"Ain't Nobody" is a song by American

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 ...

band

Rufus Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin ''wikt:rufus, rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Marcus Caelius Rufus, (28 May 82 BC – after 48 ...

and American singer

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

. It was released on November 4, 1983, by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, as one of four studio tracks included on their

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

album, ''

Stompin' at the Savoy "Stompin' at the Savoy" is a 1933 jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson. It is named after the famed Harlem nightspot the Savoy Ballroom in New York City. History and composition Although the song is often credited to Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, ...

'' (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 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. In 1984 at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, "Ain't Nobody" won for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. It has become one of Khan's

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

s. Rufus keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski wrote the song around a repeating

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

loop backed by a

Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...

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. Wolinski threatened to give the song to singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

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 included on the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

to the 1984 film ''

Breakin' ''Breakin (also known as ''Breakdance'' in the United Kingdom and ''Break Street '84'' in other regions) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film, musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBev ...

''. In 2000,

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

ranked "Ain't Nobody" number 77 in their list of "100 Greatest Dance Songs". In 2021, it was ranked number 403 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 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 E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 104 beats per minute in

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

. The bass synth intro however is in 9/8. Khan's vocals span from G₃ to E₅ in the song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jaki Graham version

In 1994, British singer-songwriter

Jaki Graham Jacqueline Graham (born 15 September 1956) is a British singer-songwriter. Following her hit version of " Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" with David Grant in 1985, Graham scored a further five UK top 20 hits over a two-year period. In 1994, he ...

released her cover of "Ain't Nobody". It was released in July 1994 by various labels as the first and lead single from her fourth album, ''

Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the Character (arts), characters they portray. It has become a ...

'' (1994). Graham's version was produced by Rod Gammons and reached number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart for five weeks 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 and number 17 in Australia. The accompanying music video for "Ain't Nobody" was directed by American film director and producer Antoine Fuqua.

Critical reception

Upn the release,

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' magazine wrote, "She proves that her pipes are still in top form, and she is surrounded by a flurry of fierce

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

beats." In a separate review, he named the song "smashing", and stated that Graham returns with a "grand reading" of the

nugget. He added, "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." English '' Reading Evening Post'' commented, "This is one of those covers that doesn't really improve on the original. But the

song is a

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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."

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Diana King version

In 1995, Jamaican singer-songwriter Diana King recorded a cover single of "Ain't Nobody". It was released in October 1995 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

and Work Group as the third single from their debut album, '' Tougher Than Love'' (1995). The song was produced by Handel Tucker and recorded in

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's recording studio Tuff Gong in Kingston, Jamaica. It peaked at number 95 on the US ''

, number four on the ''Billboard''

chart and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. Its music video was directed by Kevin Bray.

Critical reception

from ''

'' magazine complimented the song as a "sexy

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

interpretation" and "irresistible", complimenting King's "assured performance". M.R. Martinez from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as a "bumpin' cover".

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...

for '' Dotmusic'' said, "Now it is the turn of Diana King's soft

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

fied version to crash into the charts, give

ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 199 ...

another hit and prolong the life of a quite brilliant pop song." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' noted that the follow-up to ' Shy Guy' sees the Jamaican vocalist "lose some of ing'srough

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

edges in favour of a smoother R&B sound", adding that the chorus is "pure, uplifting modern

." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' rated it three out of five, writing, "A fairly standard cover of the

classic, with strong production.

might just convert some more fans." Dele Fadele from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' felt the atmosphere in

's old Tuff Gong Studios, where 'Ain't Nobody' was recorded, was "sprinkling a little spiritual dust on an off-kilter rhythm that defies gravity and Diana's big ole show-off of a voice." Ralph Tee from the ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' Dance Update stated, "'Shy Guy' turned out to be an international smash and this follow-up has similar crossover opportunities." In her positive review of ''Tougher Than Love'', Siân Pattenden from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' wrote that "her version of ancient funkout 'Ain't Nobody' isn't half bad either."

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American film, television, commercial and music video director Kevin Bray. It features King performing with their band in a bright white room. Other scenes show the singer lying in an indoor pool with water. The video was later made available on King's official

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel in 2009, and had generated more than 2,3 million views as of early 2024.

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

LL Cool J version

Rapper

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

recorded an interpolation of the song for the soundtrack to the 1996 film ''

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America ''Beavis and Butt-Head Do America'' is a 1996 American adult animation, adult animated comedy film, comedy road movie, road film based on the MTV animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. The film was co-written and directed by series ...

'', based on the adult animated series ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

''. Released by

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

as the soundtrack's second single, the song peaked at number 46 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number four on the Hot Rap Singles Chart and number 27 on the ''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. Outside of the United States, the song topped the charts in the United Kingdom, where the song was also a hit for Gwen Dickey and KWS (reaching number 21), and The Course (number eight).

Critical reception

from ''

'' described LL Cool J's version as a " pop juiced

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

ditty." He added, "The rap vet playfully unfurls his patented love-talk on top of an insinuating classic-funk bassline. The hip-grinding verses lead to a chantable chorus that re-creates the best portions of the timeless

nugget . Programmers starved for something sexy and immediately appealing need look no further." Alan Jones from ''

'' felt that "LL Cool J's comeback with "Ain't Nobody" is more workmanlike than inspired, with all the lyrical dexterity we expect from him." He noted that "it includes an un-named femme who takes over to sing the chorus though this simply draws attention to what a good vocalist

is. A surefire hit, and quite a big one at that, though not one of LL's best."

Music video

The accompanying music video of this version, directed by Michael Martin, produced by Jonathan Heuer, and cinematography by Martin Coppen, was partially filmed at

Mount Hood Mount Hood, also known as Wy'east, is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast and rests in the Pacific N ...

of Oregon. It also shows a pool party filled with guests, including

Maia Campbell Maia Campbell is an American former actress known for her role as Nicole on the 1994 Fox comedy-drama series '' South Central'' and her portrayal of Tiffany Warren in the NBC/ UPN sitcom '' In the House'' for five seasons (1995–1999). She ...

Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...

, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tichina Arnold,

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor and television host. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' ...

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

, John Salley, and John Witherspoon.

Charts

Certifications

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'' (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 The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

'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 ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', 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, whilst Louis Pattison of ''

'' believed it was "Truly, a record to get over-excited about." Alexis Kirke of

musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

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" (Main Mix) – 3:37 # "Being Nobody" (Richard X Remix) – 4:25 # "Being Nobody" (X-Strumental) – 3:38

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Scooter version

"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).

Track listings

Charts

Felix Jaehn version

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 Jasmine Ying Thompson (born 8 November 2000) is a British singer and songwriter. She began her career at the age of ten by filming herself singing and uploading the videos to YouTube. In 2014, she was featured on German deep house producer Robi ...

. It is the lead single for Jaehn's 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.

Track listing

#"Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better)" – 3:01 #"I Do" – 3:02

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1983 songs 1983 singles 1994 singles 1995 singles 1996 singles 1997 singles 2003 singles 2012 singles 2015 singles Chaka Khan songs Diana King songs Felix Jaehn songs Liberty X songs LL Cool J songs KWS (band) songs Jasmine Thompson songs Delilah (musician) songs Scooter (band) songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles UK singles chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in Poland Number-one singles in Romania Songs written by Hawk Wolinski Song recordings produced by Russ Titelman Song recordings produced by Richard X Warner Records singles Avex Group singles Festival Records singles Columbia Records singles Polydor Records singles Pulse 8 singles Island Records singles Sony Music singles Geffen Records singles Virgin Records singles Tropical house songs Synth-pop songs Music videos directed by Antoine Fuqua Music videos directed by Kevin Bray (director)

Composition

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jaki Graham version

Critical reception

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Diana King version

Critical reception

Music video

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

LL Cool J version

Critical reception

Music video

Charts

Certifications

Richard X vs. Liberty X version

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Scooter version

Track listings

Charts

Felix Jaehn version

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

See also

References