For Yasgur's Farm (song)
| "For Yasgur's Farm" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mountain | ||||
| from the album Climbing! | ||||
| B-side | "To My Friend" | |||
| Released | August 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | Windfall | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gail Collins, George Gardos, Corky Laing, Felix Pappalardi, David Rea, Gary Ship | |||
| Producer(s) | Felix Pappalardi | |||
| Mountain singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"For Yasgur's Farm" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. It was released as a single from their debut studio album, and peaked at No. 107 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in 1970.[1] The song quickly became a staple of the band's live performances.
Writing
[edit]The lyrics of the song were inspired by the group's performance on the Woodstock music festival.[2][3] According to Pappalardi:
"It was written over a long period of time... We played Woodstock and because of the emotional impact it had on us, we sort of changed the words around to fit that occasion."[4]
When the band performed the song on Woodstock, it didn't have a title, but when they recorded it for their debut album, they dedicated the song to Max Yasgur,[4][5][6] the man who owned the land where Woodstock was held.[2]
Release
[edit]"For Yasgur's Farm" was first included on the band's debut studio album, Climbing!,[7] which was released on March 7, 1970.[8] The song was then released as the group's second single in August 1970, with "To My Friend", as the B-Side.[9][10] The single peaked at No. 107 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[11]
Critical reception
[edit]The song was received well by critics. AllMusic's Matthew Greenwald writes "Cast in a heavy, blues-rock rhythm, the song is delivered with a subtle yet extremely powerful atmosphere," and that "lyrically, the song essentially recounts the festival and the sense of buoyancy that filled the hearts of most of the artists and attendees."[2] A Cash Box magazine reviewer writes "Considerably different from the group's "Mississippi Queen" hit, this new Mountain offering subdues its rhythmic drive for a more lyrical venture."[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "US Hot 100 Bubbling Under". Top40weekly. 13 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Greenwald, Matthew. "For Yasgur's Farm Review by Matthew Greenwald". AllMusic.
- ^ "Disc Review" (PDF). Discoveries. October 2005. p. 21 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b Fornatale, Pete (2009). Back to the Garden The Story of Woodstock. Touchstone. p. 136.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (March 7, 2016). "How Mountain's First Album Deftly Straddled Two Decades". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ Kielty, Martin (December 23, 2020). "Top 10 Mountain Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ "Insight & Sound" (PDF). Cash Box. June 6, 1970. p. 42 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Harkins, Thomas E. (2019). Woodstock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Fabled. Lanham, Maryland: Backbeat Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-61713-666-5.
- ^ a b "Cash Box / Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 29, 1970. p. 28 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Record World Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. September 5, 1970. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Billboard - Bubbling Under The Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. September 26, 1970. p. 64.