Song of the day for November 30 2023

1 year ago Brian

"Rhinestone Cowboy", a Glen Campbell hit from 1975, originally belonged to Larry Weiss whose version didn't have much commercial success. Campbell came across the song in 1974, recorded and released it the next year, leading both country and pop charts that summer. On today's date in 2012, Campbell concluded his Goodbye Tour, a year after revealing his Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Today’s song is a live version of Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell, from 1975. It was on this day in 2012 that he played his very last performance, at the Uptown Theatre in Napa, California. Campbell revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis to the public in 2011, and had set out on his Goodbye Tour as a way to say farewell to his fans.

Larry Weiss wrote and recorded Rhinestone Cowboy in 1974 and it appeared on his album Black and Blue Suite. It didn’t have much of a commercial impact as a single, although peaked at number 71 in Australia in August 1974. In late 1974, Campbell heard the song on the radio and, during a tour of Australia, decided to learn it. Soon after his return to the United States, Campbell went to Al Coury’s office at Capitol Records, where he was approached about “a great new song” – “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

Released in May 1975, “Rhinestone Cowboy” immediately caught on with both country and pop audiences. The song spent that summer climbing both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts before peaking at No. 1 by season’s end – three nonconsecutive weeks on the country chart, two weeks on the Hot 100. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 for 1975. It also topped the charts in Canada and several other countries.