Nobody (1905 song)
Encyclopedia
"Nobody" is a popular
song
with music by Bert Williams
and lyrics by Alex Rogers, published in 1905
.
The song premiered in February 1906, in the Broadway production "Abyssinia." The show, which included live camels, premiered at the Majestic Theater and continued the string of hits for the vaudeville team of Williams and Walker. "Nobody," became Bert Walker's signature theme, and the song he is best remembered for today. It is a doleful and ironic composition, replete with his dry observational wit, and is perfectly complemented by Williams' intimate, half-spoken singing style.
Williams became so identified with the song that he was obliged to sing it in almost every appearance for the rest of his life. He considered its success both blessing and curse: "Before I got through with 'Nobody,' I could have wished that both the author of the words and the assembler of the tune had been strangled or drowned... 'Nobody' was a particularly hard song to replace." "Nobody" remained active in Columbia Records
' sales catalogue into the 1930s, and the musicologist Tim Brooks estimates that it sold between 100,000 and 150,000 copies, a phenomenally high amount for the era.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
with music by Bert Williams
Bert Williams
Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920...
and lyrics by Alex Rogers, published in 1905
1905 in music
-Events:*January 26 - Arnold Schoenberg's symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande is premiered in Vienna.*January 29 - Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder is premiered in Vienna.*October 15 - Claude Debussy's La Mer is premiered in Paris....
.
The song premiered in February 1906, in the Broadway production "Abyssinia." The show, which included live camels, premiered at the Majestic Theater and continued the string of hits for the vaudeville team of Williams and Walker. "Nobody," became Bert Walker's signature theme, and the song he is best remembered for today. It is a doleful and ironic composition, replete with his dry observational wit, and is perfectly complemented by Williams' intimate, half-spoken singing style.
Williams became so identified with the song that he was obliged to sing it in almost every appearance for the rest of his life. He considered its success both blessing and curse: "Before I got through with 'Nobody,' I could have wished that both the author of the words and the assembler of the tune had been strangled or drowned... 'Nobody' was a particularly hard song to replace." "Nobody" remained active in Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
' sales catalogue into the 1930s, and the musicologist Tim Brooks estimates that it sold between 100,000 and 150,000 copies, a phenomenally high amount for the era.
Lyrics
- When life seems full of clouds an' rain
- and I am filled with naught but pain,
- who soothes my thumpin' bumpin' brain ?
- Nobody
- When winter comes with snow an' sleet,
- and me with hunger and cold feet,
- who says " Ah, here's two bits, go an' eat!"
- Nobody
- I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
- And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
- I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
- When I try hard an' scheme an' plan,
- to look as good as I can,
- who says " Ah, look at that handsome man!"
- Nobody
- When all day long things go amiss,
- and I go home to find some bliss,
- who hands to me a glowin' kiss?
- Nobody
- I ain't never done nothin' to nobody,
- I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
- And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
- I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
- Nobody, no time!
Recorded versions
- Shelton BrooksShelton BrooksShelton Brooks was a popular music and jazz composer who wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th century.Brooks was born in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada...
(19411941 in music-Events:*January 5 – Ernesto Bonino makes his début on Italian radio.*January 15 – Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps is premiered in Stalag VIIIA in Silesia.*January 20 – Béla Bartók's String Quartet No...
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- Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
- Arthur Collins (19051905 in music-Events:*January 26 - Arnold Schoenberg's symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande is premiered in Vienna.*January 29 - Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder is premiered in Vienna.*October 15 - Claude Debussy's La Mer is premiered in Paris....
) - Ry CooderRy CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
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(19471947 in music-Events:*August 7 – Carlo Bergonzi makes his professional debut as Schaunard in La Bohème at the Arena Argentina in Catania.*October – Enrico De Angelis leaves Quartetto Cetra to join the army...
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. - Bert WilliamsBert WilliamsEgbert Austin "Bert" Williams was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920...
(19061906 in music-Events:* February - Abyssinia premiered at the Majestic Theatre , with a score co-written by Bert Williams, including premiere of Nobody.* May 27 - Gustav Mahler's Symphony No...
; 19131913 in music-Events:*April 1 - Manuel de Falla's opera La vida breve is given its world première in Nice.*May 29 - There is a near-riot at the première of the Igor Stravinsky-scored ballet The Rite of Spring in Paris.*October - Edison Diamond Disc Record introduced...
, feat. in the Broadway Show "Ziegfeld Follies")
External links
- http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.100010741/default.html 1905 Library of Congress recording of Arthur Collins singing "Nobody."