Listen to the isolated vocals for Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood’s ‘Summer Wine’
Lately, nepotism has been widely discussed in the media, with the lack of equal opportunities in the entertainment industry being rightly called out. With that being said, some children of famous stars have demonstrated such a talent that one wonders whether it simply runs in their blood, such as Nancy Sinatra. Daughter of iconic crooner Frank Sinatra, Nancy was born with a singing voice too good not to use.
After struggling to find much success, with her debut single ‘Cuff Links and a Tie Clip’ going largely unnoticed, Reprise Records threatened to drop Sinatra. She had failed to achieve a hit single in the United States, despite certain tracks finding moderate appeal in Europe and Japan. Luckily, Sinatra received her first hit with the infectious ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ in 1966, which boosted her career. Lee Hazelwood penned the song, who had been writing music for a decade, notably working with Duane Eddy.
Hazelwood suggested to Sinatra, “You can’t sing like Nancy Nice Lady anymore. You have to sing for the truckers.” The songwriter’s help, paired with a complete makeover, made Sinatra an icon of the swinging sixties. The two began to collaborate frequently, with Hazelwood helming tracks such as ‘How Does That Grab Ya, Darlin”, ‘Friday’s Child’ and ‘Sugar Town’.
In 1966, Hazelwood recorded ‘Summer Wine’ with Sinatra, which he originally recorded with Suzi Jane Hokom. Hazelwood and Sinatra’s duet was placed on her album Nancy in London and later appeared as the B-side to her hit single ‘Sugar Town’. In April 1967, ‘Summer Wine’ hit number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached number 14 in Australia.
The pair released a collaborative album in 1968, arranged and conducted by Billy Strange. Nancy & Lee peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and contained other acclaimed duets such as ‘Some Velvet Morning’, ‘Jackson’ and ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin”. On ‘Summer Wine’, the pair tell the story of a man who becomes intoxicated by a woman who steals his silver spurs after a night of drinking.
Since its release, the song has been covered countless times by artists such as Lana Del Rey and Barrie-James O’Neill, Marie Laforêt and Gérard Klein (with French lyrics), and Clara Luciani and Alex Kapranos as an English/French duet.
Check out an isolated vocal version of the track, which highlights the richness of both Nancy and Lee’s voices.