Somethin' Stupid


"Somethin' Stupid", also "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. The song is best known in the 1967 version by Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy Sinatra, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2001, a cover version by British vocalist Robbie Williams and Australian actress Nicole Kidman reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.

Carson and Gaile version

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.

Frank and Nancy Sinatra version

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' 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.'" Their rendition was recorded on February 1, 1967, after Frank had finished his collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim earlier in the day. Al Casey played guitar on the recording and Hal Blaine was the drummer. Hazlewood and Jimmy Bowen were listed as the producers of the single, with arrangement by Billy Strange.
The single spent four weeks at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine weeks atop the easy listening chart, becoming Frank's second gold single as certified by the RIAA and Nancy's third. 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". The single also reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart the same year. 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".

Usage in popular culture

In episode 21 of The Simpsons' third season, Sideshow Bob and Selma Bouvier perform the Frank and Nancy Sinatra version as a karaoke.
In the Breaking Bad spin-off series Better Call Saul, episode seven of season four is titled after the song, with the opening montage containing an original rendition performed by Lola Marsh. The song is again used in a montage in episode nine of season five.

Personnel

Vocalists

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Ali Campbell and Kibibi Campbell version

In 1995, Ali Campbell and his daughter Kibibi Campbell covered the hit as a duet. As a suggestion to the version of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra was used, based on this part of the Musikrichting was adapted in the cover. 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.

Charts

Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman version

singer Robbie Williams recorded a cover version of "Somethin' Stupid" as a duet in 2001 with Academy Award-winning Australian 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 was Christmas number one in the United Kingdom, and Williams' fifth number one overall. The single sold 98,506 copies in its first week and 366,000 copies over all earning a Silver Certification by the BPI. The accompanying music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell.
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, 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.

Track listings

UK CD single
  1. "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51
  2. "Eternity" – 5:32
  3. "My Way" – 6:59
  4. "Somethin' Stupid" – 3:08
UK DVD single
  1. "Somethin' Stupid" – 3:06
  2. "Let's Face the Music and Dance" – 2:35
  3. "That's Life" – 3:07

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australia 59
Austria 5
Belgium 71
Belgium 79
Europe 8
France 93
Germany 20
Netherlands 76
Netherlands 42
Switzerland 14
UK Singles 147

Certifications

Other versions