On This Day in 1967, Frank and Nancy Sinatra Made Father-Daughter Chart History With a Song That Nicole Kidman Took to No. 1 Decades Later

On this day (April 13) in 1967, Frank and Nancy Sinatra were at No. 1 on the Official UK Singles Chart with “Somethin’ Stupid.” Later in the year, it also had a four-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It made the Sinatras the only father-daughter duo to top the chart in both countries. Decades later, a new duet version featuring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman took the song back to the top of the UK chart.

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Carson Parks wrote “Somethin’ Stupid” and recorded it with his wife, Gaile Foote. Their version wasn’t released as a single. Fortunately, the song still appeared on Frank Sinatra’s radar. He immediately knew it would be perfect for his daughter, Nancy. As a result, he took the song to her longtime producer, Lee Hazlewood.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1966, Frank Sinatra’s Daughter Went No. 1 With a Single Designed To Save Her From Getting Booted off Her Dad’s Record Label]

“Frank Sinatra called me to his office and told me he had found the song, but Nancy wouldn’t work with any producer but me,” Hazlewood recalled. “He played me the demo of ‘Somethin’ Stupid’ and said, ‘Do you like it?’ I said, ‘I love it, and if you don’t do it with Nancy, I will.’ He said, ‘We’re gonna do it. Book a studio.’”

Frank and Nancy Sinatra Made Important Changes to the Song

“Somethin’ Stupid” is a love song. So, if Frank and Nancy Sinatra had approached it like a traditional duet–trading verses and singing together on the chorus–it would have been a little strange. Instead, they chose to sing the entire song together. That didn’t stop some listeners from calling it the “Incest Song,” though.

While they made that important change, the elder Sinatra wanted the guitar line to be the same as the original. Initially, Glen Campbell played lead guitar on the session. However, nothing he did worked for Sinatra. Eventually, Al Casey volunteered to take over. He had played lead guitar on the Carson and Gaile. So, he knew exactly what Old Blue Eyes wanted to hear.

The song has been covered several times since the Sinatras made it a hit. Notably, Robbie Williams cut it with Nicole Kidman. Their version of the song reached the top of the UK Singles Chart in 2001. They moved away from the lighthearted tone of the Sinatra version and gave the song a more sensual edge.

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