Songwriter & singing partner of Nancy Sinatra Lee Hazelwood has passed away.
If I had a million dollars or ten
I’d give to ya, world, and then
You’d go away and let me spend
My life in shoo-shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo-shoo
Shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo Sugar Town
Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kissing spring.
My Summerwine is really made from all these things
take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time
and I wil give to you summerwine
Oh, oh!, summerwine
Old man, young man
Preacher saying amen
Taking up collection
Playing on a bass drum
How come the city it never sleeps at night
These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you
Are you ready boots? Start walkin’!
Aw, gee, I did not see that!
I loved that team. Lee seemed like such a perfect song counterpoint to Nancy. And I’ve preferred their version of “Jackson” better than any.
Then there’s “Summer Wine” and…so on.
Lee Hazelwood, you will be missed, and thanks for everything.
One of my absolute favorites. I could list a million songs of his that were my favorite - “i’m glad I never,” “i’d rather be your enemy,” “bang bang, my baby shot me down,” “long black train”… Requiem for an almost lady is one of the best kiss-off/breakup albums ever recorded, and Cowboy in Sweden is one of the greatest weird country records ever recorded. But Trouble is a lonesom town is my favorite, with Lee in storyteller mode, giving his great little baritone voice through plate reverb introductions before singing and playing absolutely magnificent songs. From that album’s “we all make the flowers grow” -
"Cowards and heroes listen my friends
If you have money or nothing to spend
It’ll make no difference in a hundred years or so
Sooner or later we’ll all make the little flowers grow
Wise men and fools Two 'll get you five
You’ll never get out of this world alive
Don’t run and hide it’s no use I know
Sooner or later we’ll all make the little flowers grow"
Yup - I was wondering who would start this thread. I didn’t have the heart. Too many people won’t even know who we’re talking about, but whatever … I hate the feeling of waking up to one of my favourite songs on the radio (Jackson), and then having that awful feeling that there’s only one reason the radio ever plays songs from that time.
Rest in Peace, Lee - you changed forever what it meant to be a four kinds of lonely … and one big kind of mad. It’s a pity that so many dorks only knew him as ‘kitsch’. Time for a twenty one shot (of bourbon) salute, and a long night of digging through the record bins and wigging out to the Duane records, singing along to Nancy and Lee, and crying into our beers over those early seventies records that nobody even knew existed until some hipster drummer decided the time was right to spring them on an unsuspecting world.
I will admit that I am unfamiliar with Lee Hazelwood’s oeuvre and only know of him because of his work with Nancy Sinatra. If nothing else, that guy was one heck of a producer. “Some Velvet Morning” is quite a production masterpiece - full orchestra, changes from 4/4 to 3/4 time, great contrast between his booming baritone and Nancy’s lilting lyrics. Great song.
Rest in peace Lee.
Some velvet morning when I’m straight (as opposed to high, or gay?)/I’m going to open up your gate- without a doubt the weirdest top 40 song, ever, and one of the coolest.