"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is a song written by

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...

. Originally recorded by

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

in 1965, it was covered by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

on his album of the same name. Released on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

in 1967, Campbell's version topped '' RPM'' Canada Country Tracks, reached number two on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

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 Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

called it "the greatest

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...

ever written." It was No. 450 on Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Songs of All Time.

Background and writing

The inspiration for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" originated in

breakup A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the termination of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a brea ...

with Susan Horton. They remained friends after her marriage to Bobby Ronstadt, a cousin of singer

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

. Their relationship, which peaked in mid-1965, was also the primary influence for " MacArthur Park", another Webb composition. Webb did not intend the song to be geographically literal. "A guy approached me one night after a concert ..and he showed me how it was impossible for me to drive from L.A. to Phoenix, and then how far it was to

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

. In short, he told me, 'This song is impossible.' And so it is. It's a kind of fantasy about something I wish I would have done, and it sort of takes place in a twilight zone of reality." Webb called the song a "succinct tale" with an " O. Henry-esque twist at the end, which consists merely of the guy saying, 'She didn't really think that I would go,' but he did." Although the protagonist in the song plans to leave his lover, Webb did not leave Horton.

Covers

In 1990, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), which monitors songs in its role as a

performance rights organisation A performance rights organisation (PRO), also known as a performing rights society, provides intermediary functions, particularly collection of royalties, between copyright holders and parties who wish to use copyrighted works ''publicly'' in loca ...

, listed "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" as the third-most performed song from the period between 1970 and 1990, and in 1999 listed it as the 20th most performed of the 20th century. Many

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

s have been recorded. Charted versions include: *

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songw ...

' version of the song, included on the album ''

Hot Buttered Soul ''Hot Buttered Soul'' is the second studio album by American soul musician Isaac Hayes. Released in 1969, it is recognized as a landmark in soul music. Recorded with The Bar-Kays, the album features four lengthy tracks, including a 12-minute vers ...

'', runs for 18 minutes and 40 seconds, and recounts the events that transpired before the actual roadtrip. The track was edited down to under seven minutes for single release, hitting #37 on both the US pop and R&B charts in 1969, and #48 in Canada. *

The Mad Lads The Mad Lads were an American rhythm and blues vocal group, who recorded on the Stax subsidiary label Volt in the 1960s. Their biggest hits were "Don't Have to Shop Around" (1965) and "I Want Someone" (1966). Career The group was formed at B ...

also covered the song in 1969 for

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

; their version reached #28 on the R&B singles chart and #56 in Canada. *

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

and Glen Campbell recorded a medley of "

I Say a Little Prayer "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967. On the R&B Singles chart it peaked at numbe ...

" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" in 1971. The track hit #1 on the Canadian country charts, and also charted on the US country charts and the US and Canadian pop charts (#19). *Isaac Hayes and

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

released the song as a live medley with "I Say a Little Prayer" in 1977. The single reached #65 on the R&B singles chart.

Chart performance

References

External links

Entry at discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:By the Time I Get to Phoenix 1967 singles 1977 singles Songs written by Jimmy Webb Johnny Rivers songs Glen Campbell songs Gary Puckett & The Union Gap songs Dean Martin songs Wanda Jackson songs Georgie Fame songs Isaac Hayes songs Dionne Warwick songs Burl Ives songs Anne Murray songs Andy Kim songs Andy Williams songs Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Capitol Records singles American songs 1965 songs Torch songs