THE OLD ROCKER: Sinatras top pop charts with ‘Something Stupid’

It’s hard to believe that music history was made 50 years ago this weekend when the father-daughter team of Frank and Nancy Sinatra had the No. 1 song in the nation with “Something Stupid.”

This marked the only time that a father and daughter had a chart-topping song in this country.

C. Carson Parks, a Los Angeles folk singer, wrote “Something Stupid” in 1966 and the song was recorded that year by Parks and his wife, Gaile Foote, as Carson and Gaile. It failed to generate much interest.

The Sinatras recorded the song on Feb. 1, 1967, and it reached No. 1 for a four-week stay on April 15.

It became Frank’s second Gold single as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Nancy’s third. Frank Sinatra had a No. 1 hit with “Strangers in the Night” in July 1966 and Nancy with “These Boots are Made for Walking” in February 1966 and “Sugar Town” later that year.

“Something Stupid” was nominated for the Record of The Year at the 10th Grammy Awards, losing to the 5th Dimension’s “Up, Up And Away.”

Frank Sinatra played Parks’ recording for his daughter’s producer, Lee Hazlewood, who had gained fame for his collaborations with Hall of Fame guitarist Duane Eddy.

Hazlewood loved the song, presented it to Nancy, and it quickly was recorded.

Although the Sinatras recorded a few other duets, none of them charted.

While “Something Stupid” is the only father-daughter duet to reach the top of the charts in this country, there was a second song that accomplished the feat in the United Kingdom.

“Changes” by Ozzy Osbourne and his daughter, Kelly, rose to No. 1 in 2003. It did not chart in the U.S.

Neil Sedaka and his teen daughter, Dana, had a Top 20 hit in 1980 with “Should’ve Never Let You Go.” It topped out at No. 19. The song sold more than 500,000 copies, but it did not approach the success the Sinatras enjoyed with “Something Stupid.”

Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat King Cole, came up with a unique way to sing with her father, who died in 1965 of lung cancer when she was 15.

During the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, ”Unforgettable … with Love,” which sold more than 7 million copies and also won Cole seven Grammy Awards in 1992, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for the title song.

On the 1991 album, Cole did songs her famous father recorded and produced vocal arrangements for them. Cole’s label released an interactive duet between Cole and her father on the title song, “Unforgettable.” The song reached No. 14 and eventually went Gold.

Among the 22 songs on the album were “The Very Thought of You,” “Mona Lisa,” “That Sunday That Summer,” “Nature Boy” and “Non Dementicar.”

Top 5 songs on April 15, 1967:

“Something Stupid” by Frank and Nancy Sinatra

“Happy Together” by The Turtles

“This is My Song” by Petula Clark

“Bernadette” by The Four Tops

“A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You” by The Monkees

This week in rock history: Cannibal & The Headhunters entered the chart on April 17, 1965, with “Land Of 1000 Dances,” which climbed to No. 30. Wilson Pickett’s version of the same song reached No. 6 the following year. … Buddy Knox, whose “Party Doll” was a No. 1 hit, was called up for six months of active duty with the U.S. Army on April 18, 1957. … Laurie London, a 13-year-old Brit, had the best-selling song in the U.S. with an up-tempo version of the Gospel song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” on April 19, 1957. In 1966, he left the music business to run a hotel in England.

The Rolling Stones’ recorded “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” on April 20, 1968. It reached No. 3 in July. …”American Bandstand” host Dick Clark testified before a Congressional committee on April 21, 1960, investigating the payola scandal. He admitted he had a financial interest in 27 percent of the records he played on the show during a two-year period, but, amazingly, was cleared of all charges. …The Carpenters, siblings Karen and Richard, signed with A&M Records on April 22, 1969, where they had 20 Top 40 hits.

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].