Some Velvet Morning
"Some Velvet Morning" is a psychedelic pop song written by Lee Hazlewood and originally recorded as a duet by Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra in late 1967.[1] Released as a single by Reprise Records in December 1967, it peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1968.[2] The track features alternating verses between Hazlewood's baritone and Sinatra's ethereal vocals, set against an orchestral arrangement that shifts between 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures, evoking a dreamlike and mysterious atmosphere.[3] The song was composed by Hazlewood specifically for Nancy Sinatra's NBC television special Movin' with Nancy, airing in December 1967, and was recorded in a single three-hour session at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles with live performances by session musicians and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, arranged and conducted by Billy Strange.[1] Its lyrics draw inspiration from Greek mythology, particularly the figure of Phaedra, blending themes of desire, taboo, and hippie-era idealism in an enigmatic narrative that has sparked various interpretations, from drug references to psychological depth.[3] Emerging in the cultural wake of the 1967 Summer of Love, the duet captured the era's experimental spirit and marked the last Top 40 hit for both artists on the Billboard charts.[3] "Some Velvet Morning" later appeared on the duo's collaborative album Nancy & Lee, released in March 1968 by Reprise Records, which became a critical and commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart.[4] The song has been widely covered, including notable versions by Vanilla Fudge (1969), Primal Scream with Kate Moss (2002), and Lydia Lunch, and has been featured in films such as Morvern Callar (2002) and Not Fade Away (2012), as well as television series like Mr. Robot and Runaways.[1] In 2003, it was ranked number one on The Daily Telegraph's list of the 50 best duets ever, cementing its status as a landmark in pop music history for its innovative production and enduring intrigue.[3]Background and Creation
Origins
Lee Hazlewood, a prolific singer, songwriter, and producer known for his work in country, pop, and psychedelic genres, began collaborating with Nancy Sinatra in 1965 after her early recording career had struggled to gain traction.[5] Hazlewood produced her first charting single "So Long Babe" that year and followed it with the iconic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," which he wrote and produced, propelling Sinatra to stardom and marking the start of their creative partnership.[6] Their collaboration extended to Sinatra's 1966 debut album Boots, where Hazlewood shaped her sound with bold, unconventional arrangements that blended twangy country influences with emerging rock elements.[7] "Some Velvet Morning" originated as a bespoke composition by Hazlewood for Nancy Sinatra's 1967 NBC television special Movin' with Nancy, intended specifically for a segment in the program. Hazlewood penned the song during the production of the special, drawing from his desire to create something antithetical to the era's dance-oriented hits, resulting in a non-danceable, ethereal track. Initially, Hazlewood had no plans to release it as a standalone single, envisioning it solely as part of the soundtrack album accompanying the TV broadcast.[1] Written in late 1967, the song's lyrical and thematic foundation was inspired by the Greek mythological figure Phaedra, the tragic princess whose story of forbidden love and despair Hazlewood described as embodying profound sadness.[3] This classical reference intertwined with the countercultural optimism of 1960s hippie idealism, capturing the Summer of Love's blend of psychedelic freedom, nature imagery, and existential reflection amid societal upheaval.[3]Composition
"Some Velvet Morning" received sole songwriting credit to Lee Hazlewood.[1] The song employs a bipartite structure consisting of two distinct parts, with Hazlewood's verses in 4/4 time transitioning to 3/4 time in Sinatra's sections, engendering a disorienting yet hypnotic psychedelic flow that underscores the duet's dynamic contrast.[8]The original recording clocks in at approximately 3:37.[9] Hazlewood drew from a fusion of country roots, psychedelic experimentation, and orchestral grandeur, leveraging the interplay of his deep baritone against Sinatra's lighter vocals to heighten the composition's tension and release.[1][8] Conceived initially as a non-commercial piece for Nancy Sinatra's 1967 television special Movin' with Nancy, the track derives its ethereal, dreamlike essence from Hazlewood's incorporation of mythological motifs during the writing process.[1]
Recording and Production
The Recording Session
The recording session for "Some Velvet Morning" took place at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California, during a three-hour period in late 1967.[3][1] This intensive session was driven by the deadline for Nancy Sinatra's NBC television special Movin' with Nancy, which aired in December 1967 and featured the song as a key segment.[1] Lee Hazlewood served as producer and provided his distinctive baritone vocals, while Nancy Sinatra delivered the contrasting ethereal, angelic lines; the duet was captured live with a full orchestra to achieve a seamless blend without post-production overdubs.[3][1] Key personnel included longtime collaborator Billy Strange, who arranged and conducted the lush orchestral elements, drawing from members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the strings and other instrumentation.[3][1] Hazlewood directed the session with a focus on capturing the song's unusual structure, alternating between 4/4 time for his verses and 3/4 for Sinatra's sections, insisting on a live performance to preserve its organic flow despite the complexity.[3] Technically, Hazlewood employed subtle multi-tracking techniques on the strings, instructing the orchestra to perform standing and recording two passes slightly offset to create an ethereal, layered texture that enhanced the song's dreamlike atmosphere.[3] Multiple takes were required to nail the vocal transitions and orchestral precision, but the core duet and arrangement were completed within the single session, reflecting Hazlewood's efficient yet visionary approach to production.[1]Musical Elements
"Some Velvet Morning" features a distinctive orchestration centered on lush strings that swell to create a haunting, ethereal atmosphere.[10] The arrangement avoids heavy drums, relying instead on light percussion—such as soft cymbal brushes and minimal rhythmic elements—to preserve the song's dreamlike, floating quality without disrupting its hypnotic flow.[11] The vocal arrangement highlights the duet's contrasting styles, with Lee Hazlewood delivering deep, spoken-sung verses in a baritone that evokes a sense of introspection and menace.[12] Nancy Sinatra then responds with high, melodic choruses sung in a lighter, more angelic register, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between the two voices that never overlap directly.[10] This structure underscores the song's innovative duet format, where the performers alternate to build tension and release. Stylistically, the track fuses psychedelic pop with subtle country undertones, evident in Hazlewood's twang-inflected phrasing and the sparse, narrative-driven delivery reminiscent of Western ballads.[13] Unusual time signature shifts—from 4/4 in Hazlewood's sections to 3/4 waltz time in Sinatra's—contribute to its disorienting, hypnotic effect, accelerating slightly as the song progresses to heighten the surreal quality.[10][14] In production, Hazlewood employed reverb extensively on vocals and instruments to craft a hazy, immersive soundscape that evokes the titular "velvet morning," layering elements to blur boundaries and simulate a distant, echoing transmission.[11] These techniques, recorded at Capitol Studios in late 1967, marked a key innovation in 1960s experimental pop, influencing subsequent atmospheric recordings through their emphasis on spatial depth over conventional density.[10][12]Lyrics and Themes
Lyrics Overview
"Some Velvet Morning" features lyrics written by Lee Hazlewood, structured as a duet with alternating sections sung by Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra. The song consists of one verse by Hazlewood, three chorus sections (two full choruses and an extended outro) by Sinatra, and two repetitive bridge sections by Hazlewood, creating a call-and-response pattern that emphasizes contrast between the parts.[15] The full lyrics are as follows: Verse 1 (Lee Hazlewood):Some velvet morning when I'm straight
I'm gonna open up your gate
And maybe tell you 'bout Phaedra
And how she gave me life
And how she made it end [15] Chorus (Nancy Sinatra):
Some velvet morning when I'm straight
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and mermaids
Sipping up the morning dew
And you
Phaedra is my name [15] Bridge 1 (Lee Hazlewood):
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama? [15] Chorus (Nancy Sinatra):
Some velvet morning when I'm straight
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and mermaids
Sipping up the morning dew
And you
Phaedra is my name [15] Bridge 2 (Lee Hazlewood):
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama? [15] Outro (Nancy Sinatra):
Some velvet morning when I'm straight
Flowers growing on a hill
Dragonflies and mermaids
Sipping up the morning dew
And you
Phaedra is my name
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
What'll I tell Mama?
And you [15] Key phrases in the lyrics include "some velvet morning," repeated across sections to frame the narrative; "Phaedra," a reference to the mythological figure from Greek tragedy; and the insistent repetition of "What'll I tell Mama?" in the bridges. The verses employ a loose rhyme scheme with pairings like "straight/gate" and slant rhymes such as "Phaedra/end," while the choruses feature imagery-driven lines with rhymes like "hill/dew/you." No documented variations appear in the original 1967 television performance from Nancy Sinatra's special Movin' with Nancy, where the lyrics match the recorded version.[15][1]