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Some Velvet Morning
View on Wikipedia| "Some Velvet Morning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
West German picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood | ||||
| from the album Movin' With Nancy | ||||
| B-side | "Oh, Lonesome Me" | |||
| Released | December 1967 | |||
| Recorded | Late 1967 | |||
| Studio | Capitol, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter | Lee Hazlewood | |||
| Producer | Lee Hazlewood | |||
| Nancy Sinatra singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Some Velvet Morning" | ||||
"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]
Composition
[edit]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 bidimensional.
The recording session
[edit]Sinatra's singing career received a boost in 1967 with the help of songwriter/producer/arranger Hazlewood, who had been making records for ten years, including with Duane Eddy. Hazlewood's collaboration with Sinatra began when her father Frank Sinatra asked Hazlewood to help boost his daughter's career.[2]
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."[3]
Interpretation of the lyrics
[edit]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."[2]
Hazlewood's explanation was less definitive than those 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."[3]
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."[4] 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 chorus lyrics saying “…flowers growing on a hill; dragonflies and daffodils … learn from us, very much; look at us, but do not touch. Phaedra is my name”.
The rhythm noticeably alternates between Hazlewood’s verses and Sinatra’s chorus lines, with the former all in 4/4 (common time) and Sinatra’s parts briefly changing to 3/4 (waltz time), and back again. The end of the song involves a “back-and-forth” between the two singers, highlighting the change in rhythm — every other line switches from 4/4 to 3/4, as Hazlewood and Sinatra each sing a line (in order) from their respective parts, in a pattern. For example:
Hazlewood (4/4): “Some velvet morning when I’m straight…”
Sinatra (3/4): “flowers growing on a hill…”
H: “I’m gonna open up your gate…”
S: “…dragonflies and daffodils…”
Chart performance
[edit]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,[1] and #36 in Canada.[5]
Legacy
[edit]- In November 2003, music critics for the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph placed the single at the #1 spot on their 50 Best Duets Ever list.[4] 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."[6]
- 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."[7]
- In December 2015, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #9 in its 20 Greatest Duos of All Time retrospective.[8]
- 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 article 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."[2]
Selective list of cover versions
[edit]This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023) |
The song has been covered many times, usually as a duet. Among other recordings:
- 1968: Gábor Szabó - guitar instrumental on Bacchanal
- 1969: Vanilla Fudge on Near the Beginning (#69 Canada, June 9, 1969)[9]
- 1982: Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard, 12" single later issued on Honeymoon in Red
- 1986: Peter Zaremba's Love Delegation on Spread the Word
- 1988: Rami Fortis and Berry Sakharof on Tales from the Box (performed with a Hebrew translation of the lyrics written by their Minimal Compact bandmate Samy Birnbach)
- 1990: Eedie and Eddie (Peter Langston) in Computing Systems (Volume 3, Number 2)
- 1993: Starpower - 12" single on Visionary Records
- 1993: Slowdive on the U.S. release of Souvlaki
- 1994: Lost & Profound on Memory Thief
- 1995: Thin White Rope on Spoor; the female vocal part is played on guitar
- 1996: Joe Christ and Pamela Puente on Hail Satan Dude: Music from My Goddamn Movies and More!!!
- 2001: My Dying Bride on Peaceville X and Meisterwerk 2
- 2002: Primal Scream and Kate Moss on Evil Heat; a different version was released as a single in 2003 and included on Primal Scream's compilation Dirty Hits
- 2002: The Webb Brothers featuring Laura Katter on the Lee Hazlewood tribute album Total Lee!
- 2002: Entombed on the compilation album Sons of Satan Praise the Lord
- 2004: Firewater on Songs We Should Have Written
- 2007: Lee Hazlewood and Phaedra Dawn Stewart (his granddaughter) on Cake or Death
- 2008: Polar and Loane on 68 Covers and a bonus track on French Songs (2009)
- 2009: Anny Celsi and Nelson Bragg on Tangle-Free World
- 2010: Inga Liljeström and Peter Fenton (Crow) on Sprawling Fawns and the EP Thistle (Groovescooter Records)
- 2013: Glenn Danzig and Cherie Currie, posted on danzig-verotik.com in 2013[10]
- 2014: Alison Goldfrapp and John Grant at a Goldfrapp concert at the Royal Albert Hall
- 2024 Linda Dachtyl "Waves of Change" Summit Records/Chicken Coup Records http://www.dachtyl.com
References
[edit]- ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim (December 1, 2003). Turn on your mind: four decades of great psychedelic rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 385. ISBN 978-0-634-05548-5.
- ^ a b c d e "Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning". Financial Times. January 31, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Kobi, Hayim (May 9, 2016). "Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra". The Music Aficionado. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "50 best duets ever". The Telegraph. November 8, 2003. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Top Singles". RPM. Vol. 8, no. 26. February 24, 1968. Retrieved November 19, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (November 3, 2009). "Week 22: Lee Hazlewood, space cowboy/peculiar guy". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s". Pitchfork. August 17, 2006. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "20 Greatest Duos of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "Top Singles". RPM. Vol. 11, no. 15. June 9, 1969. Retrieved November 19, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Listen to Danzig and Cherie Curie's cover "Some Velvet Morning"". August 13, 2013.
Some Velvet Morning
View on GrokipediaBackground and Creation
Origins
Lee Hazlewood, a prolific singer, songwriter, and producer known for his work in country, pop, and psychedelic genres, began collaborating with Nancy Sinatra in 1965 after her early recording career had struggled to gain traction.[5] Hazlewood produced her first charting single "So Long Babe" that year and followed it with the iconic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," which he wrote and produced, propelling Sinatra to stardom and marking the start of their creative partnership.[6] Their collaboration extended to Sinatra's 1966 debut album Boots, where Hazlewood shaped her sound with bold, unconventional arrangements that blended twangy country influences with emerging rock elements.[7] "Some Velvet Morning" originated as a bespoke composition by Hazlewood for Nancy Sinatra's 1967 NBC television special Movin' with Nancy, intended specifically for a segment in the program. Hazlewood penned the song during the production of the special, drawing from his desire to create something antithetical to the era's dance-oriented hits, resulting in a non-danceable, ethereal track. Initially, Hazlewood had no plans to release it as a standalone single, envisioning it solely as part of the soundtrack album accompanying the TV broadcast.[1] Written in late 1967, the song's lyrical and thematic foundation was inspired by the Greek mythological figure Phaedra, the tragic princess whose story of forbidden love and despair Hazlewood described as embodying profound sadness.[3] This classical reference intertwined with the countercultural optimism of 1960s hippie idealism, capturing the Summer of Love's blend of psychedelic freedom, nature imagery, and existential reflection amid societal upheaval.[3]Composition
"Some Velvet Morning" received sole songwriting credit to Lee Hazlewood.[1] The song employs a bipartite structure consisting of two distinct parts, with Hazlewood's verses in 4/4 time transitioning to 3/4 time in Sinatra's sections, engendering a disorienting yet hypnotic psychedelic flow that underscores the duet's dynamic contrast.[8]The original recording clocks in at approximately 3:37.[9] Hazlewood drew from a fusion of country roots, psychedelic experimentation, and orchestral grandeur, leveraging the interplay of his deep baritone against Sinatra's lighter vocals to heighten the composition's tension and release.[1][8] Conceived initially as a non-commercial piece for Nancy Sinatra's 1967 television special Movin' with Nancy, the track derives its ethereal, dreamlike essence from Hazlewood's incorporation of mythological motifs during the writing process.[1]
Recording and Production
The Recording Session
The recording session for "Some Velvet Morning" took place at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California, during a three-hour period in late 1967.[3][1] This intensive session was driven by the deadline for Nancy Sinatra's NBC television special Movin' with Nancy, which aired in December 1967 and featured the song as a key segment.[1] Lee Hazlewood served as producer and provided his distinctive baritone vocals, while Nancy Sinatra delivered the contrasting ethereal, angelic lines; the duet was captured live with a full orchestra to achieve a seamless blend without post-production overdubs.[3][1] Key personnel included longtime collaborator Billy Strange, who arranged and conducted the lush orchestral elements, drawing from members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the strings and other instrumentation.[3][1] Hazlewood directed the session with a focus on capturing the song's unusual structure, alternating between 4/4 time for his verses and 3/4 for Sinatra's sections, insisting on a live performance to preserve its organic flow despite the complexity.[3] Technically, Hazlewood employed subtle multi-tracking techniques on the strings, instructing the orchestra to perform standing and recording two passes slightly offset to create an ethereal, layered texture that enhanced the song's dreamlike atmosphere.[3] Multiple takes were required to nail the vocal transitions and orchestral precision, but the core duet and arrangement were completed within the single session, reflecting Hazlewood's efficient yet visionary approach to production.[1]Musical Elements
"Some Velvet Morning" features a distinctive orchestration centered on lush strings that swell to create a haunting, ethereal atmosphere.[10] The arrangement avoids heavy drums, relying instead on light percussion—such as soft cymbal brushes and minimal rhythmic elements—to preserve the song's dreamlike, floating quality without disrupting its hypnotic flow.[11] The vocal arrangement highlights the duet's contrasting styles, with Lee Hazlewood delivering deep, spoken-sung verses in a baritone that evokes a sense of introspection and menace.[12] Nancy Sinatra then responds with high, melodic choruses sung in a lighter, more angelic register, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between the two voices that never overlap directly.[10] This structure underscores the song's innovative duet format, where the performers alternate to build tension and release. Stylistically, the track fuses psychedelic pop with subtle country undertones, evident in Hazlewood's twang-inflected phrasing and the sparse, narrative-driven delivery reminiscent of Western ballads.[13] Unusual time signature shifts—from 4/4 in Hazlewood's sections to 3/4 waltz time in Sinatra's—contribute to its disorienting, hypnotic effect, accelerating slightly as the song progresses to heighten the surreal quality.[10][14] In production, Hazlewood employed reverb extensively on vocals and instruments to craft a hazy, immersive soundscape that evokes the titular "velvet morning," layering elements to blur boundaries and simulate a distant, echoing transmission.[11] These techniques, recorded at Capitol Studios in late 1967, marked a key innovation in 1960s experimental pop, influencing subsequent atmospheric recordings through their emphasis on spatial depth over conventional density.[10][12]Lyrics and Themes
Lyrics Overview
"Some Velvet Morning" features lyrics written by Lee Hazlewood, structured as a duet with alternating sections sung by Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra. The song consists of one verse by Hazlewood, three chorus sections (two full choruses and an extended outro) by Sinatra, and two repetitive bridge sections by Hazlewood, creating a call-and-response pattern that emphasizes contrast between the parts.[15] The full lyrics are as follows: Verse 1 (Lee Hazlewood):Some velvet morning when I'm straight
I'm gonna open up your gate
And maybe tell you 'bout Phaedra
And how she gave me life
And how she made it end [15] Chorus (Nancy Sinatra):
Some velvet morning when I'm straight
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and mermaids
Sipping up the morning dew
And you
Phaedra is my name [15] Bridge 1 (Lee Hazlewood):
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama? [15] Chorus (Nancy Sinatra):
Some velvet morning when I'm straight
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and mermaids
Sipping up the morning dew
And you
Phaedra is my name [15] Bridge 2 (Lee Hazlewood):
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama? [15] Outro (Nancy Sinatra):
Some velvet morning when I'm straight
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and mermaids
Sipping up the morning dew
And you
Phaedra is my name
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
And you [15] Key phrases in the lyrics include "some velvet morning," repeated across sections to frame the narrative; "Phaedra," a reference to the mythological figure from Greek tragedy; and the insistent repetition of "What'll I tell Mama?" in the bridges. The verses employ a loose rhyme scheme with pairings like "straight/gate" and slant rhymes such as "Phaedra/end," while the choruses feature imagery-driven lines with rhymes like "hill/dew/you." No documented variations appear in the original 1967 television performance from Nancy Sinatra's special Movin' with Nancy, where the lyrics match the recorded version.[15][1]
