View source for Some Velvet Morning

{{short description|1967 song by Lee Hazlewood}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}{{about|the song|the band|Some Velvet Morning (band)|the film|Some Velvet Morning (film)}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Some Velvet Morning
| cover      = Some Velvet Morning.jpg
| alt        =
| border     = yes
| caption    = West German picture sleeve
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Nancy Sinatra]] & [[Lee Hazlewood]]
| album      = [[Movin' with Nancy (album)|Movin' With Nancy]]
| B-side     = Oh, Lonesome Me
| released   = {{Start date|1967|12}}
| recorded   = Late 1967
| studio     = [[Capitol Studios|Capitol]], Los Angeles
| venue      =
| genre      = 
* [[Psychedelic rock]]<ref name="DeRogatis2003">{{cite book|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|title=Turn on your mind: four decades of great psychedelic rock|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7cQmRsLgN8C&pg=PA385|date=2003-12-01|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-0-634-05548-5|page=385}}</ref>
* [[Country music|country]]<ref name="Financial Times 2017" />
| length     = {{Duration|m=3|s=39}}
| label      = [[Reprise Records|Reprise]]
| writer     = [[Lee Hazlewood]]
| producer   = [[Lee Hazlewood]]
| chronology = [[Nancy Sinatra]]
| prev_title = Tony Rome
| prev_year  = 1967
| next_title = Things
| next_year  = 1968
| misc       = {{Audio sample
 | type        = single
 | file        = Some Velvet Morning.ogg
 | description = "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 (album)|Movin' with Nancy]],'' the soundtrack to [[Movin' with Nancy|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]]''.<ref name="Financial Times 2017">{{Cite news |date=2017-01-31 |title=Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/99eb9de6-d821-11e6-944b-e7eb37a6aa8e |access-date=2023-11-20|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Composition==
The male part of the song is in {{music|time|4|4}} [[time signature]] whereas the female part is in {{music|time|3|4}}. Hazlewood's voice is recorded with more [[reverberation]] than is Sinatra's, making it sound bidimensional.

==The recording session==

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.<ref name="Financial Times 2017" />

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."<ref name="Music Aficionado 2016">{{Cite web |last=Kobi |first=Hayim |date=2016-05-09 |title=Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra |url=https://musicaficionado.blog/2016/05/09/some-velvet-morning-by-lee-hazlewood-and-nancy-sinatra/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=The Music Aficionado |language=en-US}}</ref>

==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."<ref name="Financial Times 2017" />

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 (mythology)|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."<ref name="Music Aficionado 2016"/>

In 2003, London's ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' called the song "[O]ne of the strangest, druggiest, most darkly sexual songs ever written&nbsp;— ambitious, beautiful and unforgettable."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2003-11-08 |title=50 best duets ever |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3606080/50-best-duets-ever.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210154109/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3606080/50-best-duets-ever.html |archive-date=2008-12-10 |access-date= |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> 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 (mythology)|Phaedra]], who "gave [him] life&nbsp;... and&nbsp;... 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:<br>
<br>Hazlewood (4/4): “''Some velvet morning when I’m straight''…” 
<br>Sinatra (3/4): “''flowers growing on a hill''…” 
<br>H: “''I’m gonna open up your gate''…” 
<br>S: “…''dragonflies and daffodils''…”

==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 music|country and western]] music. The single peaked at #26 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in January 1968,<ref name="DeRogatis2003">{{cite book|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|title=Turn on your mind: four decades of great psychedelic rock|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7cQmRsLgN8C&pg=PA385|date=2003-12-01|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-0-634-05548-5|page=385}}</ref> and #36 in Canada.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1968-02-24 |title=Top Singles |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=9585& |magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |volume=8 |issue=26 |access-date=2023-11-19 |via=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}</ref>

==Legacy==
* 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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."<ref>{{cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan |date=2009-11-03 |title=Week 22: Lee Hazlewood, space cowboy/peculiar guy |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/week-22-lee-hazlewood-space-cowboypeculiar-guy-34925 |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>
* In August 2006, music critic Rob Mitchum placed the song at #49 spot on ''[[Pitchfork (website)|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."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-08-17 |title=The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/6405-the-200-greatest-songs-of-the-1960s/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref>
* In December 2015, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the song at #9 in its 20 Greatest Duos of All Time retrospective.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=2015-12-17 |title=20 Greatest Duos of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-greatest-duos-of-all-time-16272/9-lee-hazelwood-nancy-sinatra-66938/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501095922/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-greatest-duos-of-all-time-16272/9-lee-hazelwood-nancy-sinatra-66938/ |archive-date=2023-05-01 |access-date=2023-11-19 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref>
* 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."<ref name="Financial Times 2017" />

==Selective list of cover versions==
{{sources|section|date=October 2023}}
The song has been [[Cover version|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)<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1969-06-09 |title=Top Singles |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=4617& |magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |volume=11 |issue=15 |access-date=2023-11-19 |via=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}</ref>
*1982: [[Lydia Lunch]] and [[Rowland S. Howard]], 12" single later issued on ''[[Honeymoon In Red|Honeymoon in Red]]''
*1986: [[The Fleshtones|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 (album)|Souvlaki]]''
*1994: [[Lost & Profound]] on ''Memory Thief''
*1995: [[Thin White Rope]] on ''[[Spoor (album)|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 (band)|Entombed]] on the compilation album ''[[Sons Of Satan Praise The Lord|Sons of Satan Praise the Lord]]''
*2004: [[Firewater (band)|Firewater]] on ''Songs We Should Have Written''
*2007: Lee Hazlewood and Phaedra Dawn Stewart (his granddaughter) on ''[[Cake or Death (Hazlewood album)|Cake or Death]]''
*2008: [[Polar (artist)|Polar]] and [[Loane]] on ''68 Covers'' and a bonus track on ''[[Polar (artist)#Discography .28Albums only.29|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<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2013/08/listen-to-danzig-and-cherie-curies-cover-some-velvet-morning/|title = Listen to Danzig and Cherie Curie's cover "Some Velvet Morning"|date = 13 August 2013}}</ref>
*2014: [[Alison Goldfrapp]] and [[John Grant (musician)|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==
{{Reflist}}

{{Nancy Sinatra}}
{{Lee Hazlewood}}
{{Vanilla Fudge}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Entombed (band) songs]]
[[Category:Nancy Sinatra songs]]
[[Category:Primal Scream songs]]
[[Category:1967 singles]]
[[Category:Male–female vocal duets]]
[[Category:Songs written by Lee Hazlewood]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Gaudio]]
[[Category:Reprise Records singles]]
[[Category:Lee Hazlewood songs]]
[[Category:Phaedra (mythology)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Lee Hazlewood]]