"Summer Wine" is a song written by Lee Hazlewood. It was originally sung by Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood in 1966, but it was made famous by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood in 1967. This version was originally released as the B-side of "Sugar Town" the previous year, before featuring on the Nancy & Lee LP in 1968. It was the first of Sinatra and Hazlewood's string of popular duets.
Lyrically, "Summer Wine" describes a man, voiced by Hazlewood, who meets a woman, 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; the subtext of which being they experienced intercourse and as repayment she misappropriated them (them being his "silver spurs a dollar and a dime").
The song was later covered by Demis Roussos, Bono of U2 with The Corrs, Ultima Thule, Gry with FM Einheit and his Orchestra, Anna Hanski & Lee Hazlewood, Scooter (on the 2000 album Sheffield), and by Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon for the soundtrack of Das Wilde Leben. The version by Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon was the 4th best-selling single of 2007 in Germany[1] and was certified Platinum by the BVMI.[2]
"Summer Wine" was also covered by Ed Kuepper and Clare Bowditch on the cult Australian music game show Rockwiz.[3]
A Dutch cover called Toverdrank (English: Potion) (on the album Een man zoals ik (English: A man like me)) was performed by Guido Belcanto and An Pierlé in 2011.[4]