VIA PRESS RELEASE | Acclaimed archival label Light in the Attic (LITA) continues their partnership with legendary singer, actress, activist, and icon Nancy Sinatra with a definitive reissue of her bestselling sophomore album How Does That Grab You?. Originally released in 1966, on the heels of her hit debut Boots, the LP offers an enticing blend of pop covers and Lee Hazlewood-penned originals, including Sinatra’s iconic rendition of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” the classic “How Does That Grab You, Darlin’?,” and her earliest duet with Hazlewood, “Sand.”
Pressed on orange cream-colored wax at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI) and presented in a beautiful, expanded gatefold jacket, the special limited vinyl edition of How Does That Grab You? will be available exclusively for Record Store Day (April 20th) at participating independent retailers. Additionally, the album will be available in CD and digital formats on April 19th. All formats feature audio freshly remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin, with the vinyl and CD editions being accompanied by a 20-page booklet (featuring a new Q&A with Nancy conducted by the reissue’s GRAMMY®-nominated co-producer Hunter Lea, and never-before-seen photos from Nancy’s personal archive). Plus, limited-edition How Does That Grab You? autographed test pressings and merch will be available exclusively at Nancy’s Bootique at NancySinatra.com beginning May 7th.
In celebration of the release, LITA is hosting a live streaming event on Nancy’s YouTube channel on Thursday, April 18th beginning at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET. The event will feature the album being played in its entirety (including a first listen of the previously unreleased track “If Things Don’t Start Picking Up”) and a chat with Nancy.
How Does That Grab You? marks the latest release in LITA’s ongoing Nancy Sinatra Archival Series, a partnership with the celebrated artist, which honors her musical legacy through lovingly curated reissues, including her 1966 debut Boots, 1968’s Nancy & Lee, and 1972’s Nancy & Lee Again (both with Lee Hazlewood), as well as the broadly-acclaimed 2021 career-spanning retrospective Start Walkin’ 1965-1976 and its 2023 companion Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos & Rarities 1965-1978. The series also includes a wealth of limited-edition merch and other special releases.
1966, writes reissue producer Hunter Lea, “was the beginning of Nancy-mania.” Indeed, after several years of struggling to find her place amid a changing musical landscape, Nancy (the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra) entered the charts at the top of the year with her first No.1 hit “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” Penned by the Oklahoma-born songsmith Lee Hazlewood, the tune became a bold anthem for female empowerment—launching Sinatra’s career, as well as one of music’s most unlikely, yet compelling, creative partnerships.
Just weeks after she topped the Billboard Hot 100, Sinatra returned to the studio to record her sophomore album. In an effort to recreate the magic of her bestselling debut, Boots (1966), Sinatra reunited with Hazlewood (who also served as producer), arranger Billy Strange, engineer Eddie Brackett, and an ensemble of hip session musicians from the legendary Los Angeles collective The Wrecking Crew.
The team also followed a similar recipe when it came to the tracklist, blending a new set of pop covers with Hazlewood-penned originals, including the swinging, country-flavored single “How Does That Grab You, Darlin’?,” “My Baby Cried All Night Long,” and the cinematic duet “Sand,” which found the songwriter joining Sinatra on vocals for the very first time. Their chemistry would soon spark a series of hit singles and classic duet albums, including 1968’s Nancy & Lee. Reflecting fondly on that first collaboration, Sinatra reveals, “The best duet of all is ‘Sand’ in my opinion; it always was, and it always will be. It painted a real picture. It told a whole story.”
Sinatra masterfully interpreted several hits of the day as well, including the Tony Hatch-penned “Call Me” (first recorded by Petula Clark in 1965) and “Let It Be Me” (originally performed in French by Gilbert Bécaud and popularized in English by The Everly Brothers). Another highlight includes the singer’s bluesy take on Buck Owens’ “Crying Time” (famously recorded by Ray Charles), which showcases her emotive vocals. “If I had to pick a favorite from the album, it would definitely be ‘Crying Time.’ [It] has always been one of my favorite songs, no matter what,” recalls Sinatra, adding, “I think Ray Charles’ record was the epitome.”
Sinatra’s most enduring cover on the album, however, is her haunting interpretation of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” Written by Sonny Bono for his then-wife Cher, the original recording was hovering at the top of the charts in the spring of 1966 and would soon become one of the star’s biggest solo hits. Sinatra and Hazlewood, however, took a dramatically different approach to the song—reimagining it in a stripped-down setting, with Strange’s reverb-soaked, tremolo guitar serving as the only accompaniment.
Today, Sinatra humbly asserts, “[Cher’s recording] is the epitome, the iconic version of the song. Nothing will ever top her version of ‘Bang, Bang.’ We just decided to make it more poignant and slow it down a little.” Yet, it was Sinatra’s languid rendition that would have a global resurgence 37 years later, thanks to its memorable use in the opening credits of Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster film Kill Bill: Volume 1. “That was a gift,” the singer shares. “Quentin gave me a gift. I was very grateful to him for that because people have told me they didn’t know who it was, and when they saw my name, they were surprised. It’s so nice to be in a position to be rediscovered.”
Arriving in May 1966, during a period of extraordinary productivity, How Does That Grab You? was Sinatra’s second of three albums released that year. Fueling the artist’s stratospheric rise, the LP was embraced by fans on both sides of the Atlantic—breaking the Billboard 200’s Top 50 and the UK’s Top 20. Single “How Does That Grab You, Darlin’?,” with its jaunty horns and twangy guitars, was the album’s biggest hit, spending eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at No.7. Elsewhere, it landed in the UK Top 20, Australia’s Top 5, and was a No.2 hit on Canada’s RPM charts. Today, the album remains a classic title in Sinatra’s impressive catalog and as Lea delightfully describes it, “A snapshot that captures the fun, creativity, and genius of an artist embracing her moment.”
In the years following How Does That Grab You?, Sinatra’s star continued to rise with a series of best-selling albums (including those with Hazlewood) and such hit singles as “Sugar Town” (1966), “Somethin’ Stupid” (1967 duet with her father) and the 1967 Bond film theme “You Only Live Twice.” After stepping back from the industry in the ’70s to focus on her young family, Sinatra returned to the spotlight in the mid-’90s, releasing a string of new albums, including the star-studded Nancy Sinatra, which paired the artist with some of her biggest fans, including Morrissey, U2, Calexico, and Sonic Youth.
Since then, Nancy’s legacy has only continued to grow. In more recent years, her impact has been recognized by the likes of Pitchfork, NPR, and Rolling Stone, while in 2020, “Boots” was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame. Today, Sinatra remains a force in the industry, as new generations discover her influential catalog, which boasts nearly 20 studio albums and dozens of charting singles.
