Traffic Outside of Your Window
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell (Blast from the Past Sunday)
In my mind, there exists three versions of Glen Campbell. We have Ghost on the Canvas era Glen, the very first one I heard. There his voice is aged but strong, and his tone is emotional yet determined to create a fitting goodbye. We have “Southern Nights” Glen Campbell, who I jammed to around the time it was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. That’s an upbeat, groovy type of Glen Campbell that makes me think of warm grass and fireflies with a hint of Paul Williams. While those iterations of Campbell are perfect in their own way, the one that I found myself drawn towards this past year was the Glen Campbell of “Wichita Lineman”. It’s a story that starts with Paul Rudd and ends with my Spotify Wrapped, a saga that doesn’t actually take as much time to explain as it may seem. Truth is, I listened to “Wichita Lineman” because I saw a video of Paul Rudd singing it, and I liked it so much that it ended up being my top song of 2023. Boom, simple as that. But I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why I like “Wichita Lineman” so much, and I have a couple of theories.
There’s a warmth to the song that isn’t easy to match. I believe part of this is due to the string & horn section that underscore much of the tune, as they add a far-away support like traffic outside of your window. They hold up much of the song despite not being the focus, an element that I think helps make the song as affecting as it is. There’s nostalgia to the fuzziness of the sound, which was kept even in remastered versions. The guitar solo in particular is a clipped section of a few plucks, yet still is memorable due to its simplicity. Of course, Campbell’s voice is the feature of the song, and much of the reason its so well-revered. He sings with a quiet passion, a genuine realness that makes this song one of the most accessible of all time. Jimmy Webb’s lyrics are some of the most gorgeous ever written. “I need you more than want you/and I want you for all time”… are you kidding me?! It’s an everyday conversation put to a wistful melody line that’s done so well that it would’ve still been perfect a capella.
The main period of time I had this song on loop was when I first got to college, when I was still nervous about such a new experience in my life. It played on hot sticky nights as I walked home, during homework sessions, on my headphones as I drifted off to sleep. It’s a song that feel safe to me, a song that I think I’ll always turn to for comfort. After all, if nothing else, I take comfort in the fact that the Wichita Lineman will always still be on the line.
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