Ain't Nobody
| "Ain't Nobody" | |
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| Single by Rufus & Chaka Khan | |
| from the album Stompin' at the Savoy | |
| Released | November 4, 1983 |
| Recorded | 1982-1983 |
| Genre | Pop/Soul/R&B |
| Length | 4:41 |
| Label | Warner Bros |
| Writer(s) | Hawk Wolinski |
"Ain't Nobody" is a 1983 hit single by Rufus & Chaka Khan. It was released as a studio bonus track on the band's live album Stompin' at the Savoy. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[1] It has become one of Khan's signature songs.
Rufus keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski wrote the song around a repeating synthesizer loop backed by a LinnDrum drum machine. Legendary producer Quincy Jones (who had previously worked with Rufus) wanted Wolinski to give "Ain't Nobody" to Michael Jackson for the album that would become the blockbuster, Thriller, but Wolinski had already promised it to producer Russ Titelman, who ultimately had the band record it as a vocal showcase for Khan.[citation needed]
The song was also included in the soundtrack of the movie Breakin'.[2]
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[edit] Other cover versions and remixes
| "Ain't Nobody" | ||||||||||
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| Single by LL Cool J | ||||||||||
| from the album Beavis and Butt-Head Do America Soundtrack | ||||||||||
| B-side | "Come to Butt-Head" | |||||||||
| Released | November 26, 1996 | |||||||||
| Format | CD single, Cassette single | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||||||||
| Genre | R&B/Hip hop | |||||||||
| Length | 4:37 | |||||||||
| Label | Geffen, Universal | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | James Todd Smith, Hawk Wolinski | |||||||||
| Producer | Rashad Smith, LL Cool J | |||||||||
| LL Cool J singles chronology | ||||||||||
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[edit] Chart versions
In 1995, Diana King recorded the song for her album Tougher Than Love. It was released as a single, reaching #95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the UK charts.
The most successful cover of "Ain't Nobody" was by rapper LL Cool J, who recorded an interpolation of the song for the soundtrack to the 1996 film Beavis and Butthead Do America. Released as the soundtrack's second single, this version reached #1 on the UK charts. In the US, the song peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Hot Rap Singles Chart and #27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.
The song was also a hit in the UK for Gwen Dickey and KWS (reaching #21), Jaki Graham (#44), and The Course (#8).
[edit] Other versions
- House music pioneer Frankie Knuckles remixed the record for Life Is a Dance – The Remix Project (the first-ever double album of outside remixes of a single artist's catalogue) in 1988.
- A cover version of the song by Kelly Price was featured in the soundtrack of the 2003 film Bringing Down the House.
- Keyboardist Jeff Lorber had a major Smooth Jazz radio hit with his instrumental version of "Ain't Nobody" in 2005.
- A lyrical cover by Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield appeared on the B-side for the latter's fourth European single, "I Bruise Easily".
- Irish band The Walls recorded a cover version of the song for the Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 1 charity album.
- George Michael performed "Ain't Nobody" during his performance in the Rock in Rio concert, as well as several shows during his 1991 Cover to Cover tour.
- In 2003, the British pop-group Liberty X samples Ain't Nobody for their song Being Nobody.
- KT Tunstall recorded a version of the track as the B-side for the single "Saving My Face".
- 2 Skinnee J's recorded a version titled "The Best" on their album SuperMercado!.
- In 2009, Angie Stone performed the song at the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards.
- Danish band Alphabeat covered the song as a bonus track for the 2010 international release of their second album, The Beat Is...
- British singer Delilah interpolated lyrics and melodies from the song in her 2011 single Go.
- A cover version of the song by Mary J. Blige is featured on her 10th studio album My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)
- A hip-hop version performed by Brandon T. Jackson and Jessica Lucas is featured in the film Big Mommas.
- German band Knorkator recorded a cover version on their 2011 Album Es werde Nicht.
- Dutch Harddance producer The pitcher made a remix of the song in 2011. The Pitcher - Ain't Nobody.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 505.
- ^ Breakin'
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