Junior's Farm
| "Junior's Farm" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Paul McCartney and Wings | ||||
| B-side | "Sally G" | |||
| Released | 25 October 1974 | |||
| Recorded | July 1974 | |||
| Studio | Sound Shop Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Glam rock[1] | |||
| Length | 4:20 3:03 (DJ edit) | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney | |||
| Producer(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
| Wings singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative covers | ||||
.jpg) Italian single cover | ||||
| Official video | ||||
| "Junior's Farm" on YouTube | ||||
"Junior's Farm" is a song written by Paul McCartney (though credited to Paul and Linda McCartney) and performed by Paul McCartney and Wings. It was issued as a non-album single by Apple Records in October 1974; it peaked at No. 3 in the United States[2] and No. 16 in the United Kingdom.
Recording
McCartney composed and recorded "Junior's Farm" along with "Sally G" in July 1974 during a short stay in Tennessee, in a period particularly relaxed for him and no concert tours scheduled in that year. Despite its relative international success, neither of these two songs were included on on their subsequent studio album Venus and Mars of 1975. "Junior's Farm" only appears in some of the band's greatest hits compilations.
The song was engineered by Ernie Winfrey at Soundshop Studios in Nashville, Tennessee in 1974.[3][4] While recording in Nashville, the band stayed at the Lebanon, Tennessee farm of Curly Putman Jr., which accounts for the song's title.[5] Jimmy McCulloch played the guitar solo as his Wings debut.
McCartney said he based the song's lyrical theme on Bob Dylan's Maggie's Farm and that "the idea was to just get a fantasy song about this person Junior." McCartney said that, in contrast to the degree of thought Dylan applied to his song-writing, Junior's Farm "has silly words and basically all it means is, 'Let's get out of the city.' ... As for reading deep meanings into the words, people shouldn't bother, there aren't any."[6]
Release
The single continued McCartney and Wings' worldwide success after the album Band on the Run. It made No. 3 in the US, No. 16 in the UK,[7] and was a hit elsewhere.
Cash Box called it "a very strong disk," saying that "it has that unique McCartney flair that makes all his musical forays such inspired hit records."[8]
The photo for one of the single's picture sleeves featured Wings dressed in costumes corresponding to the song's lyrics (for example, drummer Geoff Britton as a poker dealer and guitarist Denny Laine as an Eskimo). A sea lion, also mentioned in the lyrics, appears in the photo, between Britton and McCartney, a farmer. This photo appeared on the picture sleeve of the single in Spain and in advertisements elsewhere. In the UK and the US, the single was released in a generic Apple Records sleeve.
The music video of "Junior's Farm" shows Paul McCartney playing a Kay electric bass guitar. The single was McCartney's last release on Apple Records before signing a solo recording contract with Capitol Records in May 1975, following the dissolution of the Beatles' partnership.
Subsequent releases
"Junior's Farm" was later released on the McCartney/Wings compilation Wings Greatest in 1978 and the US version of All the Best! in 1987, although it was not on the UK edition of the latter. The three-minute radio edit of the song was included on the 2001 compilation Wingspan: Hits and History. Along with its B-side (the country-flavoured "Sally G"), "Junior's Farm" was remastered for inclusion on the Hear-Music version of Venus and Mars released in November 2014.
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
- Linda McCartney – keyboards, backing vocal
- Denny Laine – rhythm guitar, backing vocal
- Jimmy McCulloch – lead guitar
- Geoff Britton – drums
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Cover versions
- In 1994, "Junior's Farm" was covered by the Lee Harvey Oswald Band on their album A Taste of Prison.[16]
- In 1996, "Junior's Farm" was covered by Galactic Cowboys on their EP Feel the Rage.[17]
- In 2014, "Junior's Farm" was covered by Steve Miller for inclusion on the covers album The Art of McCartney.
References
- ^ ""Junior's Farm"".
- ^ "Paul McCartney singles". allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
- ^ "Ernie Winfrey - Welcome to 1979 Analog Recording Studios - Nashville, TN". welcometo1979.com.
- ^ "Junior's Farm (song)". The Paul McCartney project.
- ^ Inman, Davis (21 February 2011). ""Junior's Farm," Paul McCartney". American Songwriter.
- ^ Spizer, Bruce (2005). The Beatles Solo on Apple Records. New Orleans, LA: 498 Productions. p. 190. ISBN 0-9662649-5-9.
- ^ a b "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 9 November 1974. p. 20. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002
- ^ "Top 100 1975-01-04". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
- ^ "RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1975".
- ^ "Junior's Farm by The Lee Harvey Oswald Band". findsongtempo.com. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ "Galactic Cowboys 'Feel the Rage'". metalblade.com. 3 June 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
