Met Him on a Plane

(originally Met Her on a Plane) words & music by Jimmy Webb

Favorite version: Jimmy Webb, And So: On, 1971

Notes:

This has always been one of my favorites. Probably because I had an experience very like this once myself. Or twice... This is a prime example of how Jimmy takes a supremely personal moment and turns it into an evocative song that anyone ever struck dumb by a pair of eyes can relate to. Of course, for me, the eyes weren't feminine. But feel free to use your imagination, the way I've always done since the first time I heard this song.

My arrangement preserves a few elements from the original, among them the piano intro and a couple of the string lines. One of those in particular I have loved ever since I first heard it: the ascending triplets in the middle of the second verse. (You'll hear the same kind of line in another song coming up, too, so stay alert.)

Excerpt from Jimmy & Me album notes.