Somethin' Stupid

"Somethin' Stupid"
Single by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra
from the album The World We Knew
Released	March 1967
Format	Vinyl record (7")
Genre	Pop
Length	2:37
Label	Reprise
Writer(s)	C. Carson Parks

"Somethin' Stupid" is a song written by C. Carson Parks and originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote, as "Carson and Gaile". It is best known in the hit version by Frank Sinatra and his daughter, Nancy Sinatra.

Original recording by Carson and Gaile

In the early 1960s, Carson Parks was a folk singer in Los Angeles. He was an occasional member of The Easy Riders, and also performed with The Steeltown Three, which included his younger brother Van Dyke Parks. In 1963 he formed the Greenwood County Singers, later known as The Greenwoods, who had two minor hits and included singer Gaile Foote. Before the Greenwoods disbanded, Parks and Foote married and, as Carson and Gaile, recorded an album for Kapp Records, San Antonio Rose, which included the track "Something Stupid". The recording was then brought to the attention of Frank Sinatra.^[1][2]

Frank and Nancy Sinatra

The most successful and best known version of the song was issued as a single by Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra and subsequently appeared on Frank's album The World We Knew. Frank had played Parks' recording to his daughter's producer, Lee Hazlewood, who recalled "He asked me, 'Do you like it?' and I said, 'I love it, and if you don't sing it with Nancy, I will.' He said, 'We're gonna do it, book a studio.'"^[1][2] Their rendition was recorded on February 1, 1967. Al Casey played guitar on the recording. Hazlewood and Jimmy Bowen were listed as the producers of the single, with arrangement by Billy Strange.

The single spent four weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine weeks atop the easy listening (now adult contemporary) chart, becoming Frank's second gold single as certified by the RIAA and Nancy's third.^[3] It was the first and only instance of a father-daughter number-one song in America. Nancy Sinatra has said she thinks it's "very sweet" that some people refer to it as the "Incest Song".^[4] The single also reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart the same year.

Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman version

"Somethin' Stupid"
Single by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
from the album Swing When You're Winning
Released	December 10, 2001
Format	CD single, cassette, DVD single
Recorded	2001
Genre	Soft rock, vocal jazz
Length	2:50
Label	Chrysalis
Writer(s)	C. Carson Parks
Robbie Williams chronology
"Better Man" (2001) "Somethin' Stupid" (2001) "Mr. Bojangles"/"I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen" (2002)

British singer Robbie Williams recorded "Somethin' Stupid" as a duet in 2001 with Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman. The song appeared on Williams' 2001 album, Swing When You're Winning, and it topped the UK Singles Chart at the end of the year. The song became Williams' first Christmas number-one single in the United Kingdom, and fifth as a featured artist. The single sold 98,506 copies in its first week and 366,000 copies over all earning a Silver Certification by the BPI. It was also listened when Esther sang to it on Esther Barbero Comes To Town the 2nd season finale The three musketeers.

The song was the 30th best selling single of 2001 in the UK. The song also became another number-one single for Williams in New Zealand, being certified Gold,^[5] and became, at the time, his best selling single in Europe charting inside the top ten in most countries. In Australia, it became Williams' fourth top ten single, earning a Gold certification for over 35,000 copies sold.^[6] These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Somethin' Stupid".

Track listing

UK CD single

1. "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51
2. "Eternity" (Orchestral version) – 5:32
3. "My Way" (Live at the Albert Hall) – 6:59
4. "Somethin' Stupid" (video) – 3:08

UK DVD single

1. "Somethin' Stupid" (video) – 3:06
2. "Let's Face the Music and Dance" (audio) – 2:35
3. "That's Life" (audio) – 3:07

Charts

Certifications

Other artists

• In the same year as the Sinatras' version topped the US charts, Tammy Wynette released her version (with David Houston) on her debut album, My Elusive Dreams.
• The Lennon Sisters recorded a version, featured on their album Somethin' Stupid. It was played during one of their spots on the Lawrence Welk Show.
• Andy Williams released a version in 1967 on his album, Love, Andy.
• In 1967, French singer Sacha Distel released a French language version called "Ces mots stupides" (meaning "These Stupid Words"). In the same year, Paul Mauriat recorded an instrumental version of the song, which appeared on Album No. 5.
• In 1967 too, Spanish vocal group Los Quando's released a Spanish language version called "Una tonteria" (meaning "A nonsense talk"). With Spanish lyrics by well known composer Augusto Alguero on record label Marfer, in an vinyl EP (Extended Play) with three more songs.
• The Motown recording duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell covered the song on their 1967 album, United.
• Ali Campbell (of the band UB40) and his daughter Kibibi Campbell recorded the song for his 1995 solo album Big Love; it was released as a single in the UK reaching number 30 in December.
• The Smithereens' compilation album, Attack of the Smithereens, features a cover of the song. Female vocals on the track are performed by Marti Jones.
• Other versions figured in the 2005 album by Albin de la Simone, sung in duet with Jeanne Cherhal; by Amanda Barrie and Johnny Briggs; by the jazz-alpine-folk band Global Kryner; and released by The Mavericks with Trisha Yearwood on their 1995 album Music for All Occasions; a Hebrew version, called "I Love You", was recorded by Matti Caspi and his daughter, and released in 2005, on his album You Are My Woman; the song was also performed as a B-side by the Australian band Frente off the single for "Accidentally Kelly Street".
• In 2006, the band DeVotchKa released the EP Curse Your Little Heart, which included a cover of "Somethin' Stupid".
• Welsh folk singer Mary Hopkin recorded a version on Y Caneuon Cynnar (The Early Recordings).
• Colombian duo, Ana & Jaime, recorded a version in Spanish called "Algo Estupido".
• The Trashcan Sinatras covered this song on their album On a B Road.
• The Secret Sisters, country duo from Alabama, covered the song and featured it on their debut album The Secret Sisters.
• In 2012, Heather Morris and Chord Overstreet (as Brittany Pierce and Sam Evans) covered the song in TV series Glee, season 4, episode 9 "Swan Song".^[15]
• Michael Bublé and Reese Witherspoon covered this song on his album To Be Loved.
• Andrea Bocelli and fiancée Veronica Berti covered this song in Italian as "Qualche stupido “ti amo”" in his concert at Portofino.
• Namibian singer Nianell and South African singer Dozi recorded a version on their album "It takes Two". ^[16]

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics