THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

646-Paul McCartney and Wings-Junior’s Farm.

1974-Number 10 single.

Best Bit-At 3.56. Of the naming of ‘Wings,’ Paul McCartney has said that his wife Linda was in hospital giving birth to their second child Stella, there were complications at the birth, and both Linda and the baby nearly died. McCartney was praying, and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to call his new band ‘Wings.’

Paul McCartney, (solo-see also best songs 107) (Beatles-see also best songs 599-238-218-157-141-80-51-10 and 6) was born James Paul McCartney, on June 18th, 1942, in Liverpool, England, he is the most successful songwriter of all time, having written or co-written 33 UK Number 1 singles, and 32 American Billboard Number 1 singles. In 1965 he was awarded the ‘MBE,’ ‘Member of the Order of the British Empire,’ and then in 1997, he was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, for services to music, hence his title ‘Sir,’ and then in 2017, he was Appointed ‘Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour,’ ‘CH,’ in the 2017 Queens Birthday Honours, for services to music. Paul McCartney’s father was Jim McCartney, (1902-1976) and his mother was Mary Patricia, (née Mohin) (1909-1956) both of his parents wee also born in Liverpool. McCartney has a younger brother, Peter Michael McCartney, (born 1944) who is also a musician, and goes by the stage name of ‘Mike McGear,’ who in 1968, with the group ‘The Scaffold,’ reached Number 1 in the UK with ‘Lily the Pink.’ McCartney also has a younger adopted stepsister called Ruth, (born 1960) who was born to his father Jim’s second wife, Angie (born 1929) during her first marriage. Paul McCartney has been married on three occasions, and has five children.

With the success of his 1974 Album ‘Band on the Run,’ Paul McCartney had finally achieved critical acclaim away from the Beatles. The next studio Album ‘Venus and Mars’ wouldn’t be released until 1975, so ‘Juniors Farm’ was released without appearing on any Album. While recording in July 1974 in Nashville, Paul McCartney and Wings, who were at that time, Linda McCartney, (1941-1998) Denny Laine, (1944-2023) Jimmy McCullock, (1953-1979) (see also best songs 891) and Geoff Britton, had hired the ‘Lebanon, Tennessee’ farm, belonging to the Country Music singer/songwriter Curly Putman Jr. (1930-2016) which accounts for this songs title. In the UK, Curly Putman Jr. is best known for writing the songs ‘Green Green Grass of Home,’ which became a UK Number 1 & Billboard Number 12 hit for Tom Jones in 1966, (see also best songs 964) and ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E,’ a UK Number 12 hit for Tammy Wynette in 1975.

‘Junior’s Farm’ which was written by Paul McCartney, and Linda McCartney, with the production being by Paul, was his final release on the ‘Apple Records’ label before signing a solo recording contract with ‘Capitol Records,’ in May 1975. Paul McCartney had his first ideas about writing a song about a quiet farm lifestyle during his long family stay at his cottage in Campbeltown, Scotland, between April and August 1970, during the turbulent break-up of the Beatles. McCartney has said that he based the song’s lyrical theme on Bob Dylan’s 1965 song ‘Maggie’s Farm,’ and that ‘The idea was to just get a fantasy song about this person Junior.’ He also said that, in contrast to the degree of thought Bob Dylan applied to his songwriting, 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.’ Curly Putman Jr. has said,’Paul McCartney and Wings rented my farm for six weeks while recording in Nashville, for a pretty good little chunk of money.’ Evidently Putman and his wife spent their ‘rent’ on a holiday to Hawaii, and when they returned, McCartney saw them walking up the driveway. and Paul and the band greeted them by playing ‘Green, Green Grass of Home.’

Paul McCartney has insisted that the lyrics to ‘Junior’s Farm’ have no meaning, but they are probably full of drug references. For example, the Eskimo who was hoping for a fall of snow, is probably about Cocaine, and the lyrics ‘When up popped a sea lion ready to go,’ a ‘sea lion’ = ‘C line.’ There is possibly a disguised mention about America’s disgraced President Nixon, and also an observation on the state of the economy at that time, although that could be another drug reference.

‘I took my bag into a grocer’s store, the price is higher than the time before, old man asked me why is it more. I said you should have seen me with the poker man, I had a honey and I bet a grand, just in the nick of time I looked at his hand.’