"Just Another Piece of Paper," by Glen Campbell

I'm sitting in the living room and listening to The Glen Campbell Goodtime Album (1970) on a Saturday evening. My otherwise-loving spouse selected this particular album as he knew it would annoy me to hear Campbell's cover of MacArthur Park*, which is the second song. Once we had speculated yet again over the striped pants and the very sad image of a cake left out in the rain, the mister let the rest of the side play out as he was too comfortable on the couch to get up and change the record. (Let me add that I do not care for Mr. Campbell, while the other 50% of the household likes him very much.) After MacArthur Park, I managed to tune out the next song: "As Far As I'm Concerned." However, when the fourth song started, I looked up at my husband. Music, then spoken words. We were both surprised! Glen Campbell speaks!

Once I had a piece of paper
It was supposed to mean that you were mine
It looked like any other piece of paper...

It's kind of a depressing topic for a song. The guy's getting a divorce. The pieces of paper are marriage and divorce documents, all that's left of his union. Just between you and me, it doesn't sound like he's too cut up about the whole situation. The words indicate that perhaps he is not the most introspective individual, while the music features what sounds like a sitar, of all things.

Like "MacArthur Park," which was the song that compelled us to listen to this record tonight, "Just Another Piece of Paper" was written by the prolific and fabulous Jimmy Webb. If you have not heard his interview on World Cafe, you really should queue it up sometime soon. He wrote "Up Up and Away!" (And "MacArthur Park?" AND "Just Another Piece of Paper?" Prolific, fabulous, and...varied in quality.)

*Obviously, only the Richard Harris version will ever do.