Southern Girls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Southern Girls" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cheap Trick | ||||
| from the album In Color | ||||
| B-side | "You're All Talk" | |||
| Released | 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Studio | Kendun Recorders, Los Angeles[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriters | Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson | |||
| Producer | Tom Werman | |||
| Cheap Trick singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Southern Girls" is a song written by Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson that was first released by Cheap Trick on their 1977 album In Color, produced by Tom Werman.[4][5] It was also released as a single. It has been covered by a number of artists, including Bangs, Everclear and Gilby Clarke.
"Southern Girls" was in Cheap Trick's repertoire by September 1975, when it was included on a demo the band made at Ardent Studios in Memphis, which also included "Come On, Come On," "Taxman" and the still unreleased "Fan Club."[6] Authors Mike Hayes and Ken Sharp detect influences on the song from The Beach Boys and The Yardbirds.[6] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine concurs with the Beach Boys influence, calling it a "'California Girls' homage".[4] UPI's Bruce Meyer also notes that it cops "some Beach Boys licks and harmonies."[7] Nielsen compared the drum beat of the song to a "glam style Gary Glitter rhythm.[6] Bun E. Carlos' drumming on the song has been praised by critics, and it is one of Carlos' favorite Cheap Trick songs.[6] For example, author John M. Borack claims that Carlos' drumming "propels this poppy, peppy treat straight into the stratosphere.[8] Nielsen also claims that one of the beauties of the song is that it only uses a few chords.[6]
The lyrics were inspired by women the band met in Canada, north of their Illinois roots; it is actually about girls from Southern Canada.[6] However, using the phrase "Southern Canadian Girls" in the hook didn't sound good to Nielsen, so he just left it as "Southern Girls."[6]
The single version of "Southern Girls" differed from the album version in using a "repeat-fade ending", which producer Tom Werman liked better than the album approach.[6]
Reception
Record World praised the song in a contemporary review.[9] In The Rough Guide to Rock, critic Jonathan Swift called "Southern Girls" a "classic," as did Allmusic's Erlewine.[10][11] Author Scott Miller called it "a treasure."[12] CD Review stated that in "Southern Girls" Cheap Trick "knew how to wrap winning hooks around subversive romantic notions that made them sound punk credible."[13] Ed Masley of The Arizona Republic called "Southern Girls" In Color's "most infectious pop song."[14] Andrew McGinn of Springfield News-Sun claimed that "it doesn't get any catchier than 'Southern Girls.'"[15] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Annie Zaleski rated "Southern Girls" as Cheap Trick's 5th greatest song, commenting on its "swinging bar-band piano licks and a swaggering groove to go along with gritty guitars."[16]