Donna Summer - Mac Arthur Park - Lyrics Meaning

This cover version of the song written by Jimmy Webb, first recorded by Richard Harris in 1968, was a huge disco hit for Donna Summer ten years later in 1978.

The title comes from MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California although the spelling appears differently on the sleeve.

The song is best described as a lover's lament but it contains some of the most memorable lines in pop history - `Someone left the cake out in the rain, I don't think that I can take it `cause it took so long to bake it, and I'll never have that recipe again...'

It would be hard to find another song with such symbolism in its lyrics but it's basically a sad, sentimental love story. Listeners can easily be transported to a sunny day in the park with the mention of cotton dresses, birds, and trees and the poetic language used adds to the heartbreak being described. But the, perhaps, excessive use of weird metaphors have caused it to be the butt of many a joke over the years and it was voted to have the `Worst Lyrics' in Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs. It may be considered worthy of the `Worst Song Ever Recorded' award but it has also been covered by a diverse group of artists over fifty times!