As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls is a collaborative album by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, released in 1981. The title makes reference to Wichita, Kansas and Wichita Falls, Texas. The title tune is just under 21 minutes. It is one of the few albums where Metheny not only acts as both the lead and accompanying guitarist but also the bassist, as each track uses fair amounts of overdubbing. The track "September Fifteenth" is in reference to September 15, 1980, the day the American jazz pianist Bill Evans died. Metheny and Mays cite Evans as a main influence. Both "September Fifteenth" and "It's for You" appear in the score for the 1985 film Fandango. "It's for You" would later be covered by Akiko Yano, with Metheny on guitar, for her 1989 album Welcome Back. An specific section of first song (14:56), "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls", is frequently used by Christian Dior for the Fahrenheit perfume and cologne ads since 1988. The front cover photograph is a reference to the lyrics of the song "Wichita Lineman" by Jimmy Webb.