| "Junior's Farm" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPaul McCartney and Wings | ||||
| B-side | "Sally G" | |||
| Released | 1 November 1974[1] | |||
| Recorded | 16–18 July 1974 | |||
| Studio | Sound Shop (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Glam rock[2] | |||
| Length | 4:20 3:03 (DJ edit) | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Songwriters | Paul McCartney,Linda McCartney | |||
| Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
| Wings singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative covers | ||||
.jpg) Italian single cover | ||||
| Official video | ||||
| "Junior's Farm" onYouTube | ||||
"Junior's Farm" is a song written byPaul McCartney (though credited to Paul andLinda McCartney) and performed byPaul McCartney and Wings. It was issued as a non-album single byApple Records in November 1974; it peaked at No. 3 in the United States[3] and No. 16 in the United Kingdom.
McCartney had his first ideas about writing a song about quiet farm lifestyle during his long family stay at hiscottage inCampbeltown,Scotland, between April and August 1970,[4] amidst the turbulentbreak-up ofthe Beatles,[5] but he shelved his recording project for four years. McCartney in 1966 bought the 183-acre Scottish estate called High Park Farm, a place where he composed and recorded several songs.[6] In his 2021 memoir book titledThe Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, he said:
It was such a relief to get out of those business meetings with people in suits, who were so serious all the time, and go off to Scotland and be able just to sit around in a T-shirt and corduroys. I was very much in that mindset when I wrote this song. The basic message is, let’s get out of here. You might say it's my post-Beatles getting-out-of-town song.[7]
McCartney explained that he based the song's lyrical theme onBob Dylan's 1965 "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."[8]
McCartney and his band recorded "Junior's Farm" along with itsB-side "Sally G" between July 16 and 18, 1974 during a short stay inTennessee,[9] in a period particularly relaxed for him and no concert tours scheduled in that year.
The song was engineered by Ernie Winfrey at Soundshop Studios inNashville, owned byBuddy Killen.[10] While recording in Nashville, the band stayed at theLebanon, Tennesseefarm ofCurly Putman Jr., which accounts for the song's title.[11]Jimmy McCulloch played the guitar solo as his Wings debut. He is mentioned in a line in the song ("Take me down Jimmy").
Despite its relative success outside America, neither of these two songs were included on their subsequent studio albumVenus and Mars of 1975, which was scheduled to start its recording sessions between November 5 and 13, 1974 inLondon. The track only appears in some of the band's greatest hits compilations.
"Junior's Farm" was included in the averagesetlist of theWings Over the World tour in 1975,[12] but it was not a song performed live on subsequent tours.
"Junior's Farm" / "Sally G" was released on 1 November 1974 throughApple Records, a few days before the band started recordingVenus and Mars in England. The single continued McCartney andWings' worldwide success after the albumBand on the Run. It made No. 3 in the US, No. 16 in the UK,[13] 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."[14]Record World said that "Vassar Clements fiddle adds a subtle country touch to a straight-out 'Get Back'-type rocker."[15]
The photo for one of the single's picture sleeves featured Wings dressed in costumes corresponding to the song's lyrics (for example, drummerGeoff Britton as a poker dealer and guitaristDenny Laine as an Eskimo). Asea 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 genericApple Records sleeve.
The music video of "Junior's Farm" showsPaul McCartney playing aKay electric bass guitar. The single was McCartney's last release on Apple Records before signing a solo recording contract withCapitol Records in May 1975, following the dissolution of the Beatles' partnership.
"Junior's Farm" was later released on the McCartney/Wings compilationWings Greatest in 1978, the US version ofAll the Best! in 1987 and the deluxe edition ofPure McCartney in 2016. The three-minute radio edit of the song was included on the 2001 compilationWingspan: 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 ofVenus and Mars released in November 2014.
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