MacArthur Park (song)

Last updated
"MacArthur Park"
MacAruthurParkSingle.jpg
US single picture sleeve (also used for the West German release)
Single by Richard Harris
from the album A Tramp Shining
B-side "Didn't We?"
ReleasedApril 1968
RecordedDecember 21, 1967
Studio Sound Recorders, Hollywood
Genre Pop
Length7:21
Label Dunhill
Songwriter(s) Jimmy Webb
Producer(s) Jimmy Webb
Richard Harris singles chronology
"Here in My Heart (Theme from This Sporting Life)"
(1963)
"MacArthur Park"
(1968)
"The Yard Went on Forever"
(1968)

"MacArthur Park" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first in 1967 by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1970 Grammy-winning version by country singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 disco version by Donna Summer in 1978. [1] Webb won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the Harris version. [2]

Contents

Composition

"MacArthur Park" was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967 as part of a cantata. Webb brought the entire cantata to the Association, but the group rejected it. [3] The inspiration for the song was his relationship and breakup with Susie Horton. [4] MacArthur Park, in Los Angeles, was where the couple would occasionally meet for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. [5] At that time (the middle of 1965), Horton worked for Aetna insurance, whose offices were across the street from the park. [1] When asked by interviewer Terry Gross what was going through his mind when he wrote the song's lyrics, Webb replied that it was meant to be symbolic and referred to the end of a love affair. [6] In an interview with Newsday in October 2014, Webb explained:

Everything in the song was visible. There's nothing in it that's fabricated. The old men playing checkers by the trees, the cake that was left out in the rain, all of the things that are talked about in the song are things I actually saw. And so it's a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park. ... Back then, I was kind of like an emotional machine, like whatever was going on inside me would bubble out of the piano and onto paper. [4]

Webb and Horton remained friends, even after her marriage to another man. The breakup was also the primary influence for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", another song written and composed by Webb. [1]

The idea to write and compose a classically structured song with several movements that could be played on the radio came from a challenge by music producer Bones Howe, who produced recordings for the Association. [4]

Offer to the Association

Sunshine pop band the Association had several hits in the mid-1960s, including "Windy" and "Cherish", which went to number one. In 1967, the group's producer, Bones Howe, asked Jimmy Webb to create a pop song with different movements and changing time signatures.

Webb delivered "MacArthur Park" to Howe with "everything he wanted", but Howe did not care for the ambitious arrangement and unorthodox lyrics. Ultimately, the song was rejected by the group. [7]

Richard Harris original version

Background and release

"MacArthur Park" was first recorded by Richard Harris after he met the composer at a fundraiser in East Los Angeles, California, in late 1967. Webb had been invited to provide the musical backdrop at the piano. Out of the blue, Harris, who had just starred in the film Camelot and had performed several musical numbers in it, suggested to Webb that he wanted to release a record. At first, Webb did not take Harris seriously, but later he received a telegram from Harris requesting that Webb "come to London and make a record". [1] Webb flew to London and played Harris a number of songs for the project, but none seemed to fit Harris for his pop music debut. The last song that Webb played for Harris was "MacArthur Park". [1]

The track was recorded on December 21, 1967, at Armin Steiner's Sound Recorders in Hollywood. String, woodwind, and brass overdubs were recorded over two sessions on December 29 and 30. [8] The musicians in the original studio recording included members of the Wrecking Crew of Los Angeles-based studio musicians who played on many of the hit records of the 1960s and 1970s. Personnel used included Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass guitar, and Tommy Tedesco and Mike Deasy on guitars, along with Webb himself on harpsichord.

The song was included on Harris's album A Tramp Shining in 1968 and selected for release as a single, an unusual choice given the song's length and complex structure. It was released in April 1968 [9] and was played by 77 WABC on Tuesday April 9, 1968. [10] It made its way into the Hot 100 at number 79 on May 11, 1968, peaking at number 2 on June 22, 1968, behind Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You". It peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey and was number 8 on WABC's overall 1968 chart. [11] It topped the music charts in Europe and Australia and also won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). [12]

Chart history

Donna Summer version

"MacArthur Park"
Donnamacarthur.jpg
Spanish single picture sleeve (also used for the German release with different text)
Single by Donna Summer
from the album Live and More
B-side
  • "Once Upon a Time" (Live) (U.S.)
  • "Last Dance" (Live) (France)
  • "MacArthur Park" (Part 2) (Japan)
  • "One of a Kind" (12-inch)
  • "Heaven Knows (12-inch)
  • "MacArthur Park Suite" (12-inch)
ReleasedAugust 28, 1978
Recorded1978
Genre Disco
Length8:27 (album version)
3:59 (single version)
17:47 (with reprise)
Label Casablanca
Songwriter(s) Jimmy Webb
Producer(s)
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Je t'aime... moi non plus"
(1978)
"MacArthur Park"
(1978)
"Heaven Knows"
(1978)

Background and release

In August 1978, American singer Donna Summer released a multi-million selling vinyl single disco version of "MacArthur Park". The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 11, 1978, for three weeks, and earned Summer her first nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Italian producer Giorgio Moroder would recall that he and his collaborator Pete Bellotte had been interested in the concept of either remixing a track – as yet undecided on – which had been a hit in the 1960s or else remaking a 1960s hit as a dance track: Moroder – "I remember that I was driving in ... on the Hollywood Freeway, and I heard the original song [i.e. "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris] on the radio. I thought: 'That's it – that's the song we've been looking for for almost a year.'" Moroder asked Neil Bogart, president of Casablanca Records, to provide him with a copy of the Richard Harris version of "MacArthur Park" to serve as the basis for Moroder's envisioned discofied reinvention: Bogart obliged with an 8-track tape containing Harris's version, prompting Moroder to buy an 8-track player in order to hear it. [21]

Moroder readily identified "MacArthur Park" as (quote) "a great song for Donna – with all those high notes, it was perfect [for her] ... First, I [located] a key that she could sing really high, but still with a big voice – that took an hour or two. I played a little piano and she sang it with my accompaniment. We found a key and we had Greg Mathieson do the arrangement – and then I did something very special" – that "something very special" being Moroder's recording of his own voice to form a choir heard behind Summer on the song's chorus: "I recorded about 20 seconds of all the notes, which I was able to sing on a 24-track. I made a loop of those notes, and put that loop in the [Solid State Logic] desk. I could form eight chords by having C-E-G right on the group. I played the chords by moving the track according to the chord that I needed." Of basing a discofied arrangement on the template for Webb's arrangement on the Harris version Moroder would recall: "To be honest, it was a very difficult song to [arrange], especially the brass, but we had the best musicians in town." [21]

Summer's recording of "MacArthur Park", included as part of the "MacArthur Park Suite" on her double album Live and More , was eight minutes and forty seconds long. The shorter seven-inch vinyl single version – which omits the song's balladic second movement – afforded Summer her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, also becoming the last of seven hit versions of compositions by Jimmy Webb to reach the Top Ten on the Hot 100, with "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer being the only recording of a Webb composition to top the Hot 100.

Record World reported that this version produces a "dazzling" effect and that "the syn-drums and inspired production techniques are occasional and dramatic." [22]

The nearly 18-minute musical medley "MacArthur Park Suite" incorporated the original songs "One of a Kind" and "Heaven Knows", the latter being issued as the second single off Live and More. This medley was also sold as a 12-inch (30 cm) vinyl recording, and it stayed at number one on Billboard 's Hot Dance Club Songs chart for five weeks in 1978.

The versions of this medley in Live and More and in the 12-inch recording are notably different in the presentation of the two original songs. In the 12-inch version, "Heaven Knows" was extended to incorporate the instrumental string introduction and the bridge horn solo of the single version for radio stations, but left out the second verse, and "One of a Kind" was trimmed of a large part of the instrumental break but included the second verse. Lyrically, Summer's rendition is also curious, in that it adds the word "Chinese" to clarify what type of checkers was being played.

"MacArthur Park Suite" was not included on the compact disc version of Live and More because of early CD limitations; however, the album version is available on 1987's The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles . The 12-inch Special One-Sided Disco DJ Single has been digitally remastered and included on the Bad Girls digipak double CD release. In 2012, "Live and More" was remastered in Japan and included the original LP version of the "MacArthur Park Suite".

In 2013, the song was remixed by Laidback Luke for the Donna Summer remix album Love To Love You Donna (it was also remixed by Ralphi Rosario and Frank Lamboy), which was released to dance clubs all over America, having a successful peaking at No. 1, giving Summer her first posthumous No. 1 and her twentieth No. 1 overall. [23]

British electronic duo Pet Shop Boys used a sample of Summer's version in their 1999 song New York City Boy .

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [42] Gold75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] Silver250,000^
United States (RIAA) [44] Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by country music singer Waylon Jennings on his 1969 album Country-Folk , which included the family group the Kimberlys. This version charted at number 23 on Hot Country Songs and number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, making its chart debut on August 23, 1969. [45] It also won both acts the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. [45] [46] It was revisited in 1976 by Jennings, on his album Are You Ready for the Country .

In late 1969, Tony Bennett's cover reached No. 39 on the US Easy Listening chart and No. 40 Canadian Adult Contemporary. [47]

The Four Tops version (1971) reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [48] and number 37 in Canada. [49] The Andy Williams version (1972) debuted on the Easy Listening chart in early August and rose to number 26 over the course of five weeks. [50]

A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by Scottish progressive rock band Beggars Opera on their 1972 album Pathfinder . Their eight-minute version was panned by music critic Paul Stump who said that the band "over-eggs the already indigestible pudding" of the song. [51]

In 1993, "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of the song, entitled "Jurassic Park," as the lead single to his album Alapalooza . [52]

There are at least 218 versions of the song recorded on the SecondHandSongs database. [53]

The song has been featured in a variety of films, including Private Parts , The Nickel Ride (both 1972), Going Ape! (1981), Falling Down (1993), Volcano (1997), Training Day (2001), Havoc , Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (both 2005), and Drive (2011). Both Harris' and Summer's versions of "MacArthur Park" appear in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024); Summer's is heard during the film's opening production logos and closing credits, [54] while, in a similar manner as "Day-O" in the first film, Harris' version is performed during a wedding scene, where it is lip-synched and danced to by the cast.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Summer</span> American singer (1948–2012)

Donna Adrian Gaines, known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Feel Love</span> 1977 single by Donna Summer

"I Feel Love" is a song by the American singer Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, I Remember Yesterday (1977). The album concept was to have each track evoke a different musical decade; for "I Feel Love", the team aimed to create a futuristic mood, employing a Moog synthesizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Dance (Donna Summer song)</span> 1978 single by Donna Summer

"Last Dance" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from the soundtrack album to the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. It was written by Paul Jabara, co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Stephen Short, whose backing vocals are featured in the song.

<i>Live and More</i> 1978 live album by Donna Summer

Live and More is the first live album recorded by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, and it was her second double album, released on August 28, 1978 by Casablanca Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)</span> 1979 song by Donna Summer

"Hot Stuff" is a song by Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer, and Keith Forsey released as the lead single by American singer Donna Summer on her seventh studio album Bad Girls, produced by English producer Pete Bellotte and Italian producer Giorgio Moroder in 1979 through Casablanca Records. Up to that point, Summer had mainly been associated with disco songs but this song also showed a significant rock direction, including a guitar solo by ex-Doobie Brother and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. It is the second of four songs by Summer to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Girls (Donna Summer song)</span> 1979 single by Donna Summer

"Bad Girls" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer from her 1979 seventh studio album of the same name. Casablanca Records released it as the album's second single on June 23, 1979. The song was produced by Summer's regular collaborators Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and co-written by Summer and the members of Brooklyn Dreams, Bruce Sudano, Joe "Bean" Esposito and Edward "Eddie" Hokenson.

<i>I Remember Yesterday</i> 1977 studio album by Donna Summer

I Remember Yesterday is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on May 13, 1977, seven months after the release of her previous album. Like her previous three albums, it was a concept album, this time seeing Summer combining the recent disco sound with various sounds of the past. I Remember Yesterday includes the singles "Can't We Just Sit Down ", "I Feel Love", the title track, "Love's Unkind" and "Back in Love Again". "I Feel Love" and "Love's Unkind" proved to be the album's most popular and enduring hits, the former of which came to be one of Summer's signature songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)</span> 1979 song

"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" is a 1979 song recorded by American singers Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer. It was written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts, and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Gary Klein. The song was recorded for Streisand's Wet album and also as a new track for Summer's compilation double album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II. The full-length version was found on Streisand's album, while a longer 11-minute edit (the 12" version) was featured on Summer's album. The longer 12" version features additional production by frequent collaborator Harold Faltermeyer, and incorporates a harder rock edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On the Radio (Donna Summer song)</span> 1979 single by Donna Summer

"On the Radio" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, produced by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, and released in late 1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II.

<i>On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II is the first greatest hits album by American singer Donna Summer, released on October 15, 1979.

<i>The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles</i> 1987 compilation album by Donna Summer

The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles is a compilation album by Donna Summer released in 1987. Summer had become the biggest star of the disco era in the 1970s when signed to Casablanca Records. By 1987, Summer was signed to the Geffen label, and Casablanca had long since been bought out by Polygram. This album was released on Polygram's Casablanca label. It features some of her most famous songs from the disco era in their extended 12" versions, as they would often have been played in the clubs during their popularity.

<i>Endless Summer: Donna Summers Greatest Hits</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on November 8, 1994. It contains many of Summer's best known songs, from her 1970s breakthrough to the release of the album. Unlike 1993's The Donna Summer Anthology, which contains the majority of the songs in their original longer forms, Endless Summer generally includes single versions of the songs. However, the version sold in the United Kingdom uses the album version of the track "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt",, not the more club-oriented mix released as a single there.

<i>Live & More Encore</i> 1999 live album by Donna Summer

Live And More Encore is a live album released by Donna Summer in 1999, an edited version of a televised concert of the same name. Released on Sony Music's sublabel Epic, it featured a live concert which had been filmed especially for the VH-1 channel, and also two new dance tracks, including a re-working of "Time To Say Goodbye", a semi-classical song previously made popular by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. Summer's dance version of the song was entitled "I Will Go with You ". Both of the album's two studio recordings, the other being "Love Is the Healer", reached #1 on the US dance charts, with "I Will Go With You" nominated for a Grammy as Best Dance Recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love to Love You Baby (song)</span> 1975 single by Donna Summer

"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her second studio album (1975). Produced by Pete Bellotte, and written by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, Summer, and Bellotte, the song was first released as a single in the Netherlands in June 1975 as "Love to Love You" and then released worldwide in November 1975 as "Love to Love You Baby". It became one of the first disco hits to be released in an extended form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dim All the Lights</span> 1979 single by Donna Summer

"Dim All the Lights" is a song by American recording artist Donna Summer released as the third single from her 1979 album Bad Girls. It debuted at number 70 on August 25, 1979, and peaked that year at number two on November 10 and November 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Produced by her longtime collaborator Giorgio Moroder with Pete Bellotte, the track combines Summer's trademark disco beats with a more soulful pop sound. It was the third Hot 100 top-two single from the album and her sixth consecutive Hot 100 top-five single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wanderer (Donna Summer song)</span> 1980 single by Donna Summer

"The Wanderer" is a song by American singer Donna Summer, released as the lead single from her 1980 eighth album of the same name, which was the first for her new label Geffen Records after recording her previous albums with Casablanca Records. Despite the label change, Summer continued to work with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, who had produced the majority of her hits in the late 1970s. However, it marks a change in style for The Queen of Disco, incorporating new wave styled synth riffs and a shuffling beat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)</span> 1982 single by Donna Summer

"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" is a Grammy-nominated single from Donna Summer's self-titled 1982 studio album. The single was her 12th top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, it was reinterpreted by American country music singer Glen Campbell on his album of the same name. Released on Capitol Records in 1967, Campbell's version topped RPM's Canada Country Tracks, reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, and won two awards at the 10th Annual Grammys. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) named it the third most performed song from 1940 to 1990. The song was ranked number 20 on BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century. Frank Sinatra called it "the greatest torch song ever written." It was No. 450 on Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs of All Time.

<i>American Gigolo</i> (soundtrack) 1980 soundtrack album by Giorgio Moroder

American Gigolo is the soundtrack album to the 1980 film of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. The music was composed and performed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and was released worldwide on the Polydor label. It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. All the cuts from the soundtrack also went to number two for five weeks on the disco/dance charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didn't We (Richard Harris song)</span> 1968 song by Richard Harris

"Didn't We" is a song recorded by Irish singer and actor Richard Harris for his debut studio album, A Tramp Shining (1968). It was written and produced by Jimmy Webb and originally served as the B-side to Harris' 1968 single "MacArthur Park". "Didn't We" was then distributed as the record's single by Dunhill Records, also in 1968. A traditional pop song, Harris sings about his life in the past. Commercially, it charted at lower positions of both the United States and Canada, and in the higher ranks of their Adult Contemporary component charts. Harris featured "Didn't We" on several of his greatest hits albums, including The Richard Harris Collection: His Greatest Performances from 1973. That same year, the song was reissued as a promotional single paired alongside his 1971 single "My Boy".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Boucher, Geoff. "'MacArthur Park' Jimmy Webb | 1968" Archived 2014-10-20 at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times , June 10, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2015
  2. http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1969-243.html . Retrieved 28 July 2023
  3. Bronson, Fred (1988). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. New York: Billboard. Archived from the original on 2007-06-24. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
  4. 1 2 3 Fallick, Alan H. (October 8, 2014). "Jimmy Webb discusses famous lyrics in 'MacArthur Park'". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  5. "Muse for Jimmy Webb's 'MacArthur Park' treasures those days". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 2013. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  6. "Jimmy Webb: From 'Phoenix' To 'Just Across The River'". NPR. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  7. Simpson, Dave (2013-11-11). "How we made MacArthur Park". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  8. "Harris, Richard MacArthur Park – Phonograph Recording Contract" (PDF). The Wrecking Crew. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  9. "MacArthur Park record details". 45cat.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  10. "The Top 100 Hits of 1968". Musicradio77.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  11. "The Musicradio WABC Top 100 of 1968". Musicradio77.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  12. "ASCAP Candidacy filing, page 15" (PDF). Ascap.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2009-12-22. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5741." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – MacArthur Park". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  15. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  16. "Richard Harris Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 106.
  18. "Go-Set Magazine Charts". Poparchives.com.au. Barry McKay. January 2007. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  19. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  20. "Musicoutfitters.com". Musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
  21. 1 2 "Key Tracks: Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park"". RedBullMusicAcademy.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  22. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 9, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  23. "Donna Summer's 'Macarthur Park 2013' Remix #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs Chart". AltSounds. December 17, 2013. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  24. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0039a." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  25. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 0032." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  26. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 4638." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  27. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Donna Summer". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 250. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  28. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – MacArthur Park". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  29. Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019 (in Italian). Independently Published. ISBN   9781093264906.
  30. "Donna Summer – MacArthur Park" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  31. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 1978" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  32. 1 2 Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  33. "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  34. "Donna Summer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  35. "Hot Dance Club Songs". Billboard. December 28, 2013. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  36. "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard.
  37. "Kent Music Report No 236 – 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978". Kent Music Report . Retrieved 8 January 2022 via Imgur.com.
  38. Steffen Hung. "Forum – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  39. "Top 200 Singles of '78". RPM Weekly. December 30, 1978. Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  40. "Cashbox Top 100". Cash Box Archives. December 30, 1978. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  41. "1979 Talent in Action – Year End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 51. December 22, 1979. p. TIA-10.
  42. "Canadian single certifications – Donna Summer – MacArthur Park". Music Canada . Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  43. "British single certifications – Donna Summer – MacArthur Park". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  44. "American single certifications – Donna Summer – Mac Arthur Park". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  45. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 208. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  46. "Grammy Awards Past Winners: 1969". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  47. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  48. "The Four Tops - Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  49. "Item: 4240". RPM. Vol. 16, no. 9. October 16, 1971. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  50. Whitburn 2008 , p. 296
  51. Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books. p. 81. ISBN   9780704380363.
  52. Weingarten, Christopher R. (October 8, 2018). "Flashback: 'Weird Al' Terrorizes His 'Jurassic Park' Animators in 1993". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  53. "Macarrhur Park". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  54. Bahr, Sarah (September 7, 2024). "What Is That Song in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2024.