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Galveston

by John Hamilton

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I HATED this song when it came out. Glen Campbell released it on the heels of “Wichita Lineman,” which is, arguably, his best song. Make no mistake: Campbell was an extraordinarily talented musician. He had a pure, natural tenor and his guitar playing was incredible.

However, his version of “Galveston” is an abomination. From the treacly strings to the totally unnecessary horn section, from the tempo to the tympani, everything is wrong about this song. I think you could draw a straight line from Campbell’s version of “Galveston” to Rhinestone Cowboy” — and that’s a line I certainly don’t want to be on.

So, I dismissed this song as a “Yee-hah” Campbell.

And then, several years later, I saw Jimmy Webb, the writer of “Galveston” (and “Wichita Lineman”) perform it.

Webb is a great raconteur and before he performed “Galveston,” he told the story of how this song was recorded without his knowledge. This was not unusual at that time: writers simply handed off their songs to producers and waited to see what happened. What was unusual was that Campbell turned what was a ballad into an jaunty, uptempo ditty. Glen Campbell makes the song sound like a jingle for The Town of Galveston.

Jimmy Webb’s version cuts right into the heart.

Done as a ballad, there’s a delicate story inside Webb’s lyrics. It’s ambiguous: is this about a soldier in Vietnam? Could be: he is “afraid of dying.” Is it a simple love song? Could be. The interpretation is left open. As it always is in great art which, in my opinion, this song is.

In recording this, I’ve tried to capture the nostalgia and heartache in this song without veering into maudlin territory. I hope I’ve succeeded.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for listening.

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Recorded, mixed and mastered by John Hamilton in The Little Room.©

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released January 27, 2023

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John Hamilton Richmond, Massachusetts

Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and multi-genre songwriter, living in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

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