"Farmer John" | ||||
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Single by Don and Dewey | ||||
B-side | "Justine" | |||
Released | February 1959 | |||
Recorded | 1959 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 2:30 | |||
Label | Specialty | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Don and Dewey singles chronology | ||||
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"Farmer John" is a song written by Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry, and first recorded by the two as the American R&B duo Don and Dewey, in 1959. Although the original version of the composition did not receive much attention, it was reinvigorated by the garage rock band the Premiers, whose raving remake of the song was released in 1964. The song's raw and partying atmosphere was immensely popular, reaching number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the group's national success, several additional interpretations of "Farmer John" were released, making the tune a classic of garage rock.
In 1965, Swedish rock band Hep Stars released a version of "Farmer John" that reached number one on the Swedish sales charts.
Don and Dewey penned "Farmer John", a simplistic tune about marrying a farmer's daughter, in early 1959, and first recorded their original rendition in January 1959. [1] The duo's R&B song was much more subdued than the Premiers' later interpretation, with hushed trumpet instrumentals providing backdrop to Don and Dewey's vocal harmonies. It was released as a single in February 1959 on Specialty Records; however, the song did not receive much attention and failed to chart. [2] "Farmer John", along with a number of the pair's material including "I'm Leaving It Up to You" and "Big Boy Pete", was recognized only when another artist covered the song. [3]
"Farmer John" | ||||
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Single by The Premiers | ||||
from the album Farmer John Live! | ||||
B-side | "Duffy's Blues" | |||
Released | 19 March 1964 [4] | |||
Recorded | 1964, Stereo Masters, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:12 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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The Premiers singles chronology | ||||
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Featuring brothers Lawrence Perez on lead guitar and John Perez on drums, the Premiers were established as many garage rock bands were, practicing in their garage. The group had the opportunity to record "Farmer John" when the mother of the brothers arranged an audition with record producer Billy Cardenas, who was instrumental in promoting several Chicano groups. [5] As Lawrence Perez recalled, Cardenas recommended to the Premiers to cover "Farmer John", saying "He wanted to do it more East L.A.-style, or 'Louie Louie'-type. At the time, the 'Louie Louie'-type rhythm and sound was happening, so we tried to base the beat and sound towards that". [6] As it so happens, "Louie Louie", had like "Farmer John" begun as a single released by a Los Angeles-based African-American R&B musical act (in this case Richard Berry), before the Kingsmen's classic rendition propelled to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. For that reason, the Premiers' cover was marked by the same kind of unpolished adolescence that garnered the Kingsmen national success. [6] [7]
Although the band is credited with recording the song live at the Rhythm Room in Fullerton, California on the single's label, the Premiers actually entered Stereo Masters Studios in Hollywood to record "Farmer John". Cardenas delivers the unusual spoken word intro asking if anyone has seen "Kosher Pickle Harry", before the song breaks into a simplistic, but catchy, three-chord melody. [8] The key to closely resembling a live performance of "Farmer John" was supplied by members of the all-girl Chevelles Car Club, who provided the majority of the vibrant audience noise. Co-producer Eddie Davis, quoted in The West Coast East Side Sound, Volume 3 compilation album, recollected "We had a party at the studio and had all the kids come down. Everybody was having a good time and we put the record on – in those days they had three-track recording – and while everybody was having a party we recorded the crowd on top of it". [9] This live party sound was employed by Cardenas and Davis on an earlier recording, the Blendells cover of Little Stevie Wonder's "La La La La La," which reached number 62 on the national charts in 1964. [6]
"Farmer John" was originally released on Davis's independent record label, Faro Records, but was soon licensed by Warner Bros. Records, and distributed nationally in September 1964. It became the Premiers one and only Top 40 single, as it charted at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. [10] In the following month, the band appeared on the television program American Bandstand , where Dick Clark announced that the group would be featured on his Caravan of Stars national tour. [11] An alternate version of the song, which appears on the Premiers only album, Farmer John Live!, features crowd sounds that nearly drown out the vocals. Though further success eluded the group, "Farmer John" had become a staple in the repertoire of numerous garage rock bands, inspiring cover versions of the tune over the years. [12] In 1972, the composition was included on the well-known compilation Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 . [13]
Chart (1964) | Peak position |
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US Cash Box Top 100 [14] | 19 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] | 19 |
"Farmer John" | ||||
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Single by the Hep Stars | ||||
B-side | "Donna" | |||
Released | March 1965 | |||
Recorded | December 1964 | |||
Studio | Borgarskolan, Stockholm | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 1:52 | |||
Label | Olga | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Åke Gerhard | |||
The Hep Stars singles chronology | ||||
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Swedish rock band Hep Stars recorded "Farmer John" as a single in late 1964. [16] The band most likely did not derive their rendition of the song from The Premiers, which, despite being a sizable hit in the US, did not chart in Sweden. They presumably got their inspiration from British beat group the Searchers, who had recorded the track for their debut album Meet The Searchers in 1963. [17] Both covers are extremely similar to each other, with both featuring the drum-roll intro along with the distinct harmonies and vocalizations not found on the Premiers version. [18] Although the rendition heavily relies on the Searchers version of the track, the Hep Stars heard it through a Finnish rock band first before listening to other versions. [19] The Hep Stars version is notably much more quicker and raw than both previous counterparts. [19]
"Farmer John" originates in one consequtive six-hour recording session in late December 1964 when they cut three singles, "A Tribute to Buddy Holly", "Summertime Blues" and "Farmer John" along with their respective B-Sides, "Bird Dog", "If You Need Me" and "Donna". [20] However, none of these tracks would be issued for another approximately three months, with the exception of "A Tribute to Buddy Holly" which was released in February of that year. [21] "A Tribute To Buddy Holly" first failed to garner any attention, but after an appearance on Swedish television show Drop-In on March 23, 1965, it quickly rose through the charts, peaking at number five on Kvällstoppen. [22] Following this, Olga Records rush-released three singles simultaneously in late March 1965, those being "Summertime Blues", "Farmer John" and their rendition of "Brand New Cadillac", retitled "Cadillac" which had been recorded in February of that year. [23]
"Farmer John" entered Kvällstoppen on April 27, at a position of number 10. [24] The following week it entered the top-5, at number 5. [24] It slowly progressed up the charts the following week, reaching number 4. [24] The week after it reached number 2. [24] On May 25, it had reached number 1, a position it held for 4 consecutive weeks before being replaced by "Bring It On Home to Me" by the Animals on June 22. [25] It exited the top-5 on July 6, and left the top-10 on the 20th. [24] It was last seen on August 24 at a position of 20, but later re-entered the chart four weeks later at number 18 for a week. [24] In total, the single spent 19 weeks on Kvällstoppen, of which 12 were in the top-10, 9 were in the top-5 and 4 were at number 1. [24] It fared similarly well on Tio i Topp as well, spending 12 weeks on that chart, reaching number one. [26]
Bruce Eder of AllMusic describes the song as a pale imitation of the Premiers original, but a satisfaction for their home-grown audience. [27] Although not issued on an album, it is featured on the 1996 remaster of the group's debut album We and Our Cadillac . [28] A live version was featured on their 1965 live album Hep Stars On Stage. [29]
Chart (1965) | Peak position |
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Sweden ( Kvällstoppen ) [24] | 1 |
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [26] | 1 |
Norway ( VG-lista ) [30] | 4 |
The Hep Stars are a Swedish rock band formed in Stockholm in 1963. During 1965–1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in the English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best known as a launching point for the keyboard player, lead guitar and composer Benny Andersson, who went on to enjoy worldwide success with ABBA.
"Summertime Blues" is a song co-written and recorded by American rock artist Eddie Cochran. It was written by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 29, 1958, and number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It has been covered by many artists, including being a number-one hit for country music artist Alan Jackson, and scoring notable hits in versions by Blue Cheer, the Who and Brian Setzer, the last of whom recorded his version for the 1987 film La Bamba, in which he portrayed Cochran.
The Hep Stars is the eponymous second studio album by Swedish pop group Hep Stars, released on 19 December 1966 on Åke Gerhard's Olga Records, carrying the catalogue number LPO 04. The album can be considered the band's musical breakthrough, as five out of twelve tracks are original compositions, and nine out of the twelve tracks had never previously been recorded by other bands.
"Hawaii" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was recorded in July 1963 and released on their 1963 album Surfer Girl. It is one of the first Beach Boy songs that Hal Blaine played on, contributing timbales, but regular drummer Dennis Wilson still played. In January 1964, it was released as a single in Australia, becoming a top-10 hit. "Hawaii" made its way into the Beach Boys repertoire almost 50 years later.
"Brand New Cadillac" is a 1959 song by Vince Taylor, and was originally released as a B-side. Featured musicians on the released recording were: Joe Moretti (guitars), Lou Brian (piano), Brian Locking (bass) and Brian Bennett (drums). While not successful in the UK, it got a huge surge in popularity in continental Europe, especially the Nordic countries, with acts such as The Renegades and Hep Stars bringing it to number one in Finland and Sweden respectively. Another Swedish act, the Shamrocks brought the song to number one in France.
"Donna" is a song written by Ritchie Valens, featuring the '50s progression. The song was released in 1958 on Del-Fi Records. Written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart Donna Ludwig, it was Valens' highest-charting single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year.
"Tribute to Buddy Holly" is a song written by Geoff Goddard, first recorded by Mike Berry and the Outlaws as a single, which was released in September 1961 on His Master's Voice records. His first chart success, it reached number 24 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1961. The song was banned by the BBC for being too "morbid", regarding the death of 1950s rock and roll singer Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959.
"Bald Headed Woman" is a traditional blues song, covered by British rock band the Kinks on their eponymous debut album in 1964. Another British rock band, the Who, recorded it in 1964 as the B-side of their first top-ten single "I Can't Explain". Outside of traditional African American blues and folk artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins and Odetta, the song had been previously covered by other pop artists of the time, including Harry Belafonte on the 1960 album Swing Dat Hammer. It became a number one hit on Kvällstoppen for Swedish rock group Hep Stars in 1965.
"Sunny Girl" is a song written by Benny Andersson, which was recorded and released as the Swedish rock group Hep Stars' tenth single in March 1966. Their second original song after "No Response", it was the song which made Andersson believe in himself as a songwriter, with support from their manager Åke Gerhard. As a result, almost all singles by the Hep Stars following "Sunny Girl" are original compositions.
Åke Gerhard was a Swedish songwriter. His songs won the title for the first three years of Sweden's Melodifestival: In 1958 "Lilla stjärna" Little star sung by Alice Babs, in 1959 "Augustin" sung by Siw Malmkvist with lyrics by Harry Sandin and in 1960 "Alla andra får varann" Everyone else gets each other with lyrics by Ulf Kjellqvist.
Hep Stars on Stage is the first live album and second overall release by Swedish rock band Hep Stars. Released in November 1965 on Olga Records, the album is composed of recordings made on 7 and 8 August 1965 at two separate Folkparks in Trollhättan and Västerås, Sweden. Hep Stars on Stage, although not the first live album by a Swedish artist, was the first live recording of a Swedish rock group released.
We and Our Cadillac is the debut album by Swedish beat group Hep Stars, released in September 1965. It was highly anticipated by fans, and succeeded their earlier hit singles, which turned Hep Stars into one of Sweden's top acts. It appeared on shows such as Drop-In and having three songs on Kvällstoppen simultaneously, a feat never achieved before. In Sweden alone, the Hep Stars had accumulated an ever-growing female fanbase, just like the Beatles did with Beatlemania just two years prior.
Tages is the debut studio album by the Swedish rock band Tages, released on 3 November 1965 on Platina Records. Released during a period in which the band had accumulated four top ten singles in Tio i Topp and as many on Kvällstoppen. This led the band to become one of Sweden's first and foremost pop groups, along with Hep Stars.
"No Response" is a song written by Benny Andersson, first recorded by Swedish rock group Hep Stars and released as a single in September 1965. The song was written in response to criticism drawn from other Swedish beat groups, including Shanes and Tages for their inability to write own material.
"So Mystifying" is a song written by English musician Ray Davies, first recorded by his band the Kinks for their 1964 debut album Kinks. It appears as the second track on side one, following "Beautiful Delilah", and is the first track on the album on which Ray Davies performs the lead vocals. The best known version of the song was recorded by Swedish rock group Hep Stars, whose version of the song reached the top-five on both Kvällstoppen and Tio I Topp in 1965.
"Should I" is a song written by Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, first recorded by their duo Chad & Jeremy as the B-side to "I Have Dreamed", which became a top-100 hit in the US. The song was arranged by Stuart and was included a week later on their fourth studio album I Don't Want to Lose You Baby.
"Wedding" is a song written by Swedish musicians Benny Andersson and Svenne Hedlund, first recorded as the eleventh single by their group the Hep Stars in May 1966. "Wedding" was the second single in which the Hep Stars ventured into baroque pop, something that they'd done on their previous single "Sunny Girl" in March 1966.
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" is a song written by American folk singer-songwriter Ed McCurdy in 1950. Due to McCurdy's connection with fellow musicians, it was common in repertoires within the folk music community. The song had its first album release when Pete Seeger recorded it as "Strangest Dream" for his 1956 album Love Songs For Friends & Foes. Seeger would later re-visit the song for his 1967 album Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and other Love Songs. The strong anti-war theme of the song led it to be recorded by multiple other artists, including The Weavers (1960), Joan Baez (1962), The Kingston Trio (1963), Simon & Garfunkel (1964), and Johnny Cash who released two versions of the song during the 2000s.
"Consolation" is a song written by Swedish keyboardist Benny Andersson, first recorded as the Hep Stars thirteenth single in October 1966. The single largely left the baroque pop style sound which had dominated both their previous singles "Sunny Girl" and "Wedding", but continues the soft rock style of "I Natt Jag Drömde" and also ventures into the territory of psychedelic rock, a genre that would become prevalent the following year.
It's Been a Long Long Time is the fourth studio album by Swedish band the Hep Stars, released by Cupol Records in February 1968. Intended to be their international breakthrough, it was recorded in London with session musicians, with the only members of the Hep Stars to appear on the album being lead singer Svenne Hedlund, keyboardist Benny Andersson and tour manager Lennart Fernholm.