"Ain't Nobody" is a song by American funk band Rufus and American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on November 4, 1983, as one of four studio tracks included on their live album, Stompin' at the Savoy (1983). "Ain't Nobody" quickly gathered popularity, and reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[1] It has become one of Khan's signature songs.
1983 single by Rufus and Chaka Khan
For other uses, see Ain't Nobody (disambiguation).
Rufus keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski wrote the song around a repeating synthesizer loop backed by a Linn LM-1 drum computer; however, John "JR" Robinson, the band's drummer, played real drums for the recording session. The band held a democratic vote, and they decided to include the song in their album repertoire. Once the song was recorded, Warner executives wanted to issue another song as the album's first single.[citation needed] Wolinski threatened to give the song to singer Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones for Jackson's album Thriller if the song was not the lead-off single. The label relented and "Ain't Nobody" was issued and hit number one on the R&B chart for the week ending October 15, 1983.[2]
The song was included on the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Breakin'.[3] In 2021, "Ain't Nobody" was ranked number 403 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4] The song was adopted in the United Kingdom by fans of some of the country's football clubs, with the words: Ain't nobody loves (player), makes me happy, makes me feel this way.
Composition
The song is performed in the key of E♭ minor with a tempo of 104 beats per minute in common time. Khan's vocals span from G♭3 to E♭5 in the song.[5][6]
In 1994, British singer-songwriter Jaki Graham released her cover of "Ain't Nobody". It was released as the first and lead single from her fourth and last album, Real Life (1994). Graham's version reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for five weeks[19] as well as being in the Top 5 favourite videos for BET (Black Entertainment Charts). The single also reached number 44 in the UK, number 11 in Iceland[20] and number 17 in Australia.
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard called the song "smashing", and stated that Graham "returns with a grand reading of a Rufus pop/soulnugget. Track is the latest in an onslaught of competitive versions of the song by various divas. This one, however, is the real deal, thanks to Graham's considerable charm as well as a plethora of mixes that range from peppy NRG to muscular house. A sure-fire club hit, don't be surprised if crossover radio beckons."[21] English newspaper Reading Evening Post commented, "This is one of those covers that doesn't really improve on the original. But the Chaka Khan song is a soul classic and Jaki Graham gives it a good shot, even if her voice doesn't seem quite powerful enough for its bitter-sweet melodrama. A hard one not to sing along with."[22]
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Ain't Nobody" was directed by American film director and producer Antoine Fuqua.[23]
Track listings
CD single, US (1994)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Ain't Nobody" (Radio Edit)
4:06
2.
"Ain't Nobody" (Dave Way Radio Remix)
4:20
3.
"Ain't Nobody" (Love To Infinity Classic Paradise Mix)
In 1995, Jamaican singer-songwriter Diana King recorded a cover single of "Ain't Nobody", released as the third single from their debut album, Tougher Than Love (1995). It peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100, number four on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard complimented the song as a "sexy hip hop interpretation" and "irresistible", complimenting King's "assured performance".[34] M.R. Martinez from Cash Box described it as a "bumpin' cover".[35] James Masterton for Dotmusic said, "Now it is the turn of Diana King's soft reggaefied version to crash into the charts, give [King] another hit and prolong the life of a quite brilliant pop song."[36] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted that the follow-up to "Shy Guy" sees the Jamaican vocalist "lose some of [King's] rough dancehall edges in favour of a smoother R&B sound", adding that the chorus is "pure, uplifting modern soul."[37] A reviewer from Music Week rated it three out of five, writing, "A fairly standard cover of the Chaka Khan classic, with strong production. [King] might just convert some more fans."[38] Ralph Tee from the magazine's RM Dance Update stated, "'Shy Guy' turned out to be an international smash and this follow-up has similar crossover opportunities."[39]
Music video
A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American film, television, commercial and music video director Kevin Bray.[40] It was later published on King's official YouTube channel in October 2009. The video has amassed more than two million views as of May 2021.[41]
Track listings
CD single, UK (1995)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Aint Nobody" (Radio Version)
3:44
2.
"Aint Nobody" (Album Version)
5:23
3.
"Aint Nobody" (David's Extended Club Mega Mix)
4.
"Medley (Love Triangle / Tougher Than Love / Tumble Down)"
Rapper LL Cool J recorded an interpolation of the song for the soundtrack to the 1996 film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, based on the adult animated series Beavis and Butt-Head. Released as the soundtrack's second single, the song peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, number four on the Hot Rap Singles Chart and number 27 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Outside of the United States, the song topped the charts in the United Kingdom,[57] where the song was also a hit for Gwen Dickey and KWS (reaching number 21) and The Course (number eight).[citation needed]
Critical reception
Alan Jones from Music Week commented, "Spiking Warner Music's proposed release of Rufus & Chaka Khan's original version, LL Cool J's comeback with Ain't Nobody is more workmanlike than inspired, with all the lyrical dexterity we expect from him. Taken from the US box office hit movie Beavis & Butthead Do America, it includes an un-named femme who takes over to sing the chorus though this simply draws attention to what a good vocalist Chaka Khan is. A surefire hit, and quite a big one at that, though not one of LL's best."[58]
In 2003, English-Irish pop group Liberty X released a version of the song titled "Being Nobody", produced by Richard X, as the lead single from Richard X's debut studio album, Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 (2003), as well as the lead single from Liberty X's second studio album, Being Somebody (2003). The song is a pseudo-mashup, taking the lyrics of "Ain't Nobody" and placing them over an instrumental interpolation of the Human League's "Being Boiled". Additional elements from both songs were also used such as the recurring synth line from "Ain't Nobody" and the line "OK, ready? Let's do it." in the intro of the main mix are from the intro of "Being Boiled".
Liberty X first performed "Being Nobody" on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway on February 8, 2003.[76] They also performed it twice on Top of the Pops, with other performances on The National Lottery Wright Ticket and CD:UK before officially released on March 17, 2003. Shortly after that, the 2003 remastered version of the original 1983 hit "Ain't Nobody" was released in April of that year.
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. It was deemed "instantly memorable" by RTÉ.ie reviewer Linda McGee,[77] whilst Louis Pattison of NME believed it was "Truly, a record to get over-excited about."[78] Alexis Kirke of musicOMH said: "The marriage of the credible dance-bootleg production of Richard X with high profile pop-act Liberty X is not only a perfect career-expanding synergy for both, but also a powerful musical synergy in which the seventies meets the eighties during the noughties."[79] Writing for ukmix.org, Martin P gave the song five stars out of five and called it "It's pure pop perfection with a twist of R&B – one of the best Liberty X singles!"[80]
"It's a Biz (Ain't Nobody)" is a single by German hard dance band Scooter. It was released on March 23, 2012, as the fifth single from their fifteenth studio album, The Big Mash Up (2011).
In 2015, German music producer and DJ Felix Jaehn released a remix titled "Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better)" featuring vocals by British singer Jasmine Thompson.[100] It is the lead single for his eponymous 2016 debut EP, Felix Jaehn. The remix was based on a solo release of the song by Thompson in 2013, when Thompson was 13, which had peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the Felix Jaehn remix became a far bigger international chart success, peaking at number one or two in a number of European countries (including number two in the United Kingdom) as well as the top 10 in other European countries and Australia.[101]
"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201532 into search.
"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201531 into search.
"Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. September 21, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2018. Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
"Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. September 21, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2018. Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201532 into search.
"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201529 into search.
"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Type Felix Jaehntitle=Ain't Nobody in the box under the ARTISTA column heading.
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