%22By the Time I Get to Phoenix%22 is a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, American country music singer Glen Campbell covered the song on his album of the same name. Released on Capitol Records in 1967, Campbell's version topped RPM 's Canada Country Tracks, reached number two on Billboard 's Hot Country Singles chart, and won two awards at the 10th Annual Grammys. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) named it the third most performed song from 1940 to 1990. The song was ranked number 20 on BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century. Frank Sinatra called it %22the greatest torch song ever written.%22