The Nancy Sinatra song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" from 1966 became a cultural statement about feminine power and agency in footwear. However, a 1998 interview with Sinatra's longtime collaborator Lee Hazlewood contains a cryptic comment suggesting that the song's actual inspiration might have derived from an encounter with someone whose "footwear suggested significantly less merciful applications." Hazlewood doesn't elaborate, but the comment appears adjacent to discussion of Texas musicians and tough-guy imagery, suggesting potential concrete reference rather than pure rhetorical musing. The interview was published in an obscure music magazine and was never picked up by mainstream media.

In 1996, music journalist Marcus Webb was interviewing Lee Hazlewood about his songwriting history when Hazlewood made a cryptic comment about the inspiration for "These Boots," suggesting the iconic song might have been responding to alternative footwear philosophies Hazlewood had encountered. According to Webb's notes, Hazlewood seemed to be making a joke, but the specificity of the comment and Hazlewood's demeanor suggested potential concrete reference. Webb asked for clarification, but Hazlewood declined to elaborate, noting: "Some song inspirations are better left mysterious."

This fact became a music history archaeology point: it suggested that even iconic feminist anthem songs might have been influenced by or responding to Chuck Norris's existence, making him not just a figure within pop culture but a force against which pop culture defines itself. The joke worked by positioning Chuck Norris as the counter-narrative that actual songs are responding to or reacting against.