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"Somethin' Stupid", or "Something Stupid", is a song written by C. Carson Parks. It was originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote, as Carson and Gaile. A 1967 version by Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy Sinatra became a major international hit, reaching number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart.[2] In 2001, a cover version by British vocalist Robbie Williams and Australian actress Nicole Kidman reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.
| "Somethin' Stupid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single A-side label | ||||
| Single by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra | ||||
| from the album The World We Knew | ||||
| B-side | "I Will Wait for You" | |||
| Released | March 1967 | |||
| Recorded | February 1, 1967 | |||
| Studio | United Western Recorders (Hollywood, Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:37 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | C. Carson Parks[2] | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Frank Sinatra singles chronology | ||||
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| Nancy Sinatra singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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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 in 1966 for Kapp Records, San Antonio Rose, which included the song "Something Stupid". The recording was then brought to the attention of Frank Sinatra.[3][4]
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Frank (left) and Nancy Sinatra
The most successful and best-known version of "Somethin' Stupid" was issued in 1967 as a single by Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra and subsequently appeared on Frank's album The World We Knew. Frank had played Parks's 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.'"[3][4] Their rendition was recorded on February 1, 1967, after Frank had finished his collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim earlier in the day.[5] Al Casey played guitar on the recording and Hal Blaine was the drummer.[6] Hazlewood and Jimmy Bowen were listed as the producers of the single, with the arrangement by Billy Strange.[2] As performers, Nancy's full name was listed on the label first, with the billing "Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra."
The single spent four weeks at number 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.[7] In Norway the single qualified for silver disc.[8] It was the first and only instance of a father-daughter number-one song in America. Nancy Sinatra was quoted as sarcastically saying, "Some people call (Something Stupid) the Incest Song, which I think is, well, very sweet!" .[9] The single also reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart the same year.[2] It was also nominated for the Record Of The Year at the 10th Grammy Awards, losing to the 5th Dimension's upbeat hit song "Up, Up And Away".[10]
Personnel
Vocalists
- Frank Sinatra – vocals
- Nancy Sinatra – vocals[11][12]
Leaders
- Claus Ogerman – conductor[11]
- Billy Strange – arranger,[11][12] conductor[12]
Instrumentalists
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Glen Campbell – guitar
- Alvin Casey – guitar
- Roy Caton – trumpet
- Victor Feldman – percussion
- Carol Kaye – electric bass
- Bill Miller – piano
- Oliver Mitchell – trumpet
- Donald Owens – piano
- Ralph Peña – string bass
- Orchestra includes 10 violins[12]
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
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| "Somethin' Stupid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ali Campbell and Kibibi Campbell | ||||
| from the album Big Love | ||||
| Released | December 1, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Pop, jazz | |||
| Length | 4:37 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | C. Carson Parks | |||
| Producer(s) | Stoker | |||
| Ali Campbell and Kibibi Campbell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1995, Ali Campbell and his then 7-year-old [28] daughter Kibibi Campbell covered the hit as a duet. After its release on the studio album Big Love, it can also be found on the compilation Silhouette.
Music video
The music video was shot in New York City. Ali Campbell and his daughter spend an afternoon in the city. They relax on the bench in the park, also walk through the city center, look through a sightseeing telescope, watch jugglers and fire breathers in a circus, figure skaters and stroll.[29]
Charts
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| "Somethin' Stupid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman | ||||
| from the album Swing When You're Winning | ||||
| Released | December 10, 2001 | |||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Songwriter(s) | C. Carson Parks | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Robbie Williams singles chronology | ||||
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| Nicole Kidman singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Somethin' Stupid" on YouTube | ||||
English singer Robbie Williams recorded a cover version of "Somethin' Stupid" as a duet with Australian actress Nicole Kidman. The song appeared on Williams' 2001 album, Swing When You're Winning, and was released as the album's lead single on December 10, 2001, topping the UK Singles Chart at the end of the year. The song was Christmas number one in the United Kingdom, and Williams' fifth number one overall. The single sold 400,000 copies to earn a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry. The accompanying music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell.
The song was the 30th-best-selling single of 2001 in the UK. It also gave Williams another number-one hit in New Zealand, earning a gold certification, and charted inside the top 10 in several European countries. In Australia, it became Williams' fourth top-10 single, earning a gold certification for over 35,000 copies sold.
Track listings
UK and Australian CD single[32][33]
- "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51
- "Eternity" (orchestral version) – 5:32
- "My Way" (live at the Albert Hall) – 7:00
- "Somethin' Stupid" (video)
UK cassette single[34]
- "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51
- "Eternity" (orchestral version) – 5:32
- "My Way" (live at the Albert Hall) – 7:00
UK DVD single[35]
- "Somethin' Stupid" (video) – 3:08
- "Let's Face the Music and Dance" (audio) – 2:36
- "That's Life" (audio) – 3:07
European CD single[36]
- "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51
- "My Way" (live at the Albert Hall) – 7:00
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the Swing When You're Winning album booklet.[37]
Studios
- Recorded at various studios
- Mixed at Capitol Recording Studios (Los Angeles) and Air Lyndhurst Studios (London, England)
- Mastered at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles) and Metropolis Mastering (London, England)
Personnel
- C. Carson Parks – writing
- Robbie Williams – vocals
- Nicole Kidman – vocals
- Mitch Dalton – guitars
- Dave Catlin-Birch – bass
- Ralph Salmins – drums
- Frank Ricotti – percussion
- Steve Sidwell – trumpet, arrangement, conducting
- Simon Gardner – trumpet
- Paul Spong – trumpet
- The London Session Orchestra – orchestra
- Gavyn Wright – concertmaster
- Guy Chambers – production
- Steve Power – production
- Al Schmitt – vocal recording
- Charlie Paakkari – assistant engineering
- Steve Genewick – assistant engineering
- Steve Price – assistant engineering
- Rupert Coulson – assistant mix engineering
- Ricky Graham – assistant mix engineering
- Mike Ross-Trevor – orchestral engineering
- Richard Flack – Pro Tools
- Doug Sax – mastering (The Mastering Lab)
- Tony Cousins – mastering (Metropolis)
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[79] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[80] | Gold | 20,000* |
| Belgium (BEA)[81] | Gold | 25,000* |
| France (SNEP)[82] | Gold | 250,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[83] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[84] | Gold | 5,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[85] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[86] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[87] | Gold | 505,000[88] |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
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In episode 21 of the third season of The Simpsons, Sideshow Bob and Selma Bouvier (voiced by Kelsey Grammer and Julie Kavner, respectively) perform the Frank and Nancy Sinatra version as a karaoke.[91]
"Something Stupid", the seventh episode of the fourth season of Better Call Saul, is named after the song, and opens with a split screen montage showing the separate but connected lives of Kim on the left and Jimmy on the right, scored by an original rendition performed by Lola Marsh, which correspondingly has a female voice panned to the left and a male to the right.[92] A hummed, lyricless rendition is later also used in the opening of season five, episode nine, "Bad Choice Road", over another split screen montage, this time of Jimmy and Mike walking stranded through the desert on one side, and Kim fretting at home on the other — only to be abruptly cut off when Jimmy regains cellular signal.[93]
In the movie Joy, in a flashback scene, Jennifer Lawrence's title character sings the duet with her soon-to-be husband played by Édgar Ramírez. [94]
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