August 6, 2007

Lee Hazlewood Dies at 78

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Singer/songwriter Lee Hazlewood died Saturday in Henderson, Nevada, losing a three-year battle with kidney cancer. While Hazlewood had his own label and musical career, he was best known for penning tracks for Nancy Sinatra, especially “These Boots Are Made for Walking” and “Some Velvet Morning,” on which he also sang. “Morning” is one of the weirder tracks to ever hit the Top 30 (reaching #26 on the Billboard charts in 1967)—a reverby mix of country and psychedelia that’s notable for its alternating 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures, whose accelerating back-and-forth provides the song’s disorienting climax. The lyrics’ open admission of substance use (“some velvet morning when I’m straight”) made it a counter-cultural touchstone, and it’s since been covered by artists from Slowdive and Primal Scream to Lydia Lunch and Vanilla Fudge.

Grab an mp3 at rocksellout.com here; plus check out the Pitchfork and Billboard stories on Hazelwood’s legacy.

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