B-side "Sally G" Format 7-inch single | Released 25 October 1974 Genre Rock | |
Recorded July 1974, Sound Shop Studios, Nashville, Tennessee Length 4:20 (Single)
3:03 (Radio edit) | ||
"Junior's Farm" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed with McCartney's band Wings. It was a number-three hit single in the United States. It was issued as a non-album single.
Contents
Writing and release
The track was engineered by Ernie Winfrey at Soundshop Studios in Nashville, Tennessee in 1974. While recording in Nashville, the band stayed at the Lebanon, Tennessee farm of Curly Putman Jr., which accounts for the song's title.
The song continued McCartney and Wings' success after the Band on the Run album. It made number 16 on the United Kingdom charts.
The photo for the single's picture sleeve featured the members of Wings dressed in appropriate costumes from the song's lyrics (for example, Geoff Britton as a poker dealer and Denny Laine as the "Eskimo"). However, the photo only 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 an Apple Records company sleeve. In some other countries in Europe, a black-and-white band photo was used instead (see alternative cover).
This 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.
Music video
The music video of Junior's Farm shows Paul McCartney playing a Kay electric bass guitar.
B-side and later release
The B-side, "Sally G", was also a top-20 hit on the US charts, peaking at number 17. "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 album. The 3-minute radio edit of the song was included on the Wingspan: Hits and History compilation. "Sally G" was released in 1993 as a bonus track on Wings at the Speed of Sound in The Paul McCartney Collection. Both songs are now remastered and featured on the Hear-Music version of Venus and Mars released in November 2014.
Cover versions
In 1994, "Junior's Farm" was covered by Lee Harvey Oswald Band on their album A Taste of Prison.
In 1996, "Junior's Farm" was covered by Galactic Cowboys on their Feel the Rage E.P.
In 2014, "Junior's Farm" was covered by Steve Miller on The Art of McCartney covers album.