Anatomy of a Song: "Macarthur Park" Quiz

Answer: Spring

"Spring was never waiting for us, girl
It ran one step ahead"

That's because Spring heard the song and did not intend to hang around for an encore performance!

Answer: Green

"MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down"

Aha! Not only was the icing green, but it was sweet! I ask Richard Harris this: "Have you ever known icing not to be sweet?"

Answer: Yellow

"I recall the yellow cotton dress"

Well, at least we know the hippocampus was functioning. Of course, we only have Richard's word that the dress was yellow.

Answer: A cake

"Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again"

Let's examine this a line at a time! Line 1, classic avoidance strategy: "I didn't do it, but someone did". Line 2, does he mean he cannot physically pick it up, or does he mean a soggy cake is the last straw for his already tortured psyche? Line 3, now he is inferring that he baked it. If that is true, who else would have left it in the rain but him (refer Line 1). Line 4, with respect, I think he's already lost the recipe, if you get my meaning.

Answer: Cotton

"I recall the yellow cotton dress
Foaming like a wave
On the ground around your knees"

On the ground, but above her knees? She was either a double amputee, or he was the one doing the foaming (at the mouth, perhaps after eating the rancid cake).

Answer: Checkers

"And the old men playing checkers by the trees"

Afterwards, it is rumoured, the old men intended to go down to the pond to "feed the ducks with a bun". Or maybe some leftover cake...

Answer: Warm

"I will drink the wine while it is warm"

Whatever floats your boat. I guess warm wine goes well with soggy cake.

Answer: Striped

The entire first verse:

"Spring was never waiting for us, girl
It ran one step ahead
As we followed in the dance
Between the parted pages and were pressed
In love's hot, fevered iron
Like a striped pair of pants"

The last line is sung: "Like a stry - ped pair of pants" so that it follows the same syllabic pattern (7 syllables) as the third line, with which it rhymes:

"As we followed in the dance"

Classic!

Answer: Donna Summer

I have spent the whole quiz putting down Richard Harris and his rendition of the song. That said, I quite like it! When compared to Donna's disco interpretation, I have only one thing to say: Albus Dumbledore rocks!

Answer: One Step Ahead

"One Step Ahead" was a single from Split Enz's "Corroboree" album. In their native land of New Zealand, the album was released as "Waiata".

Poor Richard - "Macarthur Park" regularly appears on lists of the world's worst songs. Sure, it is overly-melodramatic. Sure, the lyrics don't make a lot of sense. When you examine most songs closely, the lyrics don't tend to make much sense. I say, anyone who is brave enough to sing about cakes being rained on deserves to held in higher company than "Achy Breaky Heart".