So ... I'm the daughter of Carlos Montoya who wrote the original lyrics and melody which were stolen and abbreviated by Richard Harris. Jimmy Webb introduced them back in the day. Since Richard Harris had passed and Webb took the final credit for the lyrics, my father took Jimmy Webb to court years ago and couldn't prove that he'd written the original lyrics even though Jimmy Webb was there with Richard when the song was played for him by my father. The song is about the terrible long drawn out breakup of CM's marriage to his wife in the early 60's due to infidelity on his part. He and Webb spent a lot of time camping and hanging in Macarthur Park in the mid to late 60's talking about his experiences with his then ex-wife at the same park. It haunted him throughout the rest of his life, which ended in 2008. Thought I'd set the record straight.
So ... I'm the daughter of Carlos Montoya who wrote the original lyrics and melody which were stolen and abbreviated by Richard Harris. Jimmy Webb introduced them back in the day. Since Richard Harris had passed and Webb took the final credit for the lyrics, my father took Jimmy Webb to court years ago and couldn't prove that he'd written the original lyrics even though Jimmy Webb was there with Richard when the song was played for him by my father. The song is about the terrible long drawn out breakup of CM's marriage to his wife in the early 60's due to infidelity on his part. He and Webb spent a lot of time camping and hanging in Macarthur Park in the mid to late 60's talking about his experiences with his then ex-wife at the same park. It haunted him throughout the rest of his life, which ended in 2008. Thought I'd set the record straight.
[Edit: Added name and revised fact]