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.[1]

This article is about the song. For the band, see Some Velvet Morning (band). For the film, see Some Velvet Morning (film).
"Some Velvet Morning"
Cover of the 1967 US single
Single by Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
from the album Movin' With Nancy
B-side"Oh, Lonesome Me"
ReleasedDecember 1967 (1967-12)
Recorded1967
GenrePsychedelic pop
Length3:39
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Lee Hazlewood
Producer(s)Lee Hazlewood
Nancy Sinatra singles chronology
"Tony Rome"
(1967)		 "Some Velvet Morning"
(1967)		 "Things"
(1968)
Audio sample
"Some Velvet Morning"
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Although "Some Velvet Morning" is one of the more famous duets Hazlewood and Sinatra recorded together, it is considered a departure from their usual fare, as it is decidedly less influenced by country and western music. The single peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1968.[2]

In 2003, London's The Daily Telegraph called the song, "One of the strangest, druggiest, most darkly sexual songs ever written - ambitious, beautiful and unforgettable."[3] 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 [him] life … 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.

The song has been covered many times, usually as a duet.

Construction

The male part of the song is in 4/4 time signature whereas the female part is in 3/4. Lee's voice is recorded with more reverberation than Nancy's, making it sound bi-dimensional.

The recording session
Nancy Sinatra after the makeover recommended by Hazelwood

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 Nancy began when Frank Sinatra asked Lee to help boost his daughter's career.[4]

Sinatra joined Hazelwood at Capitol Studio in Los Angeles in the fall of 1967 for a three hour session. The recording was produced by Hazelwood while Billy Strange was the arranger. 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".[5]

Interpretation of the lyrics

Every reviewer has their own take on the meaning of the song. A British journalist said that "the puzzle of its lyrics and otherworldly beauty of its sound offering seemingly endless interpretations".[6] Lee Hazelwood's was less definitive than some others'.[7]

"It’s not meant to mean so much. I’m not a druggie, so it was never to do with that" [but added 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."

Legacy
  • In November 2003, music critics working for the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph placed the Sinatra/Hazlewood single at the number 1 spot in their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever."[8] 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."[9]
  • In August 2006, music critic Rob Mitchum awarded the duet the 49th 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."[10]
  • In December 2015, Rolling Stone rated the song as Number 9 in their 20 Greatest Duos of All Time retrospective.[11]
  • 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 author of the piece also reminded readers that Hazelwood 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."[12]

Selective list of cover versions
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References
  1. Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  2. DeRogatis, Jim (2003-12-01). Turn on your mind: four decades of great psychedelic rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 385. ISBN 978-0-634-05548-5.
  3. "50 Best Duets Ever: Some Velvet Morning, 1968" The Telegraph, 8 November 2003
  4. Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  5. Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
  6. Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  7. Some Velvet Morning, by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
  8. " The Telegraph, 8 November 2003
  9. "Week 22: Lee Hazlewood, space cowboy/peculiar guy".
  10. "200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Pitchfork.
  11. 20 Greatest Duos of All Time
  12. Elemental and enigmatic — the mystery of Some Velvet Morning
  13. https://consequenceofsound.net/2013/08/listen-to-danzig-and-cherie-curies-cover-some-velvet-morning/
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