"Go Home Girl" is a song written by

Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country-soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuf ...

. It was originally released in 1962 as Alexander's follow-up single to "

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

." It has since been recorded by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...

Gary U.S. Bonds Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson; June 6, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, known for his hits "New Orleans" and " Quarter to Three". Career Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Bonds lived in Norfolk, Virginia ...

and

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...

Arthur Alexander version

Like "Anna," "Go Home Girl" was inspired by Alexander's difficulties with his wife. The lyrics portray the singer in love with his best friend's girlfriend, and therefore insisting on breaking off the relationship with the girl in order to preserve his friendship. Alexander biographer Richard Younger describes the song as taking "the moralistic view of a man who decides that it is wrong to romance his best friend's girl." The music incorporates elements of both

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

R&B music Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

. Rubber City Review detects a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

twang in the vocal performance. Author Roben Jones notes that the

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

and structure of "Go Home Girl" was similar to that of Alexander's first single " You Better Move On." Instrumentation includes

string instruments In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play some ...

and Alexander is backed by a

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

in parts. Younger points out a number of similarities between "Go Home Girl" and Alexander's previous releases, including "sparse drum and piano figure," "choppy guitars," "off-beat cymbals" and "lush female vocals." Upon its release, ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'' predicted that it could be a big hit, based on its "touching quality" and "impelling beat." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "a poignant, self-penned shuffle-rock-a-cha-cha...that Arthur waxes with loads of feeling." Author Michael Gray described the song as "impeccable." '' No Depression'' noted that despite not achieving the commercial success of "You Better Move On," "Go Home Girl" as well as "Anna" confirmed that his artistic talent hadn't diminished. Alexander rerecorded the song under the title "Go on Home Girl" for his 1972 self-titled album.

Cover versions

covered the song on his 1979 album '' Bop Till You Drop''. ''

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' (stylised in all caps) is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that ...

'' described Cooder's portrayal of the brokenhearted singer attempting to act stoic as worthy of an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

. '' High Fidelity Magazine'' described the "Mexican-style" guitar part as "splendid," and also praised

Tim Drummond Timothy Lee Drummond (20 April 1940 – 10 January 2015) was an American musician from Canton, Illinois. Drummond's primary instrument was bass guitar and he toured and recorded with many notable artists, including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James ...

's diversified

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

lines. The song originally had just two verses and two choruses, but Cooder's version gains a third verse & chorus couplet in which Frank lends his car to his friend, unaware that the latter's passenger is Franks's girlfriend. The friend tells her he is "trying to forget the things that we've done while Frank is just a-waiting back home", and he makes the decision: "Girl you can't go ride with me anymore; that's the way it's got to be from now on".

and

performed the song as a duet on the 1994 album ''Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander''.

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

recorded "Go Home Girl" on November 14, 1963, in a session in which they also recorded a version of Alexander's first single " You Better Move On." However, this recording has not been officially released.

References

{{Authority control Arthur Alexander songs 1962 singles Ry Cooder songs Songs written by Arthur Alexander Dot Records singles 1962 songs