“Summer Wine” is a song written by Lee Hazlewood. Hazlewood originally performed it with Suzi Jane Hokom, but it was his 1967 version with Nancy Sinatra that would prove more successful. In 1969 Lee Hazlewood performed the song on Swedish television with Swedish singer Siw Malmkvist on the Together programme, which was also shown at Montreux festival.
Lyrics
Lyrically, “Summer Wine” describes a man, voiced by Hazlewood, who meets a woman, Hokom/Sinatra, who notices his silver spurs and invites him to have wine with her. After heavy drinking, the man awakens hungover to find his spurs and money have been stolen by the mysterious woman. He then declares a longing for more of her “wine”.
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood version
The Nancy & Lee version was originally released on Sinatra’s Nancy in London album in late 1966 and later as the B-side of her “Sugar Town” single in December 1966. The song itself became a hit, reaching No. 49 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in April 1967. It also reached No. 14 in Australia.[2] In early 1968, “Summer Wine” was included on Sinatra and Hazlewood’s album of duets, Nancy & Lee LP. It was the first of Sinatra and Hazlewood’s string of hit duets.
The original single was in mono, and the stereo LP versions had vocals only in the right channel. A new stereo remix with centered vocals debuted on the 1986 Nancy Sinatra compilation CD The Hit Years, and has appeared on several other releases since then. This version runs 4:14.
In May 2017, retail clothier H&M used Nancy & Lee’s version in their “The Summer Shop 2017” ad campaign[3] and as a result, the track debuted at No. 1 on Billboard magazine and Clio’s Top TV Commercials chart for May 2017.[4]
Charts
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 14 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 49 |
Notable covers
A cover version by Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon, recorded for the soundtrack of Das Wilde Leben, was the fourth highest-selling single of 2007 in Germany[8] and was certified Platinum by the BVMI.[9]
References
- ^ Stanley, Bob (September 13, 2013). “Beyond the Blue Horizon: Country and Western”. Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 398. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
- ^ “AMR Top Singles of 1967”. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ “H&M The Summer Shop 2017”. youtube.com. May 18, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ “Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood’s ‘Summer Wine’ Leads Top TV Commercials Chart for May”. billboard.com. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ “Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood – Summer Wine“. ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ “Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood – Summer Wine” (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ “Lee Hazlewood Chart History (Hot 100)“. Billboard.
- ^ “Offizielle Single Top 100 – Musik Charts | MTV Germany”. MTV Germany. Archived from the original on August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ “Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon; 'Summer Wine')” (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
