Nothin' on You

"Nothin' on You" is the debut single of both American rapper B.o.B and featured American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from the former's debut studio album, '' B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray'' (2010). It was first released on December 15, 2009, via digital download by Atlantic Records. The track was written by B.o.B, Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine, with the latter three producing it as the Smeezingtons. "Nothin' on You" was initially written for Lupe Fiasco, but Atlantic Records' chairman, Craig Kallman, gave it to B.o.B after being displeased with Fiasco's version. The song took several months to finish and was born from a hummed melody by Mars and Lawrence.

"Nothin' on You" is a pop rap, R&B and Southern hip hop ballad. Some music critics praised its sweetness and positive vibe, while a few criticized the track due to Mars's performance. The song's main structure relies on a Jim Jonsin-helmed-beat. Lyrically, the record aims at a woman's heart by flattering and showing her she is unique. The single reached the number one position in some countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, the third and fifth spot in Australia and New Zealand, respectively, and the top ten in Canada. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and once by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Music Canada (MC).

The music video, directed by Ethan Lader, with animation done by George Rausch, was filmed in Los Angeles. It features cutout animation, which takes multiple collages and taps them one over each other, in this case depicting various women. The video is interpolated with footage of the performers playing instruments along with Lawrence. The track has been covered by various recording artists and parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was nominated for Record of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 53rd Grammy Awards. The song was performed live at ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' and at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Both artists have promoted it during their respective several tours.

Background and production

During the summer of 2009, the Smeezingtons were booked for a week of writing sessions for Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B and Travie McCoy. Bruno Mars and Philip Lawrence usually hummed melodies, while Aaron Bay-Schuck, former Atlantic A&R, encouraged both of them to develop the best of those melodies, such as "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire". In the beginning, they only had scratch chorus demos of "Nothin' On You" and "Billionaire", with a guitar on the backing track and Mars singing on top of it. In an interview to MTV News Mars and Lawrence explained how the song was created. "Me and Phil always had that hook", said Mars; "It was a different melody at first, though," Lawrence added. In 2013, during an interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Mars revealed he took inspiration from Prince's " The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (1994) for the hook of "Nothin' on You". The instrumental of the song was composed when Ari Levine programmed the drums, based on an old-school hip-hop beat. When Mars heard it, he started playing the piano and "Magically, that melody worked with this track we were doing", the latter explained. "Nothin' on You" was finished a few months later, around November, with B.o.B working with the Smeezingtons to shape it. It was recorded with a couple of different arrangements.

Initially, Mars was not supposed to feature on the hook, but his "charisma" when singing it, made the label want to keep his voice after he recorded the final version. However, when "Nothin' on You" was being shown to different music industry decision-makers, one of them tried to give the song to a "blue-eyed blonde" artist instead of Mars, due to his race. That experience made the singer reach his lowest point so far in his career. Mars concluded, "Even with that song in my back pocket to seal the deal, things like that are coming out of people's mouths. It made me feel like I wasn't even in the room." According to American record producer Jim Jonsin, Atlantic Records' chairman, Craig Kallman, wanted him to work on the track for Lupe Fiasco. However, Jonsin pressured Kallman to give the song to B.o.B. Fiasco stated that Kallman told him his lyrics and performance on the record were "wack". Fiasco claimed that the repeated denigration from the label drove him to a breaking point, and to feel "suicidal". Afterwards, his verses were removed and new ones were written by Mars and B.o.B. An unmixed version of the song with Fiasco's verses and Mars's vocals leaked later in the same year. B.o.B. wrote his rendition with Mars, Lawrence, and Levine, who also handled production as the Smeezintons. Levine and Mars played all the instruments on the track, with Brody Brown playing the bass. Levine recorded, engineered and mixed the song at Levcon Studios in California. It was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC.

Release

"Nothin' on You" was first made available in the United States via digital download on December 15, 2009, by Atlantic Records. American rhythmic contemporary radios began adding the track onto their playlists on February 2, 2010, being released under Atlantic Records and Grand Hustle. BBC Radio 1Xtra added a remix of the song onto their playlists featuring American rapper Big Boi on April 9, 2010. On May 14, 2010, an EP of the song, containing the album version of the song, a remix and its respective radio cut, an instrumental and a cappella of the original version, was issued in several countries. On May 17, 2010, the radio version of "Nothin' on You" was released in the UK via digital download by Atlantic Records, as well as on CD single, which also contained B.o.B's "Haterz Everywhere" featuring Wes Fif. The same CD single was also made available in Germany on May 21, 2010. On June 15, 2010, the song was released in South Korea with Jay Park's vocals, instead of Mars's verses, by Warner Music Group Asia Pacific. In 2010, a 12" single containing different versions of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" was issued by Atlantic Records in the United States.

Composition and influences

"Nothin' on You" has been described as a pop rap, R&B and Southern hip hop ballad. It has been described as "slow" and "lulling", having an "uplifting melody". Pitchfork's Jayson Greene said the whole album sounds "sticky-sweet" for "modern-rock radio", including "Nothin' on You". Angus Batey from ''The Guardian'' called the recording "glorious, euphoric, essentially old-fashioned kind of love song". The track is backed by a Jim Jonsin-helmed beat. According to the digital sheet music the recording was composed in a time signature of common time and in the key of B major, and follows a chord progression of E₉–Cm₉–Dm–F, with a tempo of 104 beats per minute. B.o.B and Mars's vocals span from F₄ to B₅.

Lyrically, the song describes B.o.B throwing away his old habits and telling the girl he loves he wants to "settle down", while flattering her. Ashley Lyle from ''Billboard'' said that Mars "reassures his lady that there's no one like her" with the verses "I could be chasing, but my time would be wasted". B.o.B, during his verses, makes references appealing not only to younger supporters, "Just like that, girl, you got me froze/ Like a Nintendo 64", but also to older admirers, "Baby you the whole package, plus you pay your taxes". David Jeffries said that the rapper "courts the ladies" on the song along with Mars. He added that B.o.B transmitted his "positive vibes" on "Nothin' on You". B.o.B compared the song's "spirit" to "Bonita Applebum" by A Tribe Called Quest. Mars stated that the lyrics are about someone, saying they come from "real-life experience, whether it's at the time or me back-tracking to how I felt at another moment."

Reception

Critical

"Nothin' on You" received generally positive reviews from most music critics. ''Billboard''s Evan J. Nabavian gave the song a 4 out of 5 stars, noting that the song explores the swell appeal "between Mars' delicately delivered melodies and B.o.B.'s Southern twang." He compared it to Lupe Fiasco's duet with Matthew Santos" (2007), "especially its feel-good, singalong hook". The review concluded with positive feedback for the recording's lyrics and references. The same rating was given by Nick Levine of ''Digital Spy''. He called the track a "smash" and praised its piano and hook. Levine concluded that although it doesn't show the same class as "Empire State of Mind" (2009) by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, "it's all so goddamn catchy you'd be a fool to give a hoot." Lee Tyler from ''Blues & Soul''s awarded the single 8 out of 10 stars, and commented "Whilst not being content to just please the ear – B.o.B's debut single "Nothin' On You" seems ... laden with instant charisma, stopping only to refresh the parts others cannot reach of late." The critic added, "A delight from start to finish". Angus Batey thought the song would have stuck out in 2010, even without B.o.B's verses, since it is a clear departure from the "in-the-club, eyeing-up-the-booty clichés that have come to pass for romance in hip-hop".

Kenny Herzog of ''Spin'' felt "Nothin' on You" to be the only "high point" on the record and called it straightforward "buoyant R&B". David Jeffries of AllMusic began by complementing B.o.B's persona, who he says is "filled with positive vibes and he isn't above pouring on the sweetness as he courts the ladies." Jeffries found "Nothin' on You" to be "perfectly packaged for some Hollywood romantic comedy." Mike Diver from the BBC
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