Frank Sinatra’s Daughter Had a Hit Song About Putting LSD in Sugar Cubes
Frank Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy Sinatra, had some hit songs. For example, she released a classic rock track about acid-laced sugar cubes. A country singer wrote the song. He explained why he wanted the meaning of the song to be “hidden a little bit.”
1 writer trashed the lyrics of a song by Frank Sinatra’s daughter
Nancy often collaborated with country singer and songwriter Lee Hazlewood. Hazlewood worked with her on tracks such as “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” “Somethin’ Stupid,” “Some Velvet Morning,” “Summer Wine,” and “Sugar Town.” During a 1999 interview with Index Magazine, Hazlewood discussed the reception of “Sugar Town.”
“I write myself into a corner going for a kind of imperfect perfectness — if there could be such a thing,” Hazlewood revealed. “[Gossip columnist] Walter Winchell wrote that ‘Sugar Town’ had ‘the worst lyrics ever written in a top 10 song.’ Hey, I spent a lotta time writing a bad lyric like that! The words are as stupid as I could get ’em.”
Lee Hazlewood explained why the meaning of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Sugar Town’ was supposed to be subtle
Hazlewood explained the meaning of “Sugar Town.” “In those days they were taking sugar cubes and putting acid on ’em,” he recalled. “And of course that would be ‘Sugar Town,’ wouldn’t it?”
Hazlewood explained why he made the meaning of “Sugar Town” subtle. “You had to make the lyric dingy enough where the kids knew what you were talking about — and they did,” he revealed. “Double entendre. But not much more if you wanted to get it played on the radio. We used to have lotsa of trouble with lyrics, but I think it’s fun to keep it hidden a little bit.” Hazlewood compared the song to the early music of The Beatles.
The way listeners in the United States and the United Kingdom reacted to Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Sugar Town’
“Sugar Town” became a hit. According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, the song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably, the song was right below Frank’s song “That’s Life.”
“Sugar Town” became similarly successful in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, the song reached No. 8 in the U.K., staying on the chart for 10 weeks. “Sugar Town” appeared on the compilation album The Essential Nancy Sinatra. The Essential Nancy Sinatra reached No. 73 on the chart for one week.
“Sugar Town” had an impact on popular culture outside of its time on the charts. Zooey Deschanel covered the track for the romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer. The track also appeared in an episode of Better Call Saul and the crime drama The Kid Detective.
“Sugar Town” is a classic song even if its lyrics went over some listeners’ heads.
