Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell cover)

by **Blackstar** Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:24 pm

WICHITA LINEMAN

Albums:
Glen Campbell, Wichita Lineman, 1968.

Written by:
Jimmy Webb.

The song has been covered by many other artists, notably Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, James Taylor, R.E.M. and Stone Temple Pilots (with Glen Campbell).

Live performances:
Guns N' Roses started to cover this song as a tribute to Glen Campbell, who passed away on August 7th, 2017. The first performance was at the concert in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on August 30, 2017. In total it has, as of {UPDATEDATE}, at least been played {WICHITASONGS} times.

Lyrics:
I am a lineman for the county and I drive the main road
Searchin' in the sun for another overload
I hear you singin' in the wire, I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

I know I need a small vacation but it don't look like rain
And if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

[Instrumental Interlude]

And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

[Instrumental to end]

Quotes:

Introducing the song the first time it was played:

Okay, we're gonna try something we've never played before, and it might not be your favorite. It is just kinda pay a tribute to someone. And it is not what you think.

Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB, Canada, August 30, 2017

I don’t know if fired up’s the right phrase for this but for me right now I really enjoy singing Wichita Lineman. It has such a haunting vibe especially with Glen’s passing and our version feels a lot like old Guns acoustically to me.

Iceland Magazine, July 25, 2018

You know, we started doing the Glen Campbell song after he died as a tribute to him. We started doing Black Hole Sun after Chris died. We started doing Melissa after Gregg Allman died, you know? And they all sort of started organically, like one of us just played it and then people started picking up on it. Like, that's why I started playing it and then Slash came out and played on top of it.

Heavy Music, June 26, 2018

You know the Glen Campbell song - which I love playing - you know, but he passed and Axl said, "Can you guys learn that song?" So it was backstage before a gig one night in North Carolina. So such a strange guitar-wise song. And we played it, I think, man, maybe that night or the next night. And it just kind of remained in our setlist. It's a nice spot for him to breathe and it's a cool showcase of his mid range voice, I think. It's great.

Let There Be Talk, September 17, 2018

by **Uli** Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:54 am

Blackstar wrote:[...] right now I really enjoy singing Wichita Lineman. It has such a haunting vibe especially with Glen’s passing and our version feels a lot like old Guns acoustically to me.

That's a nice quote from Axl - because when I listened to one of the first few recordings of GnR covering this one, I felt too that it sounds a bit like an acoustic track the band might've done around '88-'91! Cool

by **Blackstar** Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:08 pm

Uli wrote:
That's a nice quote from Axl - because when I listened to one of the first few recordings of GnR covering this one, I felt too that it sounds a bit like an acoustic track the band might've done around '88-'91!

I agree! I like GnR's version and I think this kind of song fits the current band.

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 29, 2018 8:22 am

I also really liked the first version they did of it and agree completely with you guys. I didn't know the original version (and still don't) and when I listened to the first time they covered it, the end sounded like old school GN'R acoustic jam.

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 29, 2018 8:58 am

by **Soulmonster** Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:42 am

An interesting article about the song: https://www.insidehook.com/article/music/behind-how-wichita-lineman-became-the-perfect-imperfect-song

by **Soulmonster** Fri Aug 18, 2023 7:21 am

Okay, we're gonna try something we've never played before, and it might not be your favorite. It is just kinda pay a tribute to someone. And it is not what you think.

Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB, Canada, August 30, 2017

by **Blackstar** Sat Aug 19, 2023 6:32 pm

(Instagram, Aug. 18, 2023)

by **Soulmonster** Sat Feb 03, 2024 3:42 pm

You know, we started doing the Glen Campbell song after he died as a tribute to him. We started doing Black Hole Sun after Chris died. We started doing Melissa after Gregg Allman died, you know? And they all sort of started organically, like one of us just played it and then people started picking up on it. Like, that's why I started playing it and then Slash came out and played on top of it.

Heavy Music, June 26, 2018

by **Soulmonster** Wed Mar 13, 2024 5:39 pm

You know the Glen Campbell song - which I love playing - you know, but he passed and Axl said, "Can you guys learn that song?" So it was backstage before a gig one night in North Carolina. So such a strange guitar-wise song. And we played it, I think, man, maybe that night or the next night. And it just kind of remained in our setlist. It's a nice spot for him to breathe and it's a cool showcase of his mid range voice, I think. It's great.

Let There Be Talk, September 17, 2018

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