Some Velvet Morning

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This article is about the song. For the band, see Some Velvet Morning (band). For the film, see Some Velvet Morning (film).
"Some Velvet Morning"
Some Velvet Morning.jpg
Cover of the 1967 US single
Single by Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
from the album Movin' With Nancy
B-side"Oh, Lonesome Me"
ReleasedDecember 1967 (1967-12)
Recorded1967
GenrePsychedelic pop
Length3:39
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Lee Hazlewood[1]
Producer(s)Lee Hazlewood
Nancy Sinatra singles chronology
"Tony Rome"
(1967) 		"Some Velvet Morning"
(1967) 		"Things"
(1968)
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"Some Velvet Morning"
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"Some Velvet Morning" is a song written by Lee Hazlewood and originally recorded by Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra in late 1967. It first appeared on Sinatra's album Movin' with Nancy, the soundtrack to her 1967 television special of the same name, which also featured a performance of the song. It was subsequently released as a single before appearing on the 1968 album Nancy & Lee.[2]

Construction[]

The male part of the song is in 4/4 time signature whereas the female part is in 3/4. Hazlewood's voice is recorded with more reverberation than is Sinatra's, making it sound bi-dimensional.

The recording session[]

Nancy Sinatra after the makeover recommended by Hazlewood

Nancy Sinatra's singing career received a boost in 1967 with the help of songwriter/producer/arranger Lee Hazlewood, who had been making records for ten years, notably with Duane Eddy. Hazlewood's collaboration with Sinatra began when her father Frank Sinatra asked Lee to help boost his daughter's career.[3]

In the fall of 1967, Nancy Sinatra joined Hazlewood at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles for a three-hour session. The recording was produced by Hazlewood and arranged by Billy Strange. According to one review, overdubbing was not used. Instead, the duo "recorded the entire song live with the band, the full orchestra and Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra singing all at the same time."[4]

Interpretation of the lyrics[]

Reviewers have offered a variety of interpretations of the song's lyrics. A British journalist said that "the puzzle of its lyrics and otherworldly beauty of its sound offering seemingly endless interpretations."[5]

Hazlewood's explanation was less definitive than that of some others, saying: "It’s not meant to mean so much. I’m not a druggie, so it was never to do with that." He also confirmed that he was inspired by Greek mythology: "I thought they were a lot better than all those fairy tales that came from Germany that had killings and knifings. There was only about seven lines about Phaedra. She had a sad middle, a sad end, and by the time she was 17 she was gone. She was a sad-assed broad, the saddest of all Greek goddesses. So bless her heart, she deserves some notoriety, so I’ll put her in a song."[6]

In 2003, London's The Daily Telegraph called the song "[O]ne of the strangest, druggiest, most darkly sexual songs ever written - ambitious, beautiful and unforgettable."[7] As with many psychedelic songs, its overall meaning is somewhat obscure. The lyrics consist of the male part describing a mysterious, powerful woman named Phaedra, who "gave [him] life … and ... made it end." The male part alternates with the female part, who identifies herself as Phaedra and speaks over ethereal, twinkling music about beautiful nature imagery and about the secrets held by an unknown collective "us." The rhythm shifts from 4/4 for the male parts to 3/4 for the female parts.[citation needed]

Chart performance[]

Although "Some Velvet Morning" is among the more famous duets that Hazlewood and Sinatra recorded, it is considered a departure from their usual fare, as it is decidedly less influenced by country and western music. The single peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1968.[8]

Legacy[]

  • In November 2003, music critics working for the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph placed the single at the #1 spot on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever."[9] According to Nathan Rabin: "These two weirdly complementary sides of Hazlewood’s persona unite on 'Some Velvet Morning,' a standout track from Nancy & Lee. On that track, Hazlewood and Sinatra sound like they don’t inhabit the same universe, let alone the same song. Over loping spaghetti-Western guitar, Hazlewood sings of Greek mythology and “some velvet morning when I’m straight,” while Sinatra coos about flowers and daffodils in a stoned haze against a backdrop of bubblegum psychedelia. “Some Velvet Morning” sounds like two songs spliced together by a madman, or an avant-garde short film in song form."[10]
  • In August 2006, music critic Rob Mitchum placed the song at #49 spot on Pitchfork's list of the 200 greatest songs of the 1960s, saying "Even after thousands of listens, I still don’t know quite what to make of this bizarre, creepy song. A country-outlaw singer drowning in a pool of reverb, constantly interrupted by dazed-hippie interludes, and haunted by a storm cloud orchestra."[11]
  • In December 2015, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #9 in its 20 Greatest Duos of All Time retrospective.[12]
  • In 2017, Britain's Financial Times recalled the recording as "part rugged country, part fey folk, cloaked in psychedelia by Billy Strange’s haunting orchestration, will echo down the years." The piece also mentioned that Hazlewood had recorded the song again, shortly before his death: "On his 2005 swansong LP Cake or Death, he duets it with his grand-daughter ... Phaedra is her name."[13]

Selective list of cover versions[]

The song has been covered many times, usually as a duet. Among other recordings:

References[]

  1. ^ "Original versions of Some Velvet Morning written by Lee Hazlewood | SecondHandSongs".
  2. ^ Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  3. ^ Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  4. ^ Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
  5. ^ Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  6. ^ Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
  7. ^ "50 Best Duets Ever: Some Velvet Morning, 1968" The Telegraph, 8 November 2003
  8. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2003-12-01). Turn on your mind: four decades of great psychedelic rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 385. ISBN 978-0-634-05548-5.
  9. ^ " The Telegraph, 8 November 2003
  10. ^ "Week 22: Lee Hazlewood, space cowboy/peculiar guy".
  11. ^ "200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Pitchfork.
  12. ^ 20 Greatest Duos of All Time
  13. ^ Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  14. ^ "Listen to Danzig and Cherie Curie's cover "Some Velvet Morning"". 13 August 2013.

External links[]

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