Recorded - November 19, 1965
Released - December 1965
#1 for week of February 26, 1966.
There is no doubt that "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" is a classic track. From its lyrics, which can be considered proto-feminist, to the fact that many, (Often greatly inferior) covers have been recorded, it clearly is a well known hit. Yet, I wonder if the original version's hit status was solely down to the fact that it was sung by Frank Sinatra's daughter. Let's find out...
Even back in the 1940's, Nancy Sinatra was already semi-famous, due to her father's song "Nancy (With The Laughing Face)". It's hard to deny that her father was the most successful pop artist of that decade along with Bing Crosby. Nancy had actually begun studying music by the late 1950's and by the 1960's, she had released several unsuccessful singles. It was then that songwriter Lee Hazelwood composed a song for her to record as her next single. That song of course is the reason I'm writing this article today.
As usual for Los Angeles-based pop music, "These Boots" features The Wrecking Crew on instrumentation. The most notable musician is Chuck Berghofer on stand up double bass. That walking bass-line, in my opinion, is even more iconic than the lyrics. It's also one of my favorite musical hooks of all time when it comes to pop music. There is also that trumpet solo section at the end which fades out a bit too soon in my opinion. The whole combination of instruments acts as a killer backdrop to Nancy's vocal. Speaking of which -
I was prepared to do this review and really go into how Nancy probably wouldn't have had as much success with this song had she not been a Sinatra. However, since her previous singles were all flops and she is a pretty good singer, that theory is debunked. Nancy sings "These Boots" in a more mature and even slightly fierce tone. As a result, it makes the song stand out over other more gentle or sweetly sung tunes from the time period.
"These Boots", may have been lyrically about a younger girl warding off the unwanted advances of an older man, but in the 45+ years that it has been around, many have made their own interpretations From being used by soldiers in Vietnam, to being a feminist anthem, to being misinterpreted by Jessica Simpson in an ill advised cover version, clearly the song has been loved by many over the years.
Final Verdict - "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" combines universally relatable lyrics, with a great vocal performance, and an awesome bass part. I certainly agree that its #1 hit status was well-deserved.
Coming Up Next - "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" by Barry Sadler.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock, and my boots are meant for rockin' -
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