Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.
On February 19, 2026, figure skater Alysa Liu became the first American to win Olympic gold in the women’s competition since 2002. She did it in a style that caused shockwaves through the sport, as Liu, now 20, had previously retired at age 16. With her return, she vowed that she would skate for herself, in her own style, and simply enjoy the moment. Her spirit radiated from the ice, and her jumps were spot on. She emerged from the games not only a medal winner, but a global superstar.
But what really caught our attention was Liu’s choice of music for her long program. She skated to Donna Summer’s disco cover of “MacArthur Park.” With its infectious groove, the song perfectly reflected her approach to the sport, especially as Summer sings “There will be another song for me.” It was an ideal pairing for one of the greatest second acts in the history of the sport.
“MacArthur Park” was written by Jimmy Webb, the tunesmith known for such classics as “Wichita Lineman,” “Worst that Could Happen” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.”
It was first recorded by Irish actor Richard Harris. Coming off the success of the 1967 musical film Camelot, Harris teamed up with Webb, who penned all of the tracks and produced Harris’ debut 1968 record A Tramp Shining. “MacArthur Park” – all seven minutes and twenty seconds of it – was the lead single. Despite its length and unusual structure, the song became a massive global hit for Harris upon its release.
The track itself is more of a suite than a traditional pop tune, with three distinct sections. It tells the story of a young couple falling in love and splitting, interlaced with visual descriptions of the titular Los Angeles park, from “birds like tender babies” to “old men playing checkers.”
But it is most famous, and perhaps infamous, for its chorus…
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don’t think that I can take it
‘Cause it took so long to bake it
And I’ll never have that recipe again
The second section is a slower, whimsical ballad about life and love with no references to baked goods:
There will be another song for me
For I will sing it
There will be another dream for me
Someone will bring it.
Part three is a ‘60s pop-orchestral jam that one can envision as background music for a James Bond chase scene. Bringing it all together is the final chorus where Harris tells us again about the cake, the rain and how he’ll “never have that recipe again.”
The track has earned some derision over the years. It’s been featured on shows from SCTV to The Simpsons. Weird Al Yankovic’s sendup melded it with Jurassic Park. Comedian Dave Barry named it the worst song of all time, citing the cake/rain chorus.
While it is an odd song, “MacArthur Park”’s history refutes Barry’s claim. As of this writing, SecondHandSongs.com lists 244 known covers by some of the best singers of all time. The recipe, it turns out, worked pretty well again and again.
Here’s a breakdown of five artists who put their own spin on “MacArthur Park.”
The Four Tops – MacArthur Park (Richard Harris cover)
While this cover is billed to the Four Tops, vocalist Levi Stubbs dominates the track. The soul legend delivers the chorus “Someone left the cake out in the rain…” with so much passion and power that you can feel the heartbreak oozing from the metaphor. From the 1969 album Four Tops Now, the track itself plays like a mini-funk symphony. The only notable omission is the extended instrumental section. Had it been recorded by the Motown session players, it would have been a jam for the ages.
Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed – MacArthur Park (Richard Harris cover)
Many country singers have covered “MacArthur Park” over the years, including Waylon Jennings and Glen Campbell, but these renditions veer into pop territory. Country artists Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed delivered this acoustic instrumental guitar version on their 1970 album Me and Jerry. Clocking in at just under three minutes, this brief take has a very country feel, even without the words.
Donna Summer – MacArthur Park Suite (Richard Harris cover)
In the ‘70s, Donna Summer earned the moniker “Queen of Disco” for her seemingly endless stream of dance floor hits. During her reign, she released several double albums with extended tracks that took up whole sides. One such example was the 17-minute “MacArthur Park Suite,” from 1978’s Live and More. Summer starts the song out slow, with an arrangement of strings. After the first chorus, the disco beat kicks in and doesn’t let go for the rest of the song. Instead of a lengthy instrumental interlude, Summer embedded two additional tracks in the recording, “One of a Kind,” and “Heaven Knows.” Both tracks keep the steady, throbbing disco beat. In the end, she brings everything back to “MacArthur Park” one last time on the final chorus.
Summer released an edited version as a single, which went to number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. But it’s best to stick with the long cut to experience the full power of Summer in her disco glory. As we saw at the Olympics, the song continues to inspire decades after its release.
Frank Sinatra – MacArthur Park (Richard Harris cover)
Frank Sinatra recorded the song for his 1980 album Trilogy: Past, Present and Future. The album is most famous for his cover of “Theme from New York, New York.” For his take on “MacArthur Park,” Sinatra skipped the first part of the song and only sang the middle section, playing up the emotional core, but with no mention of park itself (or the cake or the rain). In Sinatra’s steady hand, “there will be another song for me …” becomes a stirring ballad that exists fully on its own.
Tragedy – MacArthur Park (Richard Harris cover)
With so many versions of “MacArthur Park,” there are naturally a fair amount of unusual takes. There’s a short punk version by the Queers, a cover from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, even a marimba instrumental. Tragedy bills itself as a heavy-metal tribute to the Bee Gees, but they’ve incorporated other material into their repertoire. This rendition from their 2015 album The Solo Albums transforms the song into a blistering piece of prog metal with soaring vocals and plenty of guitar shredding. It’s both brilliant and brilliantly odd.
No cover beats of this song beats The Negro Problem (Mark Lamar Stewart) version from the album Post Minstrel Syndrome.