“Love of My Life” by Queen
“MacArthur Park” was a huge hit for Richard Harris in 1968, known for its easy listening format with intricate time signatures and a complex structure. The song was born from songwriter Jimmy Webb’s painful breakup with Susie Horton. They often spent time in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park, where Webb worked nearby. The lyrics reflect Webb’s feelings and observations as he pondered their relationship and its end. Harris’s 1968 version was a big hit, but Donna Summer’s 1978 disco cover became a number-one hit and one of the year’s biggest songs. In 1993, “Weird Al” Yankovic released a parody called “Jurassic Park.”
“Love of My Life” by Queen
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is a legendary nine-part rock saga by Pink Floyd, written as a tribute to Syd Barrett, the band’s founding member and original lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter. After Barrett left in 1968, the band created this 25-minute homage to him. Eerily, Barrett wandered into the studio during recording, so changed that his former bandmates didn’t recognize him for 45 minutes. Despite doubts about their future without Barrett, Pink Floyd continued successfully, with bass player Roger Waters taking over songwriting and sharing lead vocals with new guitarist David Gilmour.
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” By Pink Floyd
