"These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. Subsequently, many cover versions of the song have been released in a range of styles: metal, pop, rock, punk rock, country, dance, and industrial. Among the more notable versions are the singles released by

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jessica Simpson.

Nancy Sinatra version

The song was written by Lee Hazlewood; it was inspired by a line spoken by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

in the comedy-western film '' 4 for Texas'' (1963): "They tell me them boots ain't built for walkin'." Nancy Sinatra's version of the song was released as a single in December 1965, as the second song to be taken from her debut album, ''

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

'' (1966), and was a follow-up to the minor hit "So Long, Babe". The song became an instant success and, in late February 1966, it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, a move it replicated in similar charts across the world. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the song as "fine folk-rock material" and praised Sinatra's vocal performance and "the Billy Strange driving dance beat." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as a "funky, slow-shufflin' folk-rocker about a gal who serves notice on her boyfriend that she can't be pushed around." In 2020, the 1965 recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Recording

Lee Hazlewood intended to record the song himself, saying that "it's not really a girl's song", but Sinatra talked him out of it, saying that "coming from a guy it was harsh and abusive, but was perfect for a little girl to sing". Hazlewood agreed. Sinatra's recording of the song was made with the help of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

s known as the Wrecking Crew. This session included Don Randi on piano and Chuck Berghofer on

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

, providing the notable bass line with its quarter-tone descent. The session was held on November 19, 1965, at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, and additionally produced the songs "For Some" and "The City Never Sleeps at Night".

Promotional film

In the same year, Sinatra recorded a promotional film, which would later be known as the

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, for the song. It was produced for Color-Sonics and played on

Scopitone Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The 1959 Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time one year before the Scopi ...

video jukeboxes. The film was directed by choreographer Robert Sidney and was produced by Official Films at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. In 1986, for the song's 20th anniversary, cable station VH1 played the video. Sinatra told

Alison Martino Alison Martino (born December 15, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is a writer, television producer and historian. She is the daughter of the singer Al Martino and his wife, flight attendant and model Judi Stilwell Martino. Known as an expert in ...

that other videos and performances are from TV shows like ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'', '' Hullaballoo'' and '' Shindig!'' These other videos featured Sinatra wearing an iconic pair of red leather boots.

In popular culture

The song was used by

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

for a scene in his 1987 film '' Full Metal Jacket'', where a South Vietnamese prostitute in a miniskirt propositions a couple of American GIs. A part of the song was sung by Juliette Lewis in '' Natural Born Killers''. The song was featured in the 1997 film '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery''. In ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' Season eight, Episode 18, "Quagmire's Dad", Quagmire's father, Lt. Dan Quagmire uses the song to make an entrance when meeting Peter and Joe. The song was featured in the 2001 film ''

The Mexican ''The Mexican'' is a 2001 American romantic crime comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski. The film stars Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, with James Gandolfini, Bob Balaban, J. K. Simmons, and Gene Hackman in supporting roles. It tells th ...

''. In 2006

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

selected it as the 114th best song of the 1960s. Critic Tom Breihan described the song as "maybe the finest bitchy kiss-off in pop history".

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...

used portions of the song for its 1960s ad campaign promoting its "wide boots" tires. Nancy Sinatra unsuccessfully sued Goodyear for using the song, claiming that it had violated her publicity rights. The song was featured in the 2018 film '' Ocean's 8''. A portion of the song was used in the 2021 Disney film '' Cruella''. During the 1993 standoff in Waco, Texas between David Koresh and the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

, the FBI played Sinatra's recording of the song on a loudspeaker in an attempt to torment Koresh and his followers in hopes they would surrender. The song was interpolated and sampled on

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's 2024 country album ''

Cowboy Carter ''Cowboy Carter'' (also referred to as ''Act II: Cowboy Carter'') is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. A concept album, ''Cowboy Cart ...

'' in the song " Ya Ya", which was later nominated for Best Americana Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards." The song was covered by Sabrina Carpenter and Kacey Musgraves during Carpenter's set at

Outside Lands Outside Lands was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District and Sunset District on the West Side of San Francisco. With few roads and no public transportation, the area was covered by sand dunes and was conside ...

Festival in August 2024. The 1966 version by Eileen Goldsen (stylized as "Eileen") was featured in the TV series '' Funny Woman'', Season 2, Episode 2.

Track listing

* UK promotional single #"These Boots Are Made for Walkin – 3:03 #"The City Never Sleeps at Night" – 2:54

Personnel

Other personnel, as seen in the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...

(AFM) contracts for the session include: * Chuck Berghofer –

* Nick Bonney – guitar * Eddie Brackett Jr. – engineer * Roy V. Caton – (contractor)

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

* Jerry Cole – guitar * Donald R. Frost – drums * Lee Hazlewood – supervisor * Plas Johnson –

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

* Don Lanier – guitar * William Miller (no instrument listed) * Oliver Mitchell – trumpet * Lou Norell – guitar * Richard Perissi –

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

* William Pitman – guitar * Don Randi – keyboard * Emil Richards – percussion * Billy Strange – arranger, conductor, and guitar Despite claims by Wrecking Crew musicians Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye that they played on the track, the contract does not mention them as being present at the session, although they could have been last minute additions.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Billy Ray Cyrus version

In 1992, Billy Ray Cyrus covered the song and included it on his debut album, '' Some Gave All'' (1992). Later, the cover was included on the compilations ''De Nationale Voorjaars CD 1993'', ''Alle 40 goed – Country'' and ''The Definitive Collection''.

Track listing

CD-maxi # "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" – 2:48 # "Ain't No Good Goodbye" – 3:22 # " Could've Been Me" (acoustic mix) – 3:45

Charts

Jessica Simpson version

Jessica Simpson recorded her own version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin (and added her own lyrics) for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

to the film '' The Dukes of Hazzard'' (2005). The version was also included in the international version of her fifth studio album, '' A Public Affair'' (2006). Simpson's cover was co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and was released as the soundtrack's first single on June 20, 2005. It became Simpson's fifth top-20 single in the United States, and its

drew controversy because of its sexual imagery.

Recording and release

Simpson's version of the song is performed from the point of view of her character in ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', Daisy Duke, and it has several major differences from Sinatra's version. The song's lyrics were changed almost completely as Simpson felt that they did not accurately convey the feelings needed for the film; in the original Sinatra dealt with a cheating boyfriend, while in the new version Simpson explored Daisy Duke's personality and experiences. She rewrote the majority of the lyrics herself, although some elements were retained such as the opening line "You keep saying you got something for me..." and the spoken "Are you ready, boots? Start walkin. Simpson also added some new music to her version of the song. Whereas the original version did not have a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, she created one for the cover. A risqué rap-like/spoken breakdown was added after the bridge. Because of the legalities of

songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

, Simpson has not been credited for the new music or lyrics that she wrote. The production of the song was altered as well. Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis gave the cover a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

-inspired production because of its relationship to the film ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', but they also added a more

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

-like beat.

Chart performance

"These Boots Are Made for Walkin peaked at fourteen on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and in late 2005 the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

certified the single

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

for 500,000 legal downloads or more. Its digital downloads were high, but radio airplay was low. Due to this, it is the song that reached the lowest chart position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a song topping the Hot Digital Songs chart. It reached the top ten on ''Billboard'''s

Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles ...

chart, and was Simpson's first single to appear on the chart. On July 23, 2005, the song jumped from 8 – 1 on Hot Digital Songs charts in its second week with 43,000 downloads. On December 11, 2006, the single was certified Gold by the RIAA again, this time by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

. In total, the single has received 1 million digital downloads. Internationally it was a success, reaching top 5 in several European countries. It became her biggest hit in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where it reached number two and remained in the top forty for twenty-four weeks. In

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the single also reached number 2. The song also cracked the top five in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where it reached number four and is to date, her highest peaking single in Britain. It reached the top ten in the chart

European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and the top twenty in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. As the end of the year 2005, the single had sold 69,500 copies in UK.

Music video

The

, directed by

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour (film series), ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', ''Red Dragon (2002 film), Red Dragon'', ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''Tower Heist ...

, caused controversy because of its sexual imagery. It famously presents "footage of Simpson writhing suggestively in a bikini against a suds-soaked motor vehicle".

Track listing

# "These Boots Are Made for Walkin (Radio edit) – 4:10 # " With You" (Live from Universal Amphitheater) # "Take My Breath Away" (Live from Universal Amphitheater) # "I Think I'm in Love with You" (Live from Universal Amphitheater) # "These Boots Are Made for Walkin (Video clip)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Megadeth version

American

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band

covered the song on their 1985 debut album '' Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'', which is track four on the original release and eight on the 2002 re-release. Their version (entitled "These Boots") featured altered lyrics, and was produced more as a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

than a true cover. When the album started selling well, the writer of the song, Lee Hazlewood, began demanding that the song be omitted, due to its being a "perversion of the original". In the liner notes of the album's 2002 reissue, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine was strongly critical of Hazlewood, noting that he had received

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

for almost ten years before he objected to the altered version. The song was included as a bonus track on that version, with many lyrics censored (mostly Mustaine's variations, but some other lines were also censored for comedic effect). In 2011, an uncensored live version recorded in 1987 was released as part of the 25th anniversary edition of the album '' Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?''. In 2018, the song was released with the original Lee Hazlewood lyrics on the remixed and remastered version of ''Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'' In 1987, Megadeth re-recorded the song as part of the soundtrack for Penelope Spheeris' film '' Dudes'', changing the title to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin. This version of the song was the last song the band recorded with Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland, as the two would be kicked out later in the year for their drug habits.

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the liner notes of '' Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!''. Megadeth * Dave Mustaine – rhythm guitar, lead vocals * David Ellefson – bass, backing vocals * Chris Poland – lead guitar * Gar Samuelson – drums Production * Produced and mixed by Dave Mustaine and Karat Faye * Co-produced by Megadeth * Pre-production by Jay Jones 2002 remix and remaster * Mixed by Bill Kennedy * Pro Tools by

Chris Vrenna Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967) is an American musician, producer, engineer, remixer, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna played drums for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 1988 until 1996, and was ...

* Mastered by Tom Baker ''The Final Kill 2018'' remix and remaster * Mixed by Mark Lewis * Mastered by

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

References

External links

Collection of over 200 versions
{{Authority control 1965 songs 1965 singles 1985 singles 1992 singles 2005 singles Songs written by Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra songs Billy Ray Cyrus songs Jessica Simpson songs Megadeth songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Germany UK singles chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Music videos directed by Brett Ratner Songs about revenge Songs about shoes Songs with feminist themes Reprise Records singles Curb Records singles Columbia Records singles Songs about parting American folk rock songs Music video controversies Songs written by Jessica Simpson Go-go songs