I’m counting down my 100 favourite songs of all time. To keep this from becoming a Bob Dylan / Tom Waits love-in, only one track per artist is allowed. Feel free to leave your comments below.
Go to No. 98: The Truth by Handsome Boy Modelling School
Go to No. 100: Pass This On by The Knife
It’s not easy being a musician when one of your parents is a bone-fide music legend—just ask Julian Lennon, Jakob Dylan or Lisa-Marie Presley. But Nancy Sinatra—daughter of the great American swinger Frank—managed to escape the shadow of her crooner dad and forge a distinct musical persona.
It may have helped that Nancy came of age in the 1960s, a musical generation that was remarkably different to the era that her father dominated. Her most prolific period was a five year spell between 1966 and 1971 when she was a regular feature in the pop charts, had a number one hit with Something Stupid—a duet with her father (that’s kinda weird if you actually listen to the lyrics), and recorded the theme song to the Bond film You Only Live Twice.
At the same time she made a number of albums with Lee Hazelwood—the singer-songwriter who had a profound influence on Sinatra’s career. Prior to 1966, she had been signed to her father’s label, Reprise, but aside from a few hits in Europe and Japan, was struggling to make her mark.
Hazelwood was also working at the label, writing and producing for Dino, Desi & Billy—a pop group that featured the teenage sons of both Dean Martin and Lucille Ball. Another Reprise producer Jimmy Bowen encouraged him to record with Nancy and as Hazelwood himself says, “it’s hard to say no to Sinatras”*.
Hazelwood seemed to immediately know exactly what to do with Sinatra’s voice and had her sing in a lower key that would become her trademark style. The pair bonded over country music and Hazelwood talked about a country song he was working on. He then finished it with Sinatra in mind, but when he was done, it was much more than a country number.
It was These Boots Were Made For Walkin' and it became Sinatra’s first big hit—reaching number one in both the US and UK charts. The title is apparently based on a line from a Frank Sinatra comedy western movie called 4 for Texas, but the song went beyond its country music origins in Nancy’s hands.
In fact, it does that from the phenomenal opening double bass line that’s jazzy, funky and quite simply rocking. A simple guitar and tasty tambourine build on the rhythm before Sinatra’s strident voice stomps in and takes over the song.
Lyrically, These Boots Are Made For Walkin' is brilliant. Actually, it may not be, but lines like “You keep lying when you oughta be truthin” sound so good when Nancy sings them, it’s hard to judge them objectively.
The song is the ultimate fuck you from a jilted lover to her cheating man delivered in a voice that is forceful yet nonchalant, crushed yet cool. After she sings “You keep thinking that’ll you’ll never get burned”, she delivers a scornful “hah” followed by the delicious coup de grace: “I just found me a brand new box of matches / And what he knows you ain’t had time to learn”.
Meanwhile, a pulsating horn section has been building in the background—the arrangement of Hazelwood’s regular collaborator Billy Strange. As the song comes to a close and Sinatra says: “Are you ready boots? Start walkin'.” the horns blast to the fore for an unforgettable climax.
It’s surprising to note that this part only lasts for about eight seconds but the hook is so memorable those horns keep playing in your head long after the song has faded out. Until you hit play again.
*This quote is taken from this interview that Hazelwood did with The Arts Desk. It’s long but well worth a read, as he is delightfully grumpy.
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If you like this, try:
- Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad
- Summer Wine (with Lee Hazelwood)
- Some Velvet Morning (with Lee Hazelwood)
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