1966 No. 1 Hit and Feminist Anthem Was Originally Written for a Man
Nancy Sinatra's signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" not only became her first chart-topper in 1966, it also became a feminist anthem of sorts. Perhaps surprisingly, the song's writer, country-pop star Lee Hazlewood originally envisioned a man singing the song.
That all changed during a fateful meeting attended by Frank Sinatra at the home of Nancy Barbato Sinatra, his first wife and the mother of the future pop star who shared her name. It was only appropriate that Frank was at the meeting, since the song was inspired by a line he uttered in the 1963 western-comedy 4 for Texas. "They tell me them boots ain't built for walkin'," Frank's character said in the movie.
Yet, Hazlewood who was already a successful songwriter having produced and co-written a number of instrumental hits with Duane Eddy, including "Rebel Rouser," turned the phrase around to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for his future hit. Still, it took Nancy and her famous father to convince him it should be sung by a woman.
In a recent post on X, Nancy Sinatra detailed the history of the song, first crediting legendary producer Jimmy Bowen for putting her together with "Barton Lee Hazlewood," his full name.
"The first time I met Lee was when he came to my mother's house to audition songs. Sitting in the bar, listening to him play, one song in particular grabbed my attention, a song about boots. I knew instantly it was meant for me and told him that, but he disagreed. He said he had written the song for a man to sing. He had been playing it in clubs around Los Angeles, and he was planning to record it himself. I argued my case, but he refused to budge."
As Nancy Sinatra recounts, it took her and the man who inspired the song to change Hazlewood's mind.
Jimmy Bowen's big contribution to my life was putting me together with Barton Lee Hazlewood.
— Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) April 29, 2026
The first time I met Lee was when he came to my mother's house to audition songs. Sitting in the bar, listening to him play, one song in particular grabbed my attention, a song about… pic.twitter.com/SkOlIapooj
"After Lee left, I went into the living room where my dad was reading the newspaper. Without even looking up, he said, ‘You're right. It's the one about the boots.' That sealed it for me. Looking back, I doubt Dad's being there was a coincidence. I think he was actually there spying. He was always protective, and I suspect he and Jimmy planned it so he would be there to hear what was going on. Lee eventually gave in. He wrote a third verse, which was the second verse, and I recorded ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.' Lee originally ended the song with, ‘You put on your boots, and I'll put on mine, and we'll go walking, honey, any old time,' but I ad-libbed the now-iconic line, ‘Are you ready, boots? Start Walkin'!' It turns out, I was right about the song. ‘Boots' became my first number one and, arguably, one of the defining anthems of female empowerment. Forgive me if I sound a little immodest."
Nancy & Lee
"These Boots Are Walkin'" wasn't only a smash hit, it was the beginning of a string of successful collaborations between Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra that included such classics as "Sugar Town," "Some Velvet Morning," "How Does That Grab Ya, Darlin'", "Friday's Child", and "So Long, Babe." Frank even got into the act with "Somethin' Stupid," his duet with his pop star daughter, produced by Hazlewood, which became the first and still only single by a father and daughter to top Billboard's Hot 100. It also garnered a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year, but lost to the Fifth Dimension's "Up, Up and Away."
'Boots' Lives On
Still, the song took on new life in 2001, when a cover version by British singer Robbie Williams and actress Nicole Kidman topped the UK Singles Chart.
"These Boots Are Make for Walkin'" also received the cover treatment not once but three notable times, with two of them returning the song to Hazlewood's originally envision male vocalist.
First, metal kings Megadeth recorded their version of the song for their 1985 debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!. It was retitled simply "These Boots" and featured new lyrics that offended Hazlewood, who nearly 10 years after it was released, demanded the band take the song off the album. The band compromised by including it only as a bonus track with the offending lyrics censored on the 2002 reissue of the album. Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine took issue with Hazlewood in the reissue's liner notes, noting that Hazlewood had received royalties for Megadeth's version of his song for years before he complained about it.
In 1992, Billy Ray Cyrus released his version of the song on his chart-topping debut album, Some Gave All.
Jessica Simpson tried on "Boots" on a version recorded for the soundtrack of the 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard. Her recording of the song--co-produced by hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with her own lyrics added--later turned up on the international version of her fifth album, A Public Affair in 2006.
For more on "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," check out Hunter Lea's short film The Making of Boots, now streaming on YouTube.
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 12:00 PM.