Nothing from Nothing

Last updated
"Nothing from Nothing"
Nothing from nothing by billy preston US single.png
US single picture sleeve
Single by Billy Preston
from the album The Kids & Me
B-side "My Soul Is a Witness"
ReleasedAugust 5, 1974 (August 5, 1974)
Genre
Length2:38
Label A&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Billy Preston
Billy Preston singles chronology
"You're So Unique"
(1974)
"Nothing from Nothing"
(1974)
"Struttin'"
(1974)
Music video
"Nothing from Nothing" on YouTube

"Nothing from Nothing" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and recorded by Billy Preston for his 1974 album The Kids & Me . The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in October 1974, becoming Preston's second solo chart-topper in the United States (following his 1973 hit "Will It Go Round in Circles"). [2] It spent four and a half months on the chart.

Contents

Preston performed "Nothing from Nothing" on Saturday Night Live , the first musical performance ever on the show.

The song was also used in late 2002 for all GM-brand commercials and was also prominently featured in both the 1975 low-budget independent bank-heist caper Flash and the Firecat and the 2008 film Be Kind Rewind .

The song is also mentioned in the novel Just Above My Head by James Baldwin. [3]

The song was also featured in the 2024 Apple TV+ animated Peanuts Special Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin . [4]

Chart performance

Cover versions

Alternative rock band Lazlo Bane covered the song for their 2007 cover album Guilty Pleasures . [13]

The artist Mac Miller covered the song for his 2018 Spotify session. This single was released posthumously.

The Billy Preston version is featured in Season 2 of South Park in episode 6, "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka," during a fictional interview of Bob Denver on the talk show Jesus and Pals.

American folk band The Ghost of Paul Revere released a cover version, both as a single and as the opening track to their 2019 album Field Notes, Vol. 2.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Tell You Why</span> 1980 single by Eagles

"I Can't Tell You Why" is a song by the American rock band Eagles that appeared on their 1979 album The Long Run. It was written by band members Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Recorded in March 1978, it was the first song finished for the album and the first Eagles song to feature Schmit on lead vocals. Released as a single in February 1980, it became a Billboard top 10 hit in April, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was the group's last top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take the Long Way Home (Supertramp song)</span> 1979 single by Supertramp

"Take the Long Way Home" is the third US single and sixth track of English rock band Supertramp's 1979 album Breakfast in America. It was the last song written for the album, being penned during the nine-month recording cycle. In 1980, the live version from Paris became a minor hit in various European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Breeze (song)</span> 1972 song by Seals and Crofts

"Summer Breeze" is a song written and originally recorded by American soft rock duo Seals and Crofts. It is the title track of their fourth studio album, and was released as the album's lead single in August 1972. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. In 2013, it was ranked No. 13 in Rolling Stone′s "Best Summer Songs of All Time". The song also became a hit for the Isley Brothers in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Change</span> 1982 single by INXS

"Don't Change" is a song by Australian rock band INXS. It was released as a single from the album Shabooh Shoobah in October 1982. It has been described as the song that made the band internationally famous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will It Go Round in Circles</span> 1973 single by Billy Preston

"Will It Go Round in Circles" is a song by American soul musician Billy Preston from his 1972 album Music Is My Life. It was written by Preston and Bruce Fisher and released as a single in March 1973. The record topped the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over a million copies. This was the first of two number one hits for Preston as a solo performer, the other being "Nothing from Nothing", although he is also credited on the Beatles' 1969 hit "Get Back".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When Will I See You Again</span> 1974 single by The Three Degrees

"When Will I See You Again" is a song released in 1974 by American soul group The Three Degrees from their third album, The Three Degrees. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Sheila Ferguson sang the lead, accompanied by Fayette Pinkney and Valerie Holiday. Billboard named the song number 67 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Under the Boardwalk</span> 1964 single by the Drifters

"Under the Boardwalk" is a pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by the Drifters in 1964. It charted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 22, 1964. The song has since been covered by many other artists, with versions by Bette Midler, Sam & Dave, the Tom Tom Club, the Rolling Stones, Billy Joe Royal, The Beach Boys, Bruce Willis, Bad Boys Blue, John Mellencamp and Lynn Anderson all charting in the United States or overseas. The song ranked number 487 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004 and number 489 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Time I Saw Him (song)</span>

"Last Time I Saw Him" is a 1973 song by Diana Ross, being a composition by Michael Masser and lyricist Pam Sawyer. The track was produced by Masser and released as the first single on December 6, 1973, from her album of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Your Groove Thing</span> 1978 single by Peaches & Herb

"Shake Your Groove Thing" is a song by disco duo Peaches & Herb. The single reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Billboard R&B Chart. It also reached No. 2 for four weeks on the Billboard Disco chart in 1978. The song spent 22 weeks on the American charts and became a Gold record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Show and Tell (song)</span> 1973 single by Al Wilson

"Show and Tell" is a popular song written by Jerry Fuller and first recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1972. This original version made it to #36 on the Easy Listening chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keep On Singing</span> Early 1970s hit song

"Keep on Singing" is a 1973 song composed by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, and was originally recorded by Austin Roberts from the album Austin Roberts. It was released as a single on Chelsea Records and reached No. 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 39 on the Cash Box Top 100. In Canada it reached # 79. "Keep on Singing" was best known as a hit single by Helen Reddy in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Be Good to You</span>

"I'll Be Good to You" is a 1976 hit song by R&B duo the Brothers Johnson. George Johnson, one of the two Johnson brothers in the band, wrote the song after deciding to commit to a relationship with one woman, instead of dating several at a time. While George was recording a demo for the song, family friend Senora Sam came by and added some lyrics. Brothers Johnson producer and mentor Quincy Jones heard the song, liked it, and convinced George to sing lead on the finished track. Released from their debut album, Look Out for #1, it was a top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot Singles Charts, peaking at number three, and a number one song on the Billboard R&B Charts during the summer of 1976. The single was later certified gold by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right Back Where We Started From</span> 1975 song by Maxine Nightingale

"Right Back Where We Started From" is a song written by Pierre Tubbs and J. Vincent Edwards, which was first recorded in the middle of 1975 by British singer Maxine Nightingale for whom it was an international hit. In 1989, a remake by British-American singer Sinitta reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The music features a significant repetitive sample from the song "Goodbye, Nothing to Say", written by Stephen Jameson and Marshall Doctores, which was recorded first by Jameson under the name of Nosmo King, and then by the Javells featuring Nosmo King, both in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Might Be You</span> 1982 single by Stephen Bishop

"It Might Be You" is a song with music written by Dave Grusin and lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman. It was performed by singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop in the 1982 film Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If You Love Me (Let Me Know)</span> 1974 single by Olivia Newton-John

"If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" is a song written by John Rostill that was a 1974 hit single for Olivia Newton-John. It was her second release to hit the top 10 in the United States, reaching number 5 on the pop chart and number 2 on the Easy Listening chart. It also reached number 2 on the Billboard country chart. As with her single "Let Me Be There", Mike Sammes sings a bass harmony. It was nominated for the 1974 Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With You I'm Born Again</span> 1979 single by Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright

"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet written by Carol Connors and David Shire that originated on the soundtrack of the 1979 motion picture Fast Break. It was performed by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright and became an international hit for the duo, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ship of Fools (World Party song)</span> 1986 single by World Party

"Ship of Fools" is a rock song by World Party released as a second single from the 1987 debut album Private Revolution. It was written and produced by singer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, formerly of The Waterboys. Wallinger was the sole member of World Party at the time of release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oh My My (Ringo Starr song)</span> 1974 single by Ringo Starr

"Oh My My" is a song by English musician Ringo Starr from his 1973 album Ringo. It was also issued as the third single from the album, becoming a top-five hit in the United States and Canada. The recording was produced by Richard Perry and includes backing vocals by Merry Clayton and Martha Reeves.

<i>Guilty Pleasures the 80s Volume 1</i> 2012 EP by Lazlo Bane

Guilty Pleasures the 80's [sic] Volume 1 is the second EP by the band Lazlo Bane. It is the follow-up record to the band's previous album of cover versions of songs from the 1970s Guilty Pleasures; consisting of covers of songs originally released in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Love You (Climax Blues Band song)</span> 1981 single by Climax Blues Band

"I Love You" is a song by the Climax Blues Band, released as a single in 1980, from the album Flying the Flag.

References

  1. Smith, Troy L. (14 December 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com . Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. Bronson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits - revised & enlarged . New York: Billboard Books. p.  139. ISBN   978-0-8230-8298-8.
  3. Baldwin, James (1978). Just Above My Head. New York: Dell Publishing. p. 26.
  4. Kennedy, Mark (15 February 2024). "Franklin stars in new 'Peanuts' special on Apple TV+". staradvertiser.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1974-10-19. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  7. 1 2 3 https://chartssinglestop40france.blogspot.com/2017/05/16-mars-1975.html
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 468.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 197.
  10. "Top 100 1974-10-12". Cashbox Magazine . Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  11. "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  12. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1974". Cashbox Magazine . Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  13. "Lazlo Bane's Guilty Pleasures". cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.