MacArthur Park

MacArthur Park is a park in western Los Angeles, California, United States, named after General Douglas MacArthur. It is located right in the middle of a mostly Central American part of Los Angeles.

The park is divided in two by Wilshire Boulevard. On one side there is a highly polluted man-made lake. On the other, there is a Kiosk. The Kiosk is host to concerts organized by the local spanish radio stations and the annual Central American Independence Day parade/festival.

The park was originally named Westlake Park, and built in the 1880s. It was renamed shortly after the end of World War II.

MacArthur Park is famous for the song named after it, originally a hit song written by Jimmy Webb and performed by Richard Harris in 1968. In 1978, a disco version by Donna Summer again hit the tops of the charts.

It was a most unusual single, running for more than seven minutes, with lyrics more symbolic than descriptive, and a climactic orchestral break, but apparently about a lost love and a rendezvous in the park. It has been covered more than 50 times, including versions by Waylon Jennings, Glen Campbell, and Liza Minnelli.

Quotation

MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark

All the sweet, green icing flowing down

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

Oh, no!

Oh, no

No, no

The park, however, is mostly known for being a violent place. Drug-dealing, shoot-outs and occasional drownings are some-what common.

The park has been featured in a number of movies (eg, Volcano ) and Television shows.