Originally I
had only heard Nancy Sinatra and the annoying "These Boots are Made for Walking", but it was interesting
to discover her 1960s work with Lee Hazelwood, and especially the dark and
enigmatic "Some Velvet Morning".
Nancy
Sinatra's fledging singing career was stalling in the mid 1960s, so her father
Frank asked Duane Eddy's well-regarded producer Lee Hazelwood for help. He quickly
reinvented her image, and the hits flowed, including some country style duets
with him.
"Some
Velvet Morning" was originally written by Hazelwood for a Sinatra TV show,
recorded at the peak of psychedelia in 1967, and marked a significant departure.
It sounds
like two different songs welded together, singing separately - Hazelwood older, deep and moody, Sinatra younger,
light and playful. The contrast emphasised by the different beats - 4/4 for him
and 3/4 for her. Major kudos to the orchestra arranger Billy Strange for
enabling it be recorded live in one take with no overdubs.
Starting with
an atmospheric spray of strings, Hazelwood intones "Some velvet morning
when I'm straight / I'm gonna open up your gate" and wishes to recant his
past with Phaedra. Sinatra immediately replies with a dreamy ode to nature
"Flowers growing on a hill,
dragonflies and daffodils" before introducing herself as the
same Phaedra.
It is hard to
determine a definitive meaning, especially as Hazelwood himself professed ignorance.
On a simple level, it could be trying to overcome a serious drug addiction and
wanting to be free (straight might be the key word). But there may be more sinister
and threatening overtones, especially considering his creepy vocals and her
innocence. What is the "gate" he wants to open, could it be
enlightening or sexual ? And why did he chose the name Phaedra, from a Greek
myth of spurned passion for stepson and false witness ?
Initially "Some
Velvet Morning" was only a top 30 hit in the US, but its stature has grown
over the years, and frequently used as a base for mismatched duets.
A haunting
and enigmatic concoction, which sounds as unusual and intriguing now as it did
50 years ago.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1sq_fdq_Ps
Hear Next -
"Nancy & Lee" is a great album of duets.
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