Local Girls
"Local Girls" was written by Graham Parker as a commentary on the girls from his youth that were attracted to soldiers at an army camp near his town; Parker recalled in an interview, "You might fancy some local girls, but you know there's no chance. She thinks you're just a local kid that everybody knows". He later said in an interview on his website,
The song was originally written as a part of a larger concept on the "Squeezing Out Sparks" album to capture suburban life in England. He commented on this, "In ["Squeezing Out Sparks"] I was kind of attempting a concept album about the suburbs of England, or at least trying to capture a vague approximation of suburban life. This idea succeeds in "Saturday Nite Is Dead" and "Local Girls" particularly well. I guess I drifted off the mark there for the rest of the record because the concept turned out to be a little confining for a whole album. I'm too restless to stick with such a narrow program". "Local Girls" was released as the first and only US single from "Squeezing Out Sparks," backed with a live version of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." According to radio personality T. Morgan, then a member of the staff of Arista Records, the song was intended to be Parker's breakthrough hit on Arista; he recalled, "'Local Girls' was the choice to be the single to take Graham Parker to new vistas. It was to be his first hit single. We sent lovely ladies (all local) to the radio stations to hand deliver the record." A promotion for the song in Birmingham, Alabama saw Arista reps dress up as women on stage. However, despite promising regional radio play, the song failed to chart. While the single was unsuccessful on the charts, the "Squeezing Out Sparks" album ultimately proved to be Parker's most successful album in the US and the song has become, in the words of "Chronogram"'s Peter Aaron, Parker's "signature hit". A music video for the song was also created, featuring Parker and the Rumour performing in a living room set. Parker and the Rumour have continued to play "Local Girls" live, including during their reunion in the 2010s. The band played a version of the song in a concert for Judd Apatow's movie "This Is 40", though it did not make the final version of the film. This performance of "Local Girls" was later debuted on "Diffuser.fm" and, with the rest of the concert, was released by Shout! Factory. A supergroup consisting of Pat DiNizio, Gary Lucas, and Frank Black covered "Local Girls" for a Graham Parker tribute album entitled "Piss & Vinegar: The Songs of Graham Parker". When asked about Black, Parker responded, "I like the Pixies. ... [He] must be one hell of a dude".
Background
The song was released on his 1979 album, "Squeezing Out Sparks". Lyrically inspired by the girls in Parker's hometown, "Local Girls" was meant to capture life in English suburbia.