By the Time I Get to Phoenix

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"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, it was covered by American country music singer Glen Campbell on his album of the same name. Released on Capitol Records in 1967, Campbell's version topped RPM's Canada Country Tracks, reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, and won two awards at the 10th Annual Grammys. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) named it the third most performed song from 1940 to 1990. The song was ranked number 20 on BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century. Frank Sinatra called it "the greatest torch song ever written."

Video By the Time I Get to Phoenix

Background and writing

The inspiration for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" originated in Jimmy Webb's breakup with Susan Horton. They remained friends after her marriage to Bobby Ronstadt, a cousin of singer Linda Ronstadt. Their relationship, which peaked in mid-1965, was also the primary influence for "MacArthur Park", another Webb composition.

Webb stated that the song was not intended to be geographically literal. "A guy approached me one night after a concert [...] and he showed me how it was impossible for me to drive from L.A. to Phoenix, and then how far it was to Albuquerque. In short, he told me, 'This song is impossible.' And so it is. It's a kind of fantasy about something I wish I would have done, and it sort of takes place in a twilight zone of reality."

However, the drive is actually possible, diving at an average of about 65 mph. If he leaves Los Angeles around midnight, he can drive the 373 miles to Phoenix in about six hours to arrive when she "rises" at 6:00 am. If she "stops at lunch" to "give him a call" at 12:30 p.m. when he is in Albuquerque, it gives him six-and-a-half hours to make the 420-mile drive. The drive from Albuquerque to the Oklahoma border is about 390 miles, giving her plenty of time to get home and go to sleep.

Webb called the song a "succinct tale" with an "O. Henry-esque twist at the end, which consists merely of the guy saying, 'She didn't really think that I would go,' but he did." Although the protagonist in the song left his lover, Webb did not leave Horton.

Maps By the Time I Get to Phoenix

Covers

"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was named the third-most performed song from the period between 1940 and 1990, by Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) on September 14, 1990. Many cover versions have been recorded. Charted versions include:

Isaac Hayes' version of the song, included on the album Hot Buttered Soul, runs for 18 minutes and 40 seconds, and recounts the events that transpired before the actual roadtrip. The track was edited down to under seven minutes for single release, hitting #37 on both the US pop and R&B charts in 1969.
The Mad Lads also covered the song in 1969 for Stax Records; their version reached #28 on the R&B singles chart.
Anne Murray and Glen Campbell recorded a medley of "I Say a Little Prayer" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" in 1971. The track hit #1 on the Canadian country charts, and also charted on the US country charts and the US and Canadian pop charts.
Isaac Hayes and Dionne Warwick released the song as a live medley with "I Say a Little Prayer" in 1977. The single reached #65 on the R&B singles chart.

Hundreds of other cover versions exist. Engelbert Humperdinck covered the song in 1968 for his album A Man Without Love. Harry James released a version in 1981 on his album For Listening And Dancing (Reader's Digest RD4A 213). Nick Cave covered the song in the 1980s and later. John Peel, the British 'alternative music' radio disc jockey, considered Cave's version to be "by some considerable distance" the best version of the song ever recorded. Brídín Brennan, sister of singer Enya, sampled the song for her second single on her Eyes of Innocence album. Country singer Reba McEntire recorded the song for her 20th anniversary album in 1995, Starting Over.