Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDXCIII--Nancy Sinatra: Sugar Town

Though this week's tune originally was released when I was seven, I'd never heard (or don't remember hearing) the song until I saw the film The Kid Detective, which my oldest son had recommended to me (and which I in turn would recommend as well--it's a nice indie movie).  It's played at the beginning of the film (and at the end, as well), and I had literally heard the first line and knew it was love at first listen....

Nancy Sinatra had a bit of a leg up considering her somewhat talented father (tongue planted firmly in cheek), but in the end if you're going to have a lengthy career (which Ms. Sinatra most certainly did) you've got to have some talent.  After dropping out of UCLA in the late fifties, Sinatra made her first appearance singing a duet with her father on a TV special and would have a modicum of success overseas until the mid-sixties.  At that time her father asked singer, songwriter, and producer Lee Hazlewood to help her with her career, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Through the end of the sixties, she would have ten singles reach the top forty, be nominated for two Grammy Awards, and act in eight movies.  While her career slowed after that, she did continue to record and tour, with her last studio album being released in 2013.  For her career, Sinatra released fourteen studio albums (with one peaking at #5). five collaboration albums, and seventy-three singles (two of which hit #1).  She is still actively involved in the remastering of her earlier albums.  For a wonderful closing note, Sinatra is an avid advocate for women's issues and climate change and has made no secret of her (and her father's) dislike for Donald Trump.

Fun Fact:  Sinatra is the first artist featured on Friday Night Jukebox that I follow on Twitter.  Woo-hoo!

"Sugar Town" was released in 1966 from her rather sweetly entitled album, Sugar.  The single would peak at #5 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album reached #18 (which some attribute to its provocative cover).

I'm not sure that a pop song can get any better than this for me:  female vocalist, velvety smooth vocals, catchy as all hell melody, some solo trumpet to die for, and, in the end, it just oozes fun.  While the song is a reference to sugar cubes laced with LSD (which I did not know until I did my half-assed research), it could just as soon be an ode to being on top of the world, thinking life is the bee's knees, or to just feelin' groovy.  I can't think of too many songs I've been introduced to in the last few years that I've enjoyed more than this one.  A stellar, glorious, heart caressing addition to the pantheon of pop singles.  Just beautiful.

Lyric Sheet:  "If I had a million dollars or ten/I'd give it you, world, and then/You would go away and let me spend/My life in shoo-shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo, Sugar Town..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee