Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (1968) DayOne Reacts 

One of the greatest songs ever written. Jimmy Webb is a genius and Glen Campbell's voice is incredible.

He's a wichita Lineman working on the dangerous telephone lines & wires stretching endlessly down the highways and interstates, out in all sorts of weather... heat, cold and storms. How he hears the woman he loves singing in the wire always gets me....just such an unusual but romantic song of longing and devotion. I LOVE IT ❤

"Wichita Lineman" is a 1968 song written by Jimmy Webb for American country music artist Glen Campbell, who recorded it backed by members of the Wrecking Crew. Widely covered by other artists, it has been described as "the first existential country song." “Wichita Lineman” was that song. Webb used his own experience and inspiration from driving through rural Oklahoma and looking at the long lines of telephone poles at the side of the roadways. He thought about the workers and wondered if you/he could imagine the lives of the “everyman” hard working blue collar type. There's a place where the terrain absolutely flattens out. It's almost like you could take a level out of your tool kit and put it on the highway, and that bubble would just sit right there on dead centre. It goes on that way for about 50 miles. In the heat of summer, with the heat rising off the road, the telephone poles gradually materialise out of this far, distant perspective and rush toward you. And then, as it happened, I suddenly looked up at one of these telephone poles and there was a man on top, talking on a telephone. He was gone very quickly, and I had another 25 miles of solitude to meditate on this apparition. It was a splendidly vivid, cinematic image that I lifted out of my deep memory while I was writing this song. I thought, I wonder if I can write something about that? A blue-collar everyman guy we all see everywhere, working on the railroad or working on the telephone wires or digging holes in the street. I just tried to take an ordinary guy and open him up and say, 'Look, there's this great soul and there's this great aching and this great loneliness inside this person, and we're all like that. We all have this capacity for these huge feelings'.” -Jimmy Webb

I listen to the song many many times as a kid, and teenager, and young adult. This song really hits that melancholy longing feeling... And then when I was in my 40s I worked for electrical company on power lines for about a year. I am the Wichita lineman!

“need you more than want you,… and I want you for all time.” Brilliant!

One of the great singer-storytellers of all time.

"And I need you more than want you And I want you for all time" This line is unforgettable.

One of the greatest songs of all time, by one of the most recorded guitar players of all time. I'm not even a huge country guy, but this fantastic. Everyone in The Wrecking Crew was amazing.

The brilliance of simplicity on display.

this song gives me a feeling melencholy and nostalgia...

It's a melancholy, longing song. It's literally a power company lineman, thinking of a lost love while doing his job. If you're in that headspace, it might someday hit you. Give it another listen, in 10 years!

Few songs evoke a sense of time and place like this one. Who can listen without imagining a lonely lineman on a desolate stretch of road..?

Campbell was one of the best guitarists of the rock era, playing as a studio musician for lots of artists. He was part of studio group known as "The Wrecking Crew".

One of the great guitar players. Originally part of the Wrecking Crew. You know he's a great guitarist when Eddie Van Halen approached him for lessons. It's a whole story that involves Alice Cooper and golf.

My grandfather was an electrical lineman in Toronto, in the 30's. As a kid, I remember my dad playing this song. I had no idea what a lineman was. I was told my grandfather was electrocuted while working. I didn't know him, I didn't ask questions. As an adult, through genealogy, I discovered he wasn't wearing the proper equipment, touched a live wire and died. Then I knew why my dad listened to this song. It reminded him of his father. Now when I hear it, I remember them both.

Wow this song brings back memories of my childhood. For those who don't know, Glen Campbell was a big star for decades but it was in the 1960's and 1970's we saw him a lot on his own TV show and other programs. It was a different world back then.

i've always loved the melody and instrumentals to this song, just beautiful!

It's a song about a workman in love. I think when you look back at some of these old songs, they aren't just to "grab" you as much as entertain you. Ironically a friend of mine was a lineman in Vietnam, and he was a Glenn Campbell fan. He survived Vietnam and lost his life while working on a line in Michigan. I listened to this song and it brought back some memories we had.

I was 12 when the song came out, and even at that age, I knew this was something special. 1,000,000 times better than anything released today, that's for sure.

One of the Best songs ever!!

Merle Haggard said that if God gave anyone too much talent it would be Glen Campbell. RIP Glen.

I can put into words how awesome this song is.... Just WOW ❤❤ as others have commented " I cant need you more than want you and i want you for all time"

Quite possibly the greatest pop record ever recorded next to a hard day's night by the fab four

Glen was amazingly talented. Besides music, he had a TV show, and appeared in movies. I love this song,, Jimmy Webb was such a great songwriter, and Glen's voice is timeless. And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time.....one of the best lyrics ever written

Glen Campbell One of the top male vocalists of all time. Amazing song.

One of the most highly regarded songs of all time !!!!

A beautiful song. Brings back lots of memories. I recall hearing this song regularly as a kid in the 60's and 70's on TV variety shows. Glen Campbell had his own variety show in the 70's. Didn't last very long. But he kept coming out with hits. And he was a great guitar player, as well.

Absolutely beautiful

Makes you want to be a lineman, doesn't it? I was 14 when this song used to play on the radio. I was in Okinawa and far from Wichita but the song spoke to me.

“I need you more than want you; and I want you for all time.” One of the greatest lines ever written.

My favorite Glen Campbell song!

As a blue collar worker , who trims trees away from power lines , and works other states when tornadoes, hurricanees, ice, decimates towns..and gone for weeks from family and home...this song rings true.. ❤

One of the greatest songs ever written.

I worked for Nynex before it was Verizon and my friend received a bid to work as a lineman. When he heard got the job, he sang "I am a lineman for the County"all day long. That's what I remeber when I hear this song. Dayone you are the only music reactioness who speaks her feelings. Bravo.

My father passed away at 40 years old in the spring of 1969, so I always love listening to songs that he may have heard. I'm an old man now myself, but hearing these make me a young boy again.

Great song. An all-timer. Campbell sang the hell out of it. Great imagery created by lyrics.

One of my all time favorite songs. I'll just say that I am very disappointed that Angela didn't like it.

His is a very good voice--but he was one of the top guitar greats of our time...

"Reacting" to Glenn Campbell's Legendary Wichita Linesman and saying "you don't feel it" is akin to Listening to the exquisite beauty of Karen Carpenters vocals and stating "she just cant sing I'm not feeling it." What a terrible reaction video. Rest in Peace Glenn and God Bless all those suffering from Alzheimer's. 💜

One of my favorite songs!

Thank you for the great memory. This song reminds me of my 2nd foster mom. Such a wonderful women ❤️. RiP Virginia. Love your reactions. 🎶🎶👍🫶

Another one of those magic moments in music, no matter your preference.

Easily one of the greatest pop music records ever

Little info on Glenn , one of the best in folk music guitarists ever, he also backed The Beach Boys for a couple of years, influenced many great country musicians to this day

Oh, Angela! You looked SO unimpressed while you were listening to this song. I know it's before your time, but this has always been one of my favorites. You have to kind of listen to what he's saying. Being a lineman is a job that most people don't even think about, but the job that they do is absolutely essential to everything that everyone does... especially today, with all the computers and technology. They keep the electricity flowing, and our modern life pretty much comes to a halt when the power goes out. My young nephew is a lineman, and I never knew how much those people did until he became one. He gets sent all over the country every few weeks to rebuild the power lines wherever there is a disaster or a storm. The work they do is so underestimated, and the public has no idea how important they are. Anyway, I'm sorry you didn't seem to care for the song very much, but thanks so much for giving it a chance and playing it on your channel. 😉👍

This was a BIG hit in the day. Unfortunately younger people can't relate to.the lyrics. Glen was a great guitar player and singer, at one point playing guitar for the Beach Boys.

I’m so glad I’m not gen z or whatever these kids are called. Imagine not being able to appreciate this song, and thinking Drake is where it’s at

Probably top ten or even top five guitarist of all time. An amazing talent.

Love the song and the suggestion. Great Jimmy Webb song and Glen had a hugh hit with it. Heard it a thousand times since I was a teenager so maybe its just part of my life experiences.

The guy who wrote it, Jimmy Webb, got the inspiration from driving out in the plains, seeing a guy working up on a power pole miles from anywhere, and asked himself, "I wonder what that guy's thinking?" There may not be a better lyric anywhere than the longingly iconic "And I want you more than need you, and I need you for all time." Most impressive, Jimmy Webb was 18 when he wrote it. Greatest songwriter ever.

Great song…he is a legend. Love Galveston too.

My favorite Glen Campbell song.

his best and one of 50 all time great songs. and I like 50s Folk like Kingston Trio but the music died in about 2003. everything was great with 90s grunge. and then.....

One of my favorite songs! I guess I was about 7 when this song came out, I guess you would have to have been there to really appreciate it, when great songs like this this permitted am radio day and night, and you heard these songs all the time on tv variety shows like in the video.

One of the best songs.

Glen was a fine singer and ranking session guitarist who swept the Grammies one year (forget which) and was nationally popular in the late 60s with his own TV show. Arkansas-born and bred, he settled on the west coast and was even a 'Beach Boy' for a short time, replacing Brian Wilson when the latter famously quit touring. I loved that 'big sky country' sound he achieved, especially with Jimmy Webb songs, and still do. .

I remember this song playing in the old Union76 truck stops back in the 70’s🎼

This song and the album it was in was actually the first music I ever heard as a child. My dad played it all the time if we travelled in the car (he had a cartridge, we had a cartridge player in the car back then 🙂) . I loved this song, still do. Mind you, we're not even Americans and we live in a country halfway across the world. 🙂

An absolutely beautiful classic for the ages. A lesson in songwriting. I’ve been watching Angela for a long while now & she does a great job. However, sometimes one can hear a song & but not listen to it. Does that make sense? That being said, we all can’t have the same opinions. There is no right or wrong here.

So beautiful

What great song. There's just something about it....definitely a classic! Glenn Campbell was a multi-talented artist. Lightening quick on the guitar. he passed away a few years ago. He developed Alzheimer's late in life. If you ever want to see a wonderful documentary on the struggles of the disease, this is the one. Truly inspirational and heartbreaking at the same time. He could not remember names and so on. But he still could play beautifully. Quite a story.

Campbell was a fantastic guitarist with a great voice.

Saw him in Texas in 1983. Besides a lovely voice, the man could really play the guitar!

Such a great voice and a fantastic guitarist! Trivia: Early on, Glen played with The Beach Boys.

Omg! Glen Campbell was a legend. I love every song!

I like the song though its not on any of my playlists. I relate to the song and it's kind of an anthem for all the hard working men & women who keep our infrastructure buzzing, sometimes working in terrible conditions.

my mother was in love with him she had all his album covers stapled to the walls ! she died bout ten yrs ago. it brings tears to my eyes.

"I need you more than want you" doesn't at first make sense...but then, thinking about it, it does....no-one can write lyrics anymore like this, "I hear you through the wine", genius

Check out Galveston. It is a song written while Glen was serving in Vietnam reminiscing about a girl he left behind.

Good, beautiful song and great story.

Someone once described this song as 'An ordinary man thinking extraordinary thoughts.'

Love this song!! Ghost on the Canvas - Glen Campbell is my favorite by Glen. One of the all-time great guitarists.

For musicians and songwriters, this is one of the great compositions, subtle chord progressions with great melodic beauty, not to mention great lyrics. The record is better than this 'live' performance, as is so often the case. The records are what made these songs famous.

Something most people don't know about him is that from '66 to '72 he played lead guitar on just about every recording (in studio) of every rock song. Look up Wall of Sound.

Someone much wiser than me said that this song is about the emotion of Longing.

one of the most beautiful songs ever written

He was a part of the Beach Boys in 64-65

You almost had to have been alive and young in 1968 to appreciate this beautiful song. Angelia is listening to this song through 2024 ears and experience not 1968 ears! Makes all the difference! This song literally transports me back to the mid to late 60s, it's one of those magic songs of the times!

One of my go to karaoke songs

Thanks for the honest reaction. I love Glen Campbell you have heard him a 100 times as part of the Wrecking Crew the LA record industry session men. Glen did a tour with the Beachboys and then had to hide out to avoid joining them full time. He could play everything from the banjo to bagpipes. He had a long demise from Alzheimer's .James Keach made a touching film of his on/off stage struggles. called "Glen Campbell, I'll be Me".

What everyone may not realize is what a great guitar player Glen was. I really like this song, and can play it on my harmonica.

Glenn Campbell always look good in a turtleneck shirt.

Wichita Lineman refers to a Man who works the electrical power lines seen for miles and miles endlessly on the highways and interstate roads you drive upon. Wichita is the very flat long duty city in Kansas where he works, thus the Wichita Lineman. Also the lyric "is still on the line" is referring to him the lineman being "stuck" at work as the responsibilities of his job and keeping and maintaining the electrical power on and highways safe for us all is preventing him from being where he really longs to be..with the woman he loves the woman that he hears "singing in the wires" so romatically, as he's risking his life a hundred plus feet in the air or more repairing torn or broken power lines. He is trapped in this endless daily cycle of dangerous work all while longing painfully to be with her torn between duty and true love as his heart is also strung on the line with her. ❤ #yourewelcome

Angela, I find it hard to believe you don’t like this classic.

Correction. Wrecking Crew and Glenn Campbell. It was affiliated with wall of Sound.

It's probably due to her not relating to the time this song takes place. The Lineman is a person who used to work the highways and rural roads of the Midwest and Southern states making sure the telephone lines were in working order, and he's yearning to get back to his woman because he desperately misses her.

Love your honest opinion. One of the most loving lyrics ever written "I need you more than want you and I want you for all time."

Such a haunting song. Add a star if you were there in 1968 and heard it being played on your AM radios. Got to love it, Angela.

This song is fabulous ❤

Loved watching his show.

Great song 👍

One of my favourite Glen Campbell songs, a beautiful song with those great strings, so can't agree with you Angela on this one. Written by Jimmy Webb who wrote some great songs, including 'By the time I get to Phoenix' also with Glen-Colin Ward

You have heard him playing more than you know.

RIP Glen what a wonderful singer he was. Check out "By the time I get to Phoenix" and "Galveston."

Check out The Wrecking Crew of which Glen Campbell was a member. Will open your eyes to his career along with many other musicians.

I've heard Glenn Campbell do some impressive stuff on an acoustic guitar,actually was a good guitarist.Rhinestone Cowboy is probably my favorite.

I think you might have liked the studio version of Wichita Lineman better than this live version. I myself think it's generally a mistake to react to live versions of songs.

Glen Campbell started out as a studio musician and was actually a member of the "Wrecking Crew." About 80% of the music recorded in the 50s and 60s by different bands, groups and singers, the "Wrecking Crew" were used to record the music that was released on these records, LPs. They did this because the musicians in this group were such better players than everybody else! In fact most of the records you hear on record by the Beach Boys were originally recorded by the Wrecking Crew not the Beach Boys band that you hear on the original LPs! The also did most of the music that was recorded and put to record from most the bands from the 60s. Even folks like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet and even Barbra Streisand and just about everything that was recorded for record LP release was by the "Wrecking Crew" and Glen Campbell was the main guitar and lead player of the Wrecking Crew! So, just about all the music you enjoy from the 60s in reality Glen Campbell and the "Wrecking Crew" played all the instruments on the recordings!

Nice live take but the studio original just sounds better than from a TV show way back when. Way better mix, and though you don't see much of it here, Glenn was an excellent guitarists and played some great stuff for sure. Good song in any event and glad you tried it. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎶

By The Time I Get To Phoenix By Glen Campbell. IS Fantastic