2000 Great Songs #1250: Farmer's Daughter

Ok, fine, being cute again, with another kitschy example of back-to-back tunes bearing the same name. And to be frank, "Farmer's Daughter," off 1963's Surfin' USA, isn't even a Top 50 Beach Boys track for me. One of their earliest originals, it's a perfectly fine example of their early work, catchy surf-pop with amazing harmonies (and some kinda surprising, if maybe unintended, double entendres), but it's a far cry from peak Brian Wilson. But it's also been the basis of some excellent covers, and the various versions have given the song a boost in my estimation.

I first heard it as a Yo La Tengo b-side, backing 1992's "Upside-Down" (long before I'd actually heard the Beach Boys' original), a quiet showcase for some lovely harmonies. Some time later, it showed up as an outtake on a reissue of Fleetwood Mac's 1980 Tusk (they played it on that tour, and it's apparently on a live album from back then as well)--incredible harmonies, and returning some of the surf guitar vibe. Sift through these versions, and an otherwise decent-enough Beach Boys track becomes something really special.

Beach Boys' original:

Couldn't find Yo La Tengo's studio version on YouTube, but here's a live performance:

Fleetwood Mac (studio version):

Fleetwood Mac live 1997:

Here's a nice live take by the Continental Drifters (about 5:30 into the live set), with Bangle Vicki Peterson on lead vocals:

p.s. Uploaded Yo La Tengo's studio version; here it is, at least until there's a copyright take-down notice: