one gets alzheimers or dementia tend to grieve then sometimes more than when they pass away. Hope you get through it, do you have support? brothers and sisters?
Genie Meadows Hi Genie, yeah thanks so much. Yknow, you will never replace the space in your heart your Mom has always had. I am grateful I had her for 56 years. Again, dear thanks so much for your thoughts and I wish you and yours a wonderful holidays, sweetheart.
RIP to another great. So sad that we have lost all these great artists over the years and even sadder than that is there's nobody great to replace them!
I remember this beautiful song from when I was a child. I love the melodies & music that compliments Glen's voice. This song is a little bit of an emotional tear jerker, not only about love, in a manner of true loyalty, which is beautiful. But also, of how family & people & friends had a genuine love for one another. You felt comfortable & good in those days, knowing you could trust the people you know & love, sure do miss those days. I'm 62 yrs old now & really love hearing these type of kind of folklore songs from a time when things actually meant something.
@Honest Mark I am a "NUN" in a Convent. Eldest of 10 children. My Dad was in the Army so I was born in West Point Military Hospital on Base so...an Army Brat...
MY MOM IS DEAD AND GONE NOW. SHE SAID GLEN WAS THE PRETTIEST MAN GOD MADE.SHE ALWAYS CRIED WHEN HE SANG GALVESTON AND THE WICHITA LINEMAN.THANK YOU GLEN, GOD BLESS YOU.
Jimmy Webb, you're a genius, Glen Campbell, my dad loved your singing, he had an eight track in an infinite loop in our car, I cant hear this without it all flooding back.
@@siliconesaland credit Glen for recognizing that...and their mutual admiration began. We have all benefitted from their masterful relationship of song smith and songbird.
He was like a member of the family.......have Wichita Lineman on a 45... I listened to it over and over. I miss this man, but I am happy that he left us so many beautiful songs to play forever. This is a touching video of him singing.
it takes an artist to make phone company repair work a thing of beauty. but I guess that is the role of the great ones, they make us see things in ways we might not have thought of otherwise.
Wrecked to hear of Glen's death today. I was in high school when he was so popular and saw him many times in concert at the Astrodome. Heaven has gained a great and versatile musician!
I went to one of his concerts in the Astrodome too, people from all ages enjoyed him, its a pity he is gone, but his music will live on, just like John Denver
I remember going to piano lessons with my dad on a Saturday morning and hearing my dad singing along to this on the radio. One of those memories that feels like yesterday. The beauty of the song and my father's joy - and freedom - just he and I and the Pontiac.
I have always loved this song by Glen the most..it reminds me of a teenage years..the long Summer holidays....absolute classic.No one will ever take his place. Thanks Glen God bless you...Always missed x
Glen Campbell & songwriter Jimmy Webb ... felicitous connection. As for Wichita Lineman. I've been around a long long time. Heard them all ... Stardust, 3 coins in a Fountain, Young at Heart, Early Mornin' Rain, Yesterday, Amarillo by Mornin', Lovers (from House of ...Daggers), Mary in the Morning ... I humbly offer this up. Greatest song ever.
For the many times I've listened to this video I've always been impressed with how well performed he did it. I've seen other versions of Glen doing this song but this could be one of the best renditions of this great and haunting song. I'm sure when this aired on Smothers Brothers no one knew just how great it was.
I just love this and have since it came out when I was a kid. The world then was better in many respects and some of its achievements (music, space race) knock the current world almost 50 years later to shame.
Well, if my white boy world has to suffer a little to accomodate more fairness and opportunity for everybody, its all for the good - I just hope we all can get back to the best the world can offer.
This is my fave "semi-live" vid of Glenn doing this song, because he plays the lead break so closely to the studio cut - on a "baritone" guitar, or "Bass VI" (tuned lower than a standard guitar), fed into a pulsating "vibrato" circuit....same set-up as the ending to the studio cut of "Galveston"...as a kid growing up, even before I took up guitar, I loved that "boing-boing" sound, coming outta the car radio lol!
Buelligan88 On this vid, it's a "Fender Bass VI", which was like a guitar, but tuned an octave lower than a regular guitar...on the other hand, a "baritone guitar" is half-way between, it is tuned a fifth lower than a standard guitar...
So many beautiful comments here, and with the music echoing in my mind, I have tears in my eyes. This beautiful song makes me think there might be hope for us yet.
I so fondly remember listening to this song on my transistor radio in the darkness of my bedroom. It during a power failure due to an old fashioned New England nor'easter that whipped rain, snow and sleet against my window. It was the night of Sunday, Nov 18th, 1968. The power of music to connect old memories!! And the power of Glen's beautiful voice and spirit. He will be so missed!
RIP Glen Campbell - Country Music legend, superb vocalist and master guitarist, both as a headline performer and also as a session musician. The wistful Wichita Lineman (1968) is my all-time favourite of his.
I was a small kid when this came out I remember my parents playing it all the time and hearing it on the radio in the car while I slid around on those vinyl seats with no seat belts
This song always makes me cry! We moved from upstate New York to Texas when I was about 3. I can still remember this song playing in the car in Texas. I was with my Mom. She had a hard time adjusting, leaving her whole family back in NY and NJ to go off to such a culturally different place in the US, in the 1960s. I’m not sure, but I think my Mom may have been crying to this Glen Campbell song. It such a beautiful song and the way he sings it, with so much emotion and his southern accent, gets to me every time! I used to love to watch his TV show and had a BIG crush on him as a kid!!! Lol😊
In November, 1968 at the end of football season our Woonsocket High School senior team was treated to a weekend in NYC. We stayed at the Hotel Taft. This beautiful song is attached to my memory.
Possibly the greatest line ever: “....and I need you more than want you....and I want you for all time...”
Yes, chokes me up everytime I hear it.
the simplicity yet power and honesty of music of a gone by era. the older I get the more I miss it.
@@jonwilliams4047
I totally agree.. that’s when music was music❤️
As a lineman it hits different. It does something to you. Even if you wanted something else, you could never stop.
Yes.
This song is sweet, painfull nostalgia. I WAS a lineman for the county when this song was written and when I hear it I am transported back to driving the roads in my van. Like the song, I was a faultfinder. I could drive along looking up at the plethoro of wires for pairs of wires that had become twisted together - overloads. Hit the pole with a sledgehammer and if you're lucky the wires will untwist otherwise you have to climb the pole. In hot weather the copper wires expand and sag and touch, that's why he can't go on a vacation until it rains. When the wind blows it vibrates the wires and they whine (sing) . You can hear them when you are up the 'stick'. -singing. When it snows, the snow builds up all along the wires and the extra weight can cause them to break 'can't stand the strain'. Again, hit the pole with a sledgehammer and the snow springs off (or snaps the wire if you're unlucky, in which case you've got to run a new one.)
o
Thank you for writing this. Much appreciate the inside info.
your insight on these lyrics -is like incredible. the insight on the rain and hot weather sagging the copper --- this just makes this song even better.
Thank you for the facts on the song. And for your hard work
Wow that's actually very cool to know. Thanks for sharing it
As an infantry soldier in Vietnam (1970), I had a battery operated cassette player and Glen Campell's cassette with this song on it. So many evenings after foxholes were dug and fighting positions readied, this is the song that brought a bit of home to us as we'd watch the sun go down hoping to survive the night to see that sun again and play Campbell's song yet once again. (1/61st Infantry Mechanized, 5th Infantry Division, US Army - I Corps, DMZ area)
John Kieffer Glad you made it back home, soldier. And thank you!
John Kieffer Your storey is a cameo of the past and really made me think. Glad you made it back!
Wow great comment. Respect for your service Sir!
John Kieffer God bless you and thank you for your service, sir. Thank you for sharing such a powerful memory.
John Kieffer Thank you Mr Kieffer for your bravery and your service. My Dad was in Viet Nam and great music like this helped him keep his sanity. He passed away in 2005 and I miss him dearly. 27 years active duty....God bless all our service personnel.
I am a rap and R&B guy and I consider this one of the finest songs ever written. Glen Campbell at his best.
This! Music is still something that can help unite us! I love rap and cut my teeth on R&B. Be well! ✌🏻
Yes! I agree! It’s a masterpiece to me
He didn’t write it.
Jimmy Webb wrote this amazing song
@@DavidJones-sc6jc I know. Webb wrote it in like 5 minutes. The tempo was much different. Not nearly as beautiful. When they gave it to Campbell to record, he helped shape it into what we hear above. This is very much Campbell's song too and it shows him at his best.
This song...boy, this song. I remember as a kid riding in the back of our big ol' Chrysler New Yorker going on some road trip, heading to someplace with my parents and sister when this song would come on the radio. For the next 3 minutes there would be silence as it played; such great memories. Unfortunately, they have all left this world and are hopefully at a better place, but this song keeps them alive in my heart, thoughts, and prayers. Now I am not a country music fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this is one of my favorite songs of all time; so beautiful, and full of meaning for me.
Right on brother!
richcdswoods I think you can relate to what I wrote...thanks man.
flexicool - somehow our memories are quite similar. I was a teenager when Glen Campbell was a star. I live on the other side of the world, and happy to find people with the similar memories and emotional waves. Good bless all!
אלדד קינן Thanks for sharing your experience. Sometimes its recalling those good memories that keep us going forward.
It's sad how they all go, one by one leaving us with just the memories.
Driving my truck into the afternoon sun. No smart phone, three on the tree, dust on my window. This song comes on and I can breathe and relax. Many many years ago. Before the whole world lost it's damn mind.
That's. For sure 🤔
sorry for your loss
Could not have said that better myself....Those days are lost forever.
ad indeed bro indeed
a d The world has been "losing its mind" for 1000's of years already. Killing, torture, war, deceit, despair and madness have all been around for that long.
So unless you have been alive for millennia, I don't really see your point.
I am 71. I grew up listening to this. Glen Campbell never gets old, just better. Aug 2024...
I’m an 18 year old apprentice, my boss plays this song every morning to start the day. I love it
Wichita Lineman is a song that will never get old
Your boss has excellent taste
Good boss
It's a great song to have in your history... Someday when you are 60 years old....this song will approach being a century old....near forgotten, but it will be the rhythm that pulses through your memories. Best wishes 😀
Apprentice for telephone poles?
"I need you more than want you; and I want you for all time."
What a line. I wake up many mornings with this running through my mind.
It's that dynamic God put into the love between husband and wife that joins us, creates that need for one another. Profoundly beautiful.
Gene Trujillo
Me too, Gene
Among the best lines in a pop song ever.
James Daniels It really is - all the more surprising that the songwriter, Jimmy Webb, originally hated it and the “fake” rhyme (“time” and “line”) that follows - it took him years to finally appreciate its greatness
I wonder who he winked at while he was singing it?
I actually remember watching this as a 6 year old. We always watched the Smothers Brothers. I remember asking Dad what a lineman is...Dad did not answer so I turned to look at Dad...he was kissing Mom. They are both gone now...thanks for the memories Glen.
That's an awesome memory! Amazing what songs can do for us!
That memory is even more beautiful than the song. Thank you
Aww...that's so touching. Bless.
Heard this song at work when someone turned the radio channel over. I looked it up on here and saw your comment. Thank you for sharing that memory.
Fresh Look That's so lovely. :-)
Hard to believe this song is nearly 55 years old, and it's as beautiful today as it was in 1968. I bought the 45rpm when I was 10 when it first came out and I still play on you tube regularly.. The song still gives me goosebumps.
This truly is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written. Every time I hear it, I think of my late Mum, cooking in the farm kitchen when I was about 6, listening to the only AM radio station we had. I hear this, and it makes me miss her so very much.
Songs always bring back sad memories and sometimes good
Yes it is!
God Bless You, and may your dear Mother Rest in Peace...
The best x
where was the farm located?
I first heard Glen Campbell's hit, "Gentle on my Mind," when I was 12 years old - I was mesmerized by his voice, the words to the song, and the music itself. It never occurred to me that he was considered 'country.' That album, Gentle On My Mind," was the first vinyl album I purchased, and it took a great deal of baby-sitting money for me to buy it.
The following year, in 1968, I was definitely a Glen Campbell fan and continued to love all his subsequent albums, especially those songs which were written by Jimmy Webb. "Wichita Lineman" is probably my favorite, followed by "Where's the Playground Susie," and "Galveston."
It's heartbreaking to know that Glen is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease...probably one of the worst conditions of aging, and to watch a loved one disappear in front of your eyes is unimaginable. My heartfelt love and compassion goes his family, and to ALL those who are living and caring for a friend or loved one who is suffering from this cruel disease.
Very nice comment !
its very hard
+celestial1933 Campbell singing his own composition is quite good but for a great version of "Gentle on my mind" listen to Dean Martin singing it.
celestial1933 you do know that Glen Cambell was one of the last saints of the soul.His music reached an untouchable secret place where only those who have it will understand me..
My Dad bought that album for me. Just because. he came home from work with it when I was sick.
I turned 60 today.8/4/24.'Wichita Lineman' is my favorite song of all time! Huge thanks to Jimmy Webb and Glen Campbell for bringing this stunning masterpiece to life! Blessed be.
My dad died from Alzheimer’s. He’s my line man. This the most haunting and beautiful song . Touching
Glen died of the same disease. 💔 May they both Rest In Peace.
This is a beautiful explanation of what love is.
Arguably, THE finest C & W song of all-time. KUDOS to Al De Lory, who arranged , orchestrated, & produced Jimmy Webb's Masterpiece for Glenn. RIP, to both of you. --------------------MJL, 76 y/o
Hard to believe this song is nearly 50 years old, and it's as beautiful today as it was in 1968. I bought the 45 when it first came out and I still have it, scratches and all. The song still gives me goosebumps.
every vinyl is unique
Ain't the VINYL part of it.
Tyler Crockett it feels as though it was yesterday....I was not quite a teen...miss him
I was just listening to this song and playing along for the one millionth time. One of the greatest songs of all time, written by Jimmy Webb.
so good to know good folks still love great music, and yes ,jimmy Webb, cheers Joe
Jim Gallagher agree. Beautiful song
I love you, Mom. I will miss you forever. We sang this song "that"day. I'll never forget. Goodbye momma....
One of the most beautiful songs ever written, and sung by the only singer who could do it justice.
This is better than the studio version.
Amazing that he went several years as a professional musician without ever singing. Truly a great voice.
This was played at my dad's funeral yesterday.
god bless your dad
My sympathies.
Beautiful rip your dad
sorry about your dad's passing, shows that he was a soulful man. hold on to his memories, my father passed on 19yrs ago and i still miss him
May he rest in peace!!
I remember hearing this on AM radio at night in the 60's while driving down a country road to my grandparents.
It was a beautiful experience.
"I need you more than want you" one of the great lines of all time. Classic.
Couldn't agree more, but of course the way it is delivered in this particular melody by this particular singer gives it power off the charts! I was going to comment saying the exact same thing, but I figured it was so obvious someone already did, and you did, so now I don't have to! 😁
I love Glen his music is awesome
I was a kid watching good time hour.i loved him
Glen was the best
Jimmy Webb--wow!
His lyrics are so pure---great simple poetry of the everyday working man. Oh and that guitar!
Reminds me of my Uncle Donny, who was a Lineman in Iowa for 30 years. He died in 2003, and I still miss him.
An absolute classic. Hard to place it in any specific genre, just a timeless piece of music.
+David Cook An old friend of mine (back in the 1970's) used to call it country-folk rock... covering all the bases I guess... :)
+David Cook 1965 -1967 A time of the "British Invasion" Doo Wop was out of fashion.. ... As far as a Genre .... I would say it was "Americana "
No specific genre because it was written by Jimmy Webb, a songsmith who was peerless and uncategorizable. Musical genius: MacArthur Park, e.g.
I was a rock guitar player at this time but the Jimmy Webb / Glen Campbell union was one of the greatest - I didn't think of it as 'country' etc - just amazing lyrics and melody.
I was 8 when this song came out, liked it then. but there is something about it that brings me to tears every time I hear it .For me, it's not so much the words, though the lyrics are awesome and the music suits them very well. It's the haunting melody, the arrangement, and the way it just touches my soul. That makes it very special.
My sentiments exactly!
Agree! Always reminds me of my late father
Songs are time capsules, and have that ability to pull us right back to the time we first heard them. They haunt in that way also, in addition to the truths you already laid out, because the trip all the way back in time to it is not always pleasant. Speaking of society in general, so much has gotten so much more complicated, perverse, and just plain wicked, it can evoke a disturbing, haunting feeling like you say, to be able to return to a simpler, cleaner time. What a song!
Same with me It’s magical
I cry every time I hear it. Reminds me of my childhood and my Daddy. Sadly, he passed years ago-from Early Onset Alzheimer’s.
RIP Glen Campbell.... A voice as clear and crystalline as a mountain stream. Absolutely terrific video, thanks for the memories.
davidhertzberg Mountain stream comparisons? Really?
Vertical Horizon Sorry, do I know you?
davidhertzberg really, his voice. Gives me chills, and seeing him "singing" it, even better.
+davidhertzberg do you remember that i need you more than i want you.
+davidhertzberg so true..yes..the description "crystalline as a mountain stream" is how best describes the feeling i got.
One of the most beautiful songs ever. Thank you Glen Cambell, thank you Jimmy Webb!
I was reading an interesting story about the song Wichita Lineman, and I think I have it right. Apparently, the reason that the song is so short is that when it was brought to Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb said that it was unfinished, and that he had intended to go back and add more to it. Once he heard what Glen had done with the song, he was so impressed that he did not go back and add to the song.
top talent..
foghorn25 I
I was 300 ft up in a Wind Turbine in West TX, When We heard that Glen Campbell passed away, We cranked up the I-phone and played this song Wichita Lineman in tribute while we were commissioning the turbine for the night. I will always remember where and what I was doing on this day RIP Glen Campbell
Whenever I hear this song everything seems ok in the world, even when its not.
I could listen to this all day long. So beautiful
Same here I replay it a few times a week . I love this song .
Cherie Laub Heard this on the radio today. Not heard it since I was a boy. Top tune!
What a great song is. I'm glad you're able to listen to it
Cherie Laub hey gorgeous call me 916 416 6697.
"Wichita Lineman," after over forty years in music, most of it professionally, remains the absolute most difficult song I have ever attempted to learn and master. And I still can't get it right--and maybe I never will. Glen employs chords I never even knew existed. And it is great artists like him who challenged me to work harder as a songwriter and musician.
The thing with great songwriters and performers and entertainers like Glen Campbell, is that they make it appear and sound so easy and effortless and beautiful, but the music is much harder than it looks. To those of us hopefuls who attempt to emulate Campbell's work, his music always remains just a little bit out of reach, like some distant and mysterious angel.
When you look up the word "Musician" in the dictionary, it's Glen Campbell's picture you see.
The Great Glen Campbell passed away just today, August 8, 2017.
But the Wichita Lineman is still on the line.
Totally agree Pete, Glen was a fantastic guitar player before becoming a singer. To my endless regret I've lost a very very early album I had of his that was just him playing guitar and in the notes said 'Glen is also hoping to expand his career into vocals" !!!! Brilliant allround muso, incredibly underrated guitar player, such and emotive singer, truly a real loss. I'm in Aus so never saw him live but had a double album live concert with Al DeLory conducting the backing music which I played to death. He closed with the Lord's Prayer and that would move you to tears no matter what your religious persusion.
Totally agree Pete, Glen was a fantastic guitar player before becoming a singer. To my endless regret I've lost a very very early album I had of his that was just him playing guitar and in the notes said 'Glen is also hoping to expand his career into vocals" !!!! Brilliant allround muso, incredibly underrated guitar player, such and emotive singer, truly a real loss. I'm in Aus so never saw him live but had a double album live concert with Al DeLory conducting the backing music which I played to death. He closed with the Lord's Prayer and that would move you to tears no matter what your religious persusion. ( the reason for the duplication of reply is because someone used my computer and set up and account!!).
Couldn't agree more , hard to believe Glen didn't read notes, thanks .
Wichita Lineman was released when I was 13.....loved it then and love it now. Thank you, Pete, for your eloquent comments about a truly, gifted, irreplaceable artist!!!! May our "Rhinestone Cowboy" rest in peace!!!! 💛
I agree, Pete. I have always wondered if he was using some alternate tuning perhaps. Drop d? I can almost get it right, but there is something a little off.
No wonder my mum loved him. "And I need you more than want you. And I want you for all time."
This is my favourite song of all time. Exquisite.
Mine as well
* Pure Heaven In His Voice * Witchta Lineman Is My Favorite Song Of All Time *
Mine too :-)
* September 16 , 2016 * I Was Here *
Mine also .
Kim Swisher mine also..It hits that secret spot in the soul of the hurt and lonely..Just like me....
I just discovered this song. I'm the last person who you'd say would like country, but this is a great song!
One of the great late 1960s songs gives me goosebumps listening to this written by the genius Jimmy Webb who has written many songs for other pop artists
Jimmy wrote several big hits that Glenn sang
My father passed away over 15 years ago . He loved country music . I grew up listening to it . Every time I hear songs like this its as if he's still here and it brings tears to me when I know he's not
I was 12 when this song came out in 1968 ! Love this song and its a really pretty song and rest in peace Glen !
This song brings back so many wonderful memories.
Thank you.
George Vreeland Hill
Doesn't just.
This song and 'Galveston' are my fave Glen Campbell songs.
Me too! Both Jimmy Webb songs. "Galveston" is one of the most powerful anti-war songs ... ever.
Jimmy Webb is such a great song writer!
“Galveston” is so beautiful ♥️ I was driving when they announced Glen’s passing on the 60’s station on Sirius. The song they played was “Gentle on My Mind”
This is a type of music that brings back memories of an America that is forever gone - a time of innocence, virtue and integrity. I will forever cherish that America of my youth.
For 3 minutes this song transports whomever the listener is into the world of the Lineman. He is stoic, he is noble and he carries the love for his woman in his heart no matter how far he must go.
Glen's performance is so impressive as he looks straight into the camera - you feel he's signing to you only. He comes across as a sincere and genuine person.
My! He was so young and handsome. I loved this song. So pure and straight from the heart.❤
My dad used to listen to this song. I hadn't thought of it in years, but for some reason it came into my head yesterday. I figure my late father was saying, "Hello!"
Your words touched me, but for a moment I didn't fully understand why. I'm probably of your dad's generation, as I would also listen to that song if I had a recording (maybe I do somewhere in my records). But I don't have a daughter; nobody to listen to it with me and learn it in their childhood. To me it's sweet that he had that, and that you remember him by it. But to you it might otherwise be just another song "from the old days", the way I thought of my own dad listening to, say, Benny Goodman. Bittersweet the way time passes, styles and artistry evolve, and memories become treasured. You'll appreciate that fact even more someday -- hopefully in a happy way. Thanks for your comment.
RIP Glen. My Mother adored you, hope she meets you in heaven.
~ This song makes me feel like a child again and in this 21st century as a 59 yr old woman this song mr beautiful vocals and music ~ I loved watching your show when I was growing up ~ That was prime time viewing and that was a good time to be living ~ Love you man ~ mgf
My Mom just died from Alzheimer's last week. We are devastated. I have never been so sad in my life. God bless her and Glenn Campbell.
So sorry for your loss Rich...........You can't love anybody like Mother and no one can love you like Mom.
Thank you, buddy, so much and you are so right. There is no love like a Mom's love. I wish you a wonderful holidays for you and yours, my friend.
Lost my mom in October to cancer. Lost my dad 12 years ago to alzheimers. I feel your pain.
sorry to hear it Rich, death has such a terrible sting. I am no stranger to it and you don't ever get over it
no matter what people say. The pain dies a bit over time but no matter how old someone is too, it still
hurts like mad. Some people also when a loved one gets alzheimers or dementia tend to grieve then sometimes more
than when they pass away. Hope you get through it, do you have support? brothers and sisters?
Genie Meadows Hi Genie, yeah thanks so much. Yknow, you will never replace the space in your heart your Mom has always had. I am grateful I had her for 56 years. Again, dear thanks so much for your thoughts and I wish you and yours a wonderful holidays, sweetheart.
This is what heaven sounds like. Thanks you for sharing Mr Campbell.
i hate those youyube users who cant stand disagreements.
I disagree
Ooi Hock Khai: better not hate anybody you shall only damage yourself. Simply disagree with them and that is all. Regards.
Givingitashot. what a talent he was
so true & well said!!
RIP to another great. So sad that we have lost all these great artists over the years and even sadder than that is there's nobody great to replace them!
Adas that is so thruee
Douwe Bob
Adas, our 'society' has peaked culturally & Spiritually. Dear GOD Almighty i hope i am Wrong!
+Preston Wagner no, you are right....for the moment anyway
There is nobody to replace these greats.
I remember this beautiful song from when I was a child. I love the melodies & music that compliments Glen's voice. This song is a little bit of an emotional tear jerker, not only about love, in a manner of true loyalty, which is beautiful. But also, of how family & people & friends had a genuine love for one another. You felt comfortable & good in those days, knowing you could trust the people you know & love, sure do miss those days. I'm 62 yrs old now & really love hearing these type of kind of folklore songs from a time when things actually meant something.
Makes me cry every time I hear it.
Same, such a beautiful song!
Tisha McGrew
I get goosebumps, too.
@Tisha...you got a big stupid eye for your Profile Pic. Is that your eye?
Same
You too huh Tish
Wow sounds so good hard to believe this will very soon be 50 Years ago!
Whenever I spot this on You Tube, I have to watch. Glen was brilliant.
This song is simply beautiful.
20 year old Big City Millennial Checking In. Absolutely love this song. Has a Sense of Peace and Calmness that just can't be replicated elsewhere.
Glen Campbell recorded many great songs, however this is my personal favorite!
Mine to
I absolutely loved Glen Campbell...this song did it for me.
@Honest Mark Fine, thank you 😊 God bless your day.
@Honest Mark - USA...and YOU???
@Honest Mark Are you a Serviceman??? ARMY, NAVY, etc.?
@Honest Mark I am a "NUN" in a Convent. Eldest of 10 children. My Dad was in the Army so I was born in West Point Military Hospital on Base so...an Army Brat...
@Honest Mark NUMERICALLY - OLDER THAN MOUNT SINAI BUT PHYSICALLY - DISCO QUEEN...
Just the best song ever written...and performed.
Beautiful song. Brings back very happy memories for me when my Mum used to sing along to this song when it was played on the Radio.
MY MOM IS DEAD AND GONE NOW. SHE SAID GLEN WAS THE PRETTIEST MAN GOD MADE.SHE ALWAYS CRIED WHEN HE SANG GALVESTON AND THE WICHITA LINEMAN.THANK YOU GLEN, GOD BLESS YOU.
I'm going to have to disagree respectfully, Elvis was the most beautiful there was. Elvis almost makes me believe in God.
Where do you think Elvis came from with his musical gifts, random chance?
Jen Frank Wrong thread!. What does Wichita Lineman and Glen Campbell have to do with Elvis?
Why don't you read it again!
awwww...God Bless you and your mom...she had great test!
OMG. I never realized how beautiful his voice was. AND he was CUTE!!!!
My late Mum loved Glenn and this song. Beautiful, so many memories . I just got engaged and this is a sign from above x
5 years, not together, oh dear! Happy Birthday 🎂 3 May 2024 to my fiancee! UK
Jimmy Webb, you're a genius, Glen Campbell, my dad loved your singing, he had an eight track in an infinite loop in our car, I cant hear this without it all flooding back.
Blackbrooke credit to Jimmy ... songsmith
@@siliconesaland credit Glen for recognizing that...and their mutual admiration began. We have all benefitted from their masterful relationship of song smith and songbird.
This is one of those songs that slowly sends chills up your spine. What a great song.
I used to play my dads album back when I was a teenager.I used to love this song.
He was like a member of the family.......have Wichita Lineman on a 45... I listened to it over and over. I miss this man, but I am happy that he left us so many beautiful songs to play forever. This is a touching video of him singing.
"searchin in the sun for another overload".. .. there will never be a song again as grand as this one
it takes an artist to make phone company repair work a thing of beauty. but I guess that is the role of the great ones, they make us see things in ways we might not have thought of otherwise.
OH I AGREE,. SO WELL SAID CLAIRE
it makes me cry...cry for times of sunshine before my mum got what glen has today.
my mom died last year april 17 2013 age 86-- sorry about your mom kay jones
thanks julie sorry to hear about yours too.life goes on.xx
Wrecked to hear of Glen's death today. I was in high school when he was so popular and saw him many times in concert at the Astrodome. Heaven has gained a great and versatile musician!
I went to one of his concerts in the Astrodome too, people from all ages enjoyed him, its a pity he is gone, but his music will live on, just like John Denver
I remember going to piano lessons with my dad on a Saturday morning and hearing my dad singing along to this on the radio. One of those memories that feels like yesterday. The beauty of the song and my father's joy - and freedom - just he and I and the Pontiac.
When i hear this song i think of my folks when we lived on the farm.❤❤❤❤❤
I have always loved this song by Glen the most..it reminds me of a teenage years..the long Summer holidays....absolute classic.No one will ever take his place. Thanks Glen God bless you...Always missed x
Always reminds me of my mum. She loved this song. I miss her so much.
Glen Campbell & songwriter Jimmy Webb ... felicitous connection. As for Wichita Lineman. I've been around a long long time. Heard them all ... Stardust, 3 coins in a Fountain, Young at Heart, Early Mornin' Rain, Yesterday, Amarillo by Mornin', Lovers (from House of ...Daggers), Mary in the Morning ... I humbly offer this up. Greatest song ever.
For the many times I've listened to this video I've always been impressed with how well performed he did it. I've seen other versions of Glen doing this song but this could be one of the best renditions of this great and haunting song. I'm sure when this aired on Smothers Brothers no one knew just how great it was.
I just love this and have since it came out when I was a kid. The world then was better in many respects and some of its achievements (music, space race) knock the current world almost 50 years later to shame.
I saw your comment and couldn't agree more.
Thanks - I think its pretty telling we havent built on the achievement of the space shuttle or concorde.
Yes, the world was and still is better for a white boy/man.
Well, if my white boy world has to suffer a little to accomodate more fairness and opportunity for everybody, its all for the good - I just hope we all can get back to the best the world can offer.
Whoops Do I hear the race card being pulled? So typical .
This is my fave "semi-live" vid of Glenn doing this song, because he plays the lead break so closely to the studio cut - on a "baritone" guitar, or "Bass VI" (tuned lower than a standard guitar), fed into a pulsating "vibrato" circuit....same set-up as the ending to the studio cut of "Galveston"...as a kid growing up, even before I took up guitar, I loved that "boing-boing" sound, coming outta the car radio lol!
james parker Never knew that was a baritone guitar.
Buelligan88 On this vid, it's a "Fender Bass VI", which was like a guitar, but tuned an octave lower than a regular guitar...on the other hand, a "baritone guitar" is half-way between, it is tuned a fifth lower than a standard guitar...
james parker He used a Danelectro in the studio.
Melts me!!! What a loving song!
Timeless and beautiful. Why do I cry every time?. Galveston not far behind. The Webb/Campbell purple patch, they really clicked.
"AND I NEED YOU MORE THAN WANT YOU
So many beautiful comments here, and with the music echoing in my mind, I have tears in my eyes. This beautiful song makes me think there might be hope for us yet.
They had this song on Season 2 Episode 9 of the brilliant Netflix show "Ozark"....Absolute brilliance how they incorporated this beautiful song...
With all respect to both Webb and Ozark - that was nice !
First time I heard it there, and have loved it ever since
I so fondly remember listening to this song on my transistor radio in the darkness of my bedroom. It during a power failure due to an old fashioned New England nor'easter that whipped rain, snow and sleet against my window. It was the night of Sunday, Nov 18th, 1968. The power of music to connect old memories!! And the power of Glen's beautiful voice and spirit. He will be so missed!
Always reminds me of my dad.
Mine to he was one of the biggest Glen camble fans of all times
HaHa Mine was a lineman.
EPIC SONG THAT WILL SURVIVE THE AGES.....TIMELESS!
R.I.P. Glen Travis Campbell you sang one of if not the greatest lyric of all time
My dad was a Lineman. I used to go out with him in the 50s. Every time I hear this song I look up and smile.
Mom
& dad’s favourite song.. they are both gone now.. bittersweet beauty
My dad went years ago but my mum a few months ago, she loved Glen X
I'd forgotten how beautiful this song is. Very emotional.
I already feel better.Hate these times.
I didn't appreciate this song when I was younger, but as I've aged I realize it's one of the finest songs ever written by Jimmy Webb and sang by GTC.
Being a lineman this song has always been special for me , another fine singer that will be greatly missed................
RIP Glen Campbell - Country Music legend, superb vocalist and master guitarist, both as a headline performer and also as a session musician.
The wistful Wichita Lineman (1968) is my all-time favourite of his.
I remember hearing this song on the radio as a child as my father was building his free flight airplanes in the garage. Where has the time gone?
I was a small kid when this came out I remember my parents playing it all the time and hearing it on the radio in the car while I slid around on those vinyl seats with no seat belts
This is Glenn at his “BEST” What a Voice!!! Guitar playing and at his Best Health..RIP God sure Blessed you!!
I need you more than want you
And I want you for all time!
I love songs written by Jimmy Webb
Reed C i
This song always makes me cry! We moved from upstate New York to Texas when I was about 3. I can still remember this song playing in the car in Texas. I was with my Mom. She had a hard time adjusting, leaving her whole family back in NY and NJ to go off to such a culturally different place in the US, in the 1960s. I’m not sure, but I think my Mom may have been crying to this Glen Campbell song. It such a beautiful song and the way he sings it, with so much emotion and his southern accent, gets to me every time! I used to love to watch his TV show and had a BIG crush on him as a kid!!! Lol😊
In November, 1968 at the end of football season our Woonsocket High School senior team was treated to a weekend in NYC. We stayed at the Hotel Taft. This beautiful song is attached to my memory.