Ain't Nobody
"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. "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. 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 Linn LM-1 drum computer; however, John "JR" Robinson, the band's drummer, played real drums for the recording session. The band did 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. Wolinski threatened to give the song to American singer Michael Jackson and American 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.
The song was also included on the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Breakin'.
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, 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 G3 to E5 in the song.Charts
Weekly charts
Original version| Chart | Peak position |
Remix
| Chart | Peak position |
Year-end charts
Certifications
Other versions
Jaki Graham version
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. Graham's version reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart for five weeks as well as being in the Top 5 favourite videos for BET. The single also reached number 44 in the UK, number 11 in Iceland and number 17 in Australia.Critical reception
from Billboard called the song "smashing" and wrote that Graham "returns with a grand reading of a Rufus pop/soul nugget. 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."Music video
The music video for "Ain't Nobody" was directed by American film director and producer Antoine Fuqua.Track listing
Charts
Diana King version
In 1995, Jamaican singer-songwriter Diana King recorded a cover single of "Ain't Nobody". It was released as the third single from her debut album, Tougher Than Love. The song reached number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on Billboards Dance chart and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.Critical reception
from Billboard described the song as a "sexy hip-hop interpretation" by King and "irresistible". He also complimented King's "assured performance". Anne Slemmelid from Laagendalsposten said that King's version is "incredibly powerful" and "much better than the original." Music & Media commented that the follow-up to "Shy Guy" sees the Jamaican vocalist "lose some of her rough dancehall edges in favour of a smoother R&B sound." They also noted that the chorus is "pure, uplifting modern soul." Rune Slyngstad from Nordlandsposten called it a "very great version" in his review of the Tougher Than Love album.Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
LL Cool J remix
Rapper LL Cool J recorded an interpolation of the song for the soundtrack to the 1996 film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America. Released as the soundtrack's second single, the song peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on the Hot Rap Singles Chart and No. 27 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.Outside the United States, the song topped the charts in the United Kingdom, where the song was also a hit for Gwen Dickey and KWS and The Course.
The music video of this version, directed by Michael Martin, produced by Jonathan Heuer, and cinematography by Martin Coppen, was partially filmed at Mount Hood of Oregon. It also shows a pool party filled with guests, including Maia Campbell,Brian McKnight, Alfonso Ribeiro, Cedric the Entertainer, John Salley, and John Witherspoon.
Charts
Richard X vs Liberty X version
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, as well as the lead single from Liberty X's second studio album Being Somebody. The song is a pseudo-mashup, taking the lyrics of Chaka Khan's signature song "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. They also performed it twice on Top of the Pops, with other performances on The National Lottery Wright Ticket and .
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. It was deemed "instantly memorable" by RTÉ.ie reviewer Linda McGee, whilst Louis Pattison of NME believed it was "Truly, a record to get over-excited about." 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." 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!"Track listing
- "Being Nobody" – 3:37
- "Being Nobody" – 4:25
- "Being Nobody" – 3:38
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Scooter version
"It's a Biz " 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.Track listing
CD singleDownload
Danish promo CD single
Chart performance
Felix Jaehn version
In 2015, German music producer and DJ Felix Jaehn released a remix titled "Ain't Nobody " featuring vocals by British singer Jasmine Thompson. 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 as well as the top 10 in other European countries and Australia.Track listing
- "Ain't Nobody " – 3:01
- "I Do" – 3:02
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| Australia | 6 |
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| Australia | 86 |
| Austria | 9 |
| Belgium | 17 |
| Belgium | 23 |
| CIS | 8 |
| Germany | 3 |
| Hungary | 22 |
| Hungary | 8 |
| Hungary | 15 |
| Israel | 13 |
| Italy | 49 |
| Netherlands | 3 |
| Netherlands | 4 |
| Poland | 4 |
| Russia Airplay | 9 |
| Sweden | 22 |
| Switzerland | 12 |
| UK Singles | 62 |
| Ukraine Airplay | 35 |
| US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs | 33 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| Germany | 30 |