Timothy Kuratek/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc.In all of music, there’s perhaps no more cryptic song than the 1968 pop hit “MacArthur Park.” With its tales of parks “melting in the dark,” “sweet green icing flowing down” and cakes “left out in the rain,” it’s been recorded by everyone from actor and singer Richard Harris to Donna Summer to Waylon Jennings. Tonight, it’s The Band Perry‘s turn, as they pay tribute to the tune’s composer, Jimmy Webb, on the ACM Honors.
Kimberly Perry went right to the source to find out exactly what the song is about.
“… All the visuals in the song were something that he saw that day that his heart was broken. So, for him it was really about sort of capturing the day in imagery. I thought it was a euphemism of young love spent, in a park, but apparently that wasn’t the original interpretation,” she laughs. “I don’t know exactly where I’ll be singing it from tonight.”
“How do you relate to the song, Kimberly?” brother Neil chimes in.
“I like cake and I like green icing, a lot!” she jokes.
Jimmy Webb is also responsible for other iconic songs like “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “Galveston,” all of which happen to have been recorded by Glen Campbell, who’s also honored on the special.
You can check out The Band Perry’s journey into “MacArthur Park” when the 10th Annual ACM Honors airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The siblings’ new single, “Comeback Kid,” is currently on the verge of breaking into the country top-40.
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