Laying the foundations for Westward expansion through dangerous, highly skilled labor, the lineman – a gender-inclusive term within the industry – fills a similar cultural role to that of the cowboy. With a small band of brothers (and now sisters), linemen do what needs to be done to keep the lights on and the phones ringing in their communities. The position isolates this expert technician from family and friends, forcing them to take risks to complete the job, doing so with a bit of swagger – the perfect fodder for country music.
Jimmy Webb wrote “Wichita Lineman” for Glen Campbell after the singer requested another place-based song to follow up his last geographical hit. “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” written by Webb and released by Campbell in 1967, reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
“Wichita Lineman” did not disappoint. Campbell released the song on an album of the same name in 1968, and it reached number three on the pop charts and remained in the Top 100 for 15 weeks that year. “Wichita Lineman” topped the country music chart for two weeks and the adult contemporary chart for six weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA in January 1969.
For Webb, a memory of a childhood trip across the Panhandle of Oklahoma informed his writing of this song, according to a 2017 interview with the BBC. “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 towards you,” he explained. “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.”
Like a cowboy on a horse, this utility worker against the Oklahoma sky was imprinted on the young songwriter’s memory, serving as the inspiration for what became one of the most popular songs of the late 1960s.
Webb famously thought the song was incomplete, but the song came together easily, according to those in the studio. A range of expert session players built a sound around this song. Perhaps most iconically, the six-note descending bass riff that provides the opening hook was improvised by Carol Kaye as the musicians worked out the arrangement in the studio. Despite Webb’s reservations, the studio team delivered an instant classic, supported by enduring country music themes, beautiful arrangements and the instantly recognizable vocals of Campbell.
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