"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. 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.Rob Finnis and Tony Rounce, Booklet with CD "You Heard It Here First", Ace Records CDCHD1204, 2008

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'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. 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.Blaine, Hal and David Goggin, Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew: The Story of the World's Most Recorded Musician, MixBooks, Emeryville, California, 1990 p.xx Hazlewood and Jimmy Bowen were listed as the producers of the single, with the arrangement by Billy Strange. 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.Whitburn, Joel (1996).The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications) In Norway the single qualified for silver disc. 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!". 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".

Personnel Vocalists Frank Sinatra – vocals Nancy Sinatra – vocalsAlbin, Steve. “Frank Sinatra Sessionography”. Jazz Discography. http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Sinatra/reprise.php

Leaders Claus Ogerman – conductor Billy Strange – arranger, conductor

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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1967)PeakpositionAustralia (Go-Set)1Austria 1Canada RPM Top Singles1Italy 20New Zealand (Listener)7Norway 1South Africa (Springbok)1UK 1US Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - 1US Billboard Easy Listening1US Cash Box Top 1001

Chart (2026)PeakpositionRussia Streaming (TopHit)99

Year-end charts Chart (1967)Rank Australia (AMR) 6Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)11Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)7Canada 20Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)26South Africa 8UK Singles 9US Billboard Hot 1007US Billboard Easy Listening1US Cash Box13

Certifications

Ali Campbell and Kibibi Campbell version

In 1995, Ali Campbell and his then 7-year-old 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.

Charts Chart (1995)PeakpositionUK Singles Chart30New Zealand Singles Chart13

Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman version

English singer Robbie Williams recorded a cover version of "Somethin' Stupid" as a duet with Australian actress Nicole Kidman. The song appeared on Williams's 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's 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's fourth top-10 single, earning a gold certification for over 35,000 copies sold.

Track listings UK and Australian CD single "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51 "Eternity" (orchestral version) – 5:32 "My Way" (live at the Albert Hall) – 7:00 "Somethin' Stupid" (video)

UK cassette single "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:51 "Eternity" (orchestral version) – 5:32 "My Way" (live at the Albert Hall) – 7:00

UK DVD single "Somethin' Stupid" (video) – 3:08 "Let's Face the Music and Dance" (audio) – 2:36 "That's Life" (audio) – 3:07

European CD single "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.

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 Chart (2001–2002)Peakposition Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)25Croatia (HRT)8Czech Republic (IFPI)2Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)1Europe (European Hit Radio)1Finland Airplay (Radiosoittolista)7Greece (IFPI) See Best column.4Italy (FIMI)1 Latvia (Latvijas Top 30)1Poland (PiF PaF)1Portugal (AFP)1Romania (Romanian Top 100)9Spain Airplay (Top 40 Radio)7UK Airplay (Music Week) 1

Year-end charts Chart (2001)PositionIreland (IRMA)50Latvia (Latvijas Top 50)54UK Singles (OCC)30

Chart (2002)Position Australia (ARIA)58Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)5Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)71Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)79Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)8Europe (European Hit Radio)24France (SNEP)93Germany (Media Control)20Ireland (IRMA)98Italy (FIMI)17Latvia (Latvijas Top 50)25Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)76Netherlands (Single Top 100)42Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)14Taiwan (Hito Radio)56UK Singles (OCC)147

Certifications

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United KingdomDecember 10, 2001ChrysalisAustraliaJanuary 28, 2002CD

Usage in popular culture 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.

"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. 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.

In the film Joy, in a flashback scene, Jennifer Lawrence's title character sings the duet with her soon-to-be husband played by Édgar Ramírez.

References

External links