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''.Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
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Composition

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

The recording session

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.Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
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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."Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
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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."Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
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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."

In 2003, London's ''The Daily Telegraph'' called the song " e of the strangest, druggiest, most darkly sexual songs ever written — ambitious, beautiful and unforgettable." 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 imlife ... 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.

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, and #36 in Canada.

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." 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."
* 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."
* In December 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song at #9 in its ''20 Greatest Duos of All Time'' retrospective.
* 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."Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
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Selective list of cover versions

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)
*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 US release of ''Souvlaki''
*1994 Lost & Profound on ''Memory Thief''
*1995 Thin White Rope on '' Spoor''. In this version there is no female singer as 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'' & ''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 Feat. 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 & Loane on ''68 Covers'' and a bonus track on ''French Songs'' (2009)
*2009 Anny Celsi and Nelson Bragg on ''Tangle-Free World''
*2010 Inga Liljestrom 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
*2014 Alison Goldfrapp and John Grant at a Goldfrapp concert at the Royal Albert Hall

References

External links

2008 article, "Why I Care About Some Velvet Morning"

{{Authority control

Nancy Sinatra songs
Primal Scream songs
1967 singles
Male–female vocal duets
Songs written by Lee Hazlewood
Song recordings produced by Bob Gaudio
Reprise Records singles
Lee Hazlewood songs
Phaedra