Glen Campbell is one of the most prolific artists of all time. Campbell had success as a singer, songwriter, and musician. He was also able to seamlessly transcend genres and enjoyed more than 50 years as part of the musical landscape. We found three Glen Campbell songs from the 1970s that will always be considered among his best.
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“Rhinestone Cowboy”
It’s impossible to think of Glen Campbell and not think of “Rhinestone Cowboy“. Written by Larry Weiss, the song is the title track of Campbell’s 1975 album. “Rhinestone Cowboy” became a No. 1 hit for Campbell at both rock and country radio.
“Rhinestone Cowboy” says, “There’s been a load of compromising / On the road to my horizon / But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me / Like a rhinestone cowboy / Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo Like a rhinestone cowboy / Getting cards and letters from people I don’t even know / And offers comin’ over the phone.”
According to Songfacts, Weiss wrote the song for David Allen Coe. When Coe passed on it, Campbell took it, making it one of his biggest hits of all time.
“Bonaparte’s Retreat”
“Bonaparte’s Retreat” is on Campbell’s 1974 Houston (I’m Comin’ to See You) album. The song is written by Pee Wee King, who also recorded a version of it, as did Kay Starr. Both Starr and King’s versions came out in 1950.
Campbell has a Top 5 hit with “Bonaparte’s Retreat”. The song begins with, “Met the girl I love in a town way down in Dixie / Beneath the stars up above / She was the sweetest girl I ever did see / So I held her in my arms and told her of her many charms, I kissed her while the guitars played / The Bonaparte’s Retreat.”
“Southern Nights”
“Southern Nights” is another one of Campbell’s numerous chart-topping singles. Written by Allen Toussaint, “Southern Nights” came out as a single in 1975, as the title track of Campbell’s soul-inspired record.
The song says, “Southern nights / Just as good even when you close your eyes / I apologize / To anyone who can truly say / That he has found a better way.”
Although he didn’t write it, “Southern Nights” felt personal to Campbell.
“My dad told me when I was a kid, ‘You’re having the best time of your life, and you don’t even know it,’” Campbell says. “Sure enough, he was right. Now I really feel the need to go back home, float down the Missouri River, and fish for bass and crappies. It’s really peaceful and remote from things like telephones. My head is still there.”
The song became Campbell’s last No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
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