Nothingness (song)
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"Nothingness" is a song by
Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...
and the third
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
off their third
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''
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''. The
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
reached #17 on the ''Billboard''
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart in 1993. It was later included on two
greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
compilations, ''
Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
'' (1995) and '' Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour'' (2006). An acoustic version, allegedly intended for
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
radio, was also included on 1994's Japan-exclusive ''Dread'' compilation.Living Colour
WARR.org. Retrieved on 1-07-09. This particularly moody track serves as a break from the more upbeat songs on the album. It opens with
crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 8 ...
chirping and a
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
-like guitar progression. A prominent bass rhythm carries the song and provides flashy
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
-style fills. Lyrically, "Nothingness" delves into bleak themes of isolation and loneliness.
Corey Glover Corey Glover (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Living Colour and has toured as the vocalist for the funk band Galactic. As an actor, he played Francis in the 1986 war movi ...
's powerful voice is demonstrated toward the song's end as he wails its final
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
. The double-track effect of Glover's vocals were accomplished by having Glover sing directly into an outdoor satellite dish (with the microphone placed in the feedhorn location of the dish), hence the satellite-themed artwork of the single. The song, written by the group's drummer Will Calhoun, was in tribute to his father's passing.


Music video

The "Nothingness"
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
relies on brief clips of musical performance and atmosphere with no obvious story concept. It hosts dark, ambient background visuals such as clouds flowing across a piercing sun. Shots are brief and frequently fade to black with the band members seen in heavily shadowed or silhouetted form. As depicted on the CD single cover, satellite dishes are also seen in various settings.


Charts


References


External links


"Nothingness" music video
@
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Living Colour songs 1993 singles 1990s ballads Heavy metal ballads Hard rock ballads Songs written by Will Calhoun Experimental rock songs 1993 songs Epic Records singles {{metal-song-stub Avant-garde metal songs