“Junior’s Farm” - Paul McCartney, Wings : The Legacy Of A Rock Band On A Tennessee Farm

Artist: Paul McCartney Single: Junior’s Farm (One Handed Clapping Sessions) Genre: Paul McCartney Release Date: April 26th, 2024

50 years ago, Paul McCartney and his rock band Wings had a six week stay at a farm in Lebanon, Tennessee, owned by the country songwriter Curly Putman Jr., known best for his song, “Green, Green Grass Of Home.” While Putman’s family vacationed in Hawaii, McCartney drove their dirt bike around the farm and rehearsed in their garage. Later that year, the band released the hit single inspired by their stay, “Junior’s Farm.”

Upbeat and layered with harmony, the song entwines a prevailing smooth guitar riff with the snappy chorus, “Let’s go, let’s go, down to Junior’s Farm where I wanna lay low”. Junior’s Farm is reminiscent of McCartney’s on brand whimsiness and is the perfect excuse to get foot-tapping.

Paul McCartney has been up to a lot recently, from the 2018 release of extended versions of Wings’ album Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway, to an “underdubbed” edition of their most successful album, Band On The Run, which was released this February. 

And he’s got more on the way. “Junior’s Farm” is a sneak peak into the long awaited release of Wings’ live studio album, One Hand Clapping, which was recorded in 1974 at Abbey Road Studios, but never officially released. The newly mixed version is planned to come out on June 14th, 2024. According to Pitchfork, “the album features several Wings hits as well as reworks of some Beatles classics” and “additional songs that were recorded off-camera”.

If the rest of the album is as good as “Junior’s Farm,” it will be worth the wait. And we’ve been waiting 50 years.

Paul McCartney during the original recording of “Junior’s Farm”

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