Nancy and Lee Again

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a b Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2017). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 15, 2023. ...Nancy & Lee, the tongue-in-cheek quality of their previous chart-toppers was all but eclipsed by a more robust, intense incarnation of country-tinged psychedelia...Though certainly a collection of pitch-perfect country-pop tunes...

When Nancy–the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra–first met Lee Hazlewood in 1965, she was a demure, 25-year-old divorcée who was struggling to find her place as an artist amid the changing musical landscape. At the urging of her label, she was introduced to the Oklahoma-born songwriter, Lee Hazlewood, who had found success working with guitarist Duane Eddy. While Sinatra and Hazlewood hailed from vastly different worlds, they were about to embark on a partnership that would change the course of their lives. Just months after meeting, Sinatra scored her first No.1 hit with “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” Written and produced by Hazlewood, the song became Sinatra’s signature tune–transforming her into a confident and commanding feminist icon. Not long after the critical acclaim and chart success of Nancy & Lee died down, however, Hazlewood unexpectedly relocated to Sweden, leaving his musical partner in the proverbial dust. America, meanwhile, was in the midst of a cultural shift, as the Vietnam War waged on. By the turn of the decade, the musical landscape had changed significantly. “Trivial music and not profound music became unimportant,” recalls Nancy, speaking to Hunter Lea. “It was a tough time.” And yet, despite the circumstances, the stars somehow aligned for the duo to record some of their most magnificent music together. Another poignant selection is Congratulations, which describes a soldier coming home from Vietnam. His face has grown old and his eyes have grown cold/And they tell you of where he has been/Congratulations, you sure made a man out of him, Hazlewood sings, pointedly. Nancy, who performs as the vets wife, argues that the song had a deeper meaning for her duet partner. Lee started out a hawk, he was an army guy, so he was all for the war in the beginning. We didnt talk about it, but at some point, he changed radically. Congratulations was almost like an apology from him. I dont want to put words in his mouth, but it was as though he was saying Im really sorry. a b Nancy & Lee (vinyl edition liner notes). Nancy Sinatra& Lee Hazlewood. Reprise Records. 1968. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) The songs may seem innocent and poppy, but the actual lyrics have an edge. It all makes for music which is easy to listen to, but worth listening to properly. As a classic, the album has a timeless yet modern sensibility.

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Another poignant selection is “Congratulations,” which describes a soldier coming home from Vietnam. “His face has grown old and his eyes have grown cold/And they tell you of where he has been/Congratulations, you sure made a man out of him,” Hazlewood sings, pointedly. Nancy, who performs as the vet’s wife, argues that the song had a deeper meaning for her duet partner. “Lee started out a hawk, he was an army guy, so he was all for the war in the beginning. We didn’t talk about it, but at some point, he changed radically. ‘Congratulations’ was almost like an apology from him. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but it was as though he was saying ‘I’m really sorry.’” One of the most emotionally-charged moments on Nancy & Lee Again is a cover of Dolly Partons Down From Dover. The heartbreaking tune tells the tale of a pregnant teenager, who has been abandoned by her lover and her family and ultimately gives birth to a stillborn baby. While Partons 1970 version was sung from the teenagers point of view, Hazlewood and Sinatra transformed the country song into a duet. Hazlewood, who offers the mans side of the story, sings in a notably deeper octave than his signature baritone. In recent years, Nancy & Lee has also inspired a groundswell of recognition from such outlets as Rolling Stone, which ranked the pair at No. 9 on their 20 Greatest Duos of All Time list. Pitchfork included Nancy & Lee in their “Best Albums of the 1960s” roundup, hailing the record as “a document of a flawless collaboration.” The UK’s Far Out Magazine declared Nancy & Lee to be “a masterpiece that still ripples in the sonic waves today.” NPR, meanwhile, noted that “Sinatra and Hazlewood masterfully marry sunshiny orchestral elements with lyrics that dig at something darker about the human condition.” They went on to praise Sinatra’s work on Nancy & Lee as “some of the best that she’s ever recorded… it proved that she would hardly allow herself to be pigeonholed into one-hit-wonder territory. Here, she made it clear that she was capable of so much more.”

The incongruous, yet glorious, creative partnership between Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood was well underway when the two singular artists reunited to record 1972s Nancy & Lee Again, a follow-up to their bestselling duet debut, Nancy & Lee. Nancy, the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra, had been working with the Oklahoma-born songwriter since 1965, when she topped the pop charts with These Boots Are Made For Walkin. Over the next five years, the two artists forged a prolific relationship in the studio, with Hazlewood writing and producing many of Nancys solo hits. Soon, the duo found success with a series of duets, including Sand, Summer Wine, and Some Velvet Morning all of which appeared on their highly-influential 1968 debut.

Norwegiancharts.com – Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood – Nancy & Lee". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 29, 2019. with a series of duets, including “Sand,” “Summer Wine,” and “Some Velvet Morning” – all of which appeared on their highly-influential 1968 debut. It might seem like the delayed nature of Nancy & Lee Again’s reissue is to some extent down to neglect on the part of the rights-holders, but please understand that the duo’s 1968 debut Nancy & Lee wasn’t given a standalone new edition until last year, also by Light in the Attic, the label that has, along with the Nancy Sinatra Archival Series, returned a fair portion of Hazlewood’s solo catalog to print since early last decade.

That je ne sais quoi certainly did work. Upon its release in the spring of 1968, Nancy & Lee became a critical and commercial hit on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and No. 17 in the UK. By 1970, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA. Over the decades, however, the appeal of Nancy & Lee has only grown, while the album has amassed an enduring cult status that few titles achieve. Multiple generations of artists including Sonic Youth, Lana Del Rey, and the Jesus & Mary Chain have cited Nancy & Lee as an influence. The song “Friendship Train” could also be interpreted as an apology of sorts – this time to Nancy. “You’ve been hurt and I’ve been hurt/Now we’re living pain,” the tune opens. When Hazlewood moved to Sweden without telling his longtime musical partner, Sinatra was understandably upset. “I felt pretty betrayed. I mean, who does that? Who just up and disappears like that? I’ll never understand it,” she reveals. But the uplifting duet – a slice of ‘70s pop perfection – offers reaffirming words of love between friends. “[Lee] felt things very deeply and tended to express his feelings in song instead of in real life,” explains Nancy. The main reason for Nancy & Lee’s belated appearance is due to the easy availability of the contents on compact disc, the entire record included on Rhino’s 1989 compilation Fairy Tales & Fantasies: The Best of Nancy & Lee. Plus, secondhand copies of the LP were easily findable (in varying degrees of condition, of course) in thrift shops, if not necessarily music stores. Unlike Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’ Whipped Cream & Other Delights, Nancy & Lee wasn’t ubiquitous, but like Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 and The Association’s Greatest Hits!, it was quite a common find. As the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra, Nancy was born into the spotlight. At 19, she made her professional debut in front of millions of Americans, appearing alongside her father and Elvis Presley on the television special Welcome Home Elvis. Not long after, she released a series of singles. But those demure recordings didn’t reflect the real Nancy Sinatra – that Nancy would be re-introduced to the world just a few years later, thanks to an unlikely musical partnership with songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood. When the two artists had their initial meeting in 1964, Sinatra was newly-divorced and struggling to score a hit record amid the changing musical landscape. At the urging of her label, she met with Hazlewood – a 36-year-old songsmith from Oklahoma who had found success writing for guitarist Duane Eddy. Hazlewood auditioned material for Sinatra, including a song called “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” which he originally intended to record himself. Machine Gun Kelly (previously released on The Essential Nancy Sinatra, Liberty/EMI CD 0946 3562332, 2006)

Not long after the critical acclaim and chart success of Nancy & Lee died down, however, Hazlewood unexpectedly relocated to Sweden, leaving his musical partner in the proverbial dust. America, meanwhile, was in the midst of a cultural shift as the Vietnam War waged on. By the turn of the decade, the musical landscape had changed significantly. “Trivial music and not profound music became unimportant,” recalls Nancy, speaking to Hunter Lea. “It was a tough time.” And yet, despite the circumstances, the stars somehow aligned for the duo to record some of their most magnificent music together. Imagine my disgust when I received it and found the self-same warping issue (not as severe but absolutely noticeable). Over here in NZ this album is not cheap so one could understand my annoyance. Canada. One of the most emotionally-charged moments on Nancy & Lee Again is a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Down From Dover.” The heartbreaking tune tells the tale of a pregnant teenager, who has been abandoned by her lover and her family and ultimately gives birth to a stillborn baby. While Parton’s 1970 version was sung from the teenager’s point of view, Hazlewood and Sinatra transformed the country song into a duet. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge.