Cotton Fields
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Cotton Fields" is a song written by Huddie Ledbetter, more commonly known as Lead Belly. It has been covered by Bill Monroe, Teresa Brewer, Harry Belafonte (1958), The Highwaymen (1961), Johnny Cash (1962), Buck Owens (1963), Odetta (1963), The Seekers (1964), Unit 4+2 (1965), The Robert De Cormier Singers (1966), The Beach Boys (1969-1970), Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969), Frantic Flintstones, and Buckwheat Zydeco (1994).
The song mentions that the fields are "down in Louisiana, just about a mile from Texarkana". This is geographically impossible (Texarkana is about 30 miles north of the Louisiana border.)
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[edit] Beach Boys version
| “Cottonfields” | |||||
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| Single by The Beach Boys from the album 20/20 |
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| Released | February 10, 1969 (album) April 20, 1970 (single) |
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| Format | Vinyl | ||||
| Recorded | November 18, 1968 (album) August 15, 1969 (single) |
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| Genre | Pop music | ||||
| Length | 2 min 21 sec (album) 3 min 05 sec (single) |
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| Label | Capitol Records | ||||
| Producer | Brian Wilson and Al Jardine (album) Al Jardine (single) |
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| The Beach Boys singles chronology | |||||
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"Cotton Fields" was covered by the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1969 album 20/20 under the title of "Cottonfields" with Al Jardine on lead vocals. The song was recorded on November 18, 1968.
Dissatisfied with Brian Wilson's arrangement, Al Jardine later led the group to record a more country-rock style version. The remake was recorded on August 15, 1969 with Orville "Red" Rhodes on steel pedal guitar. Released as the renamed "Cottonfields", this remake, while not a hit in the U.S., was a top ten song around the world in the Spring and Summer of 1970. It was the group's last single for Capitol Records and the last released in mono. Because of its popularity, it was placed on the international release of the group's Sunflower album.
[edit] Details
- Album: 20/20
- Time: 2 min 21 sec (album version), 3 min 05 sec (single version)
- Produced and Arranged by: Brian Wilson (album version)
- Produced by: The Beach Boys Arranged by: Al Jardine (single version)
[edit] Performers
- Al Jardine: Lead Vocals
[edit] See also
[edit] Cover versions
- The Beach Boys on their (1969) album 20/20 under the title of "Cotton Fields" and a (1970) single and on their international issue of Sunflower under the title of "Cottonfields".
- Harry Belafonte on his 1958 album Belafonte Sings the Blues and his 1959 album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, attributing the song to C. C. Carter
- Teresa Brewer on The Muppet Show
- Johnny Cash on his album The Sound of Johnny Cash
- Petula Clark in French as L'enfant do on a French EP released by Disques Vogue
- Creedence Clearwater Revival on their (1969) album Willy and the Poor Boys
- Elton John on Reg Dwight's Piano Goes Pop
- Odetta on her (1963) album One Grain Of Sand
- Odetta and Larry on The Tin Angel 1954
- The Pogues on their (1989) album Peace and Love (while this version references the original in its lyrics, the song itself is not a cover per se)
- The Seekers on their (1964) album "The Seekers" (also known as "Roving With The Seekers").
- Harry Dean Stanton, in one scene of the film Cool Hand Luke, plays a sped-up version.
