Adios

Album: Adios (2017)
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Songfacts®:

  • This poignant song is the title track of Glen Campbell's farewell album, the last record released by the country star due to the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
  • Jimmy Webb originally wrote "Adios" for Linda Ronstadt, who recorded the tune for her 1989 Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind album. However, over the years it has become a favorite of Campbell's. "Glen and I used to play that song all the time," Webb told Rolling Stone, "We played it in dressing rooms, hotels, we played it over at his house, we played it at my house. He always loved that song."
  • Bluegrass musician Carl Jackson produced the Adios album. The title track was recorded after Campbell's 2011-2012 Goodbye Tour and Jackson explained to Rolling Stone how he worked with the stricken star.

    "I stood right beside him on every line, printed out the lyrics in big print," Jackson said. "Sometimes we had to do a line at a time because with Alzheimer's, his memory of the lyrics, as we saw in the tour he had to use teleprompters, that went away pretty quick. But his melodies did not go away for a long time after his ability to remember actual songs. He would even remember what keys he did them in. I can't explain it."
  • Jimmy Webb heard Campbell's recording for the first time on the morning of his Rolling Stone interview. He said: "My wife and I both broke down and cried all over this hotel room. It's the first time we ever heard it. Carl just did something extraordinary."
  • The song's music video was directed by Peter Zavadil. The clip features old photos and videos of Glen Campbell mixed with the story of his guitar. At the end of the clip, the country legend's grandson Jeremy Olson gives the guitar an emotional send off.

    "In my view, 'Adios' is Glen's farewell to the spotlight. I wanted the music video to reflect those sentiments," Zavadil explained. "The guitar is a symbol of Glen's legacy... a 'spiritual baton' as it were, carried on by all those influenced by his music, beginning with one of his daughters and ending with one of his grandsons. The fact that no one will ever hold a match to Glen's skill on the guitar is memorialized by giving his guitar a proper 'Viking Funeral' on the California coast. The project truly was an honor and an adventure."

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