Vikings & Beekeepers

I’m probably not the best person to attempt to eulogize Lee Hazlewood. I’m not well versed in the minute details of his life and career, and I don’t have much more than a cursory knowledge of his music. My wife really enjoys his stuff and we are currently scouring record shops for his album Friday’s Child, but I’m a relative Hazlewood novice. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy immensely what I’ve heard from him. His work with Nancy Sinatra, in particular, is wonderful. Hazlewood’s haunting, reverb soaked vocals provided the perfect foil for Sinatra’s Go-Go ’67, “boots are made for walking,” white lipstick and miniskirts shtick. The little I have heard of Hazlewood’s work I’ve enjoyed. I want to share that with you. These are the songs that have peaked my interest in further pursuing Hazlewood’s work. Perhaps they will initiate some of you to hop on the Lee Train. If not, let these songs serve as a reminder of one man’s talent and artistry. Here’s to Lee.“Some Velvet Morning” This famous duet between Hazlewood and Sinatra is perhaps the most obvious choice and I’ll bet that it’s the song most referenced by any other site paying tribute to Hazlewood, but there’s a reason for that. “Some Velvet Morning” is the finest example of the contrast between the song’s two singers. Hazlewood: the dangerous, masculine, tortured and vaguely paternal ying. Sinatra: the naive, innocent, impressionable and dreamlike yang. It’s the pinnacle of the magic these two made together. There’s something dangerous and creepy about the relationship between the pair. Hazlewood sounds older, and not entirely trustworthy. On “Velvet,” he’s a bad bad man, with a bad bad past; Sinatra’s an innocent.Or is she? Hazlewood sings of a “Phaedra” that gives him life. Sinatra personifies this Phaedra. Is Phaedra a girl that Hazlewood knows? Is it a literal reference to the Greek mythical character? Is Phaedra a reference to some kind of drug? All we know is that Phaedra (Sinatra) is an enticing siren that causes Hazlewood a great deal of turmoil. Sinatra’s verses are both lyrically and musically lighthearted, where Hazlewood’s part feels hazy, troubled. It’s a jolting effect, jumping between Sinatra and Hazlewood, but the volley between the song’s two themes is a treat to hear!“Jackson” I’m not going to make any claims about the superiority or inferiority of this version compared to Johnny and June Carter Cash’s stunning original, but it is interesting to contrast the two. They’re definitely both quite excellent. The Hazlewood/Sinatra version trades in the bluegrass guitar and banjo finger plucking for a twangy slide guitar and just a little mouth harp. It makes sense that Sinatra and Hazlewood would choose this song to cover because Hazlewood and Cash both share a kind of sly and mighty baritone that compliments itself perfectly with both the country sound and the female counter melody.Sinatra lacks the sassy southern roar that makes June Carter such an indelible figure still today, but Sinatra ain’t no lightweight neither. Her and Hazlewood have the kind of dynamic that other male and female duos could only dream of. Their voices were made for each other. Hazlewood and June Carter Cash probably wouldn’t have mixed that well, Hazlewood’s voice evokes country music royalty, but less so than Johnny’s. Hazlewood has a different make up – one foot in country, the other in haunting, reverb-soaked arrangements. On “Jackson,” Hazlewood effectively marries the two.“Lady Bird” The sound of Lee Hazlewood entering the scene on horseback, wind blowing through his jet black hair, dust swirling around him, gritting his teeth, grabbing his girl and pulling her up on the saddle, and finally, with the great cinematic grandiosity that this song’s orchestration suggests, riding off into the sunset. The bouncy mid-range horns, the whistling strings and the gentle gallop of the rhythm section are tailor-made for Hazlewood’s anti-hero, so-bad-he-might-just-be-good persona.Of course Sinatra is his lady bird. She knows Lee’s the hero of the story, even though he sounds like the seductive villain. The flirtatious final verse is where the song hits perfection. Nancy growls in response to Hazlewood’s come-ons because she knows he’s in charge, and that even if he’s promising a safe future, she knows there’s danger in store. And she likes it. And we should too. Lee’s in charge, after all. We follow the lead because he’s the only one who knows the way.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 9th, 2007 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.