Background and Writing
The inspiration for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was Webb's breakup from Susan Ronstadt, a cousin of singer Linda Ronstadt. Both remained friends, even after her marriage to another man. The relationship itself, which peaked in mid-1965, was the primary influence for "MacArthur Park," another Webb composition.
Webb, a Los Angeles resident when he wrote the song, was raised in Elk City, Oklahoma. As far as the geography implied, " told me, 'This song is impossible.' And so it is. It's a kind of fantasy about something I wish I would have done, and it sort of takes place in a twilight zone of reality." He states that he should have left but didn't; "it's more of a song about something I wish I had done than something I really did, in that I did not get in my car and drive back to Oklahoma to punish this young woman for not reciprocating my love and affection."
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