"Apparently Nothin" is a song by British/American

acid jazz Acid jazz (also known as club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz) is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul music, soul, and hip hop music, hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1 ...

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Young Disciples Young Disciples was a British- American acid jazz band, formed in London in 1990 by Carleen Anderson (vocals and keyboards), Marco Nelson (bass, guitar and organ) and Femi Williams (percussion and programming). Their most notable hit was the ...

. It features singer

Carleen Anderson Carleen Cassandra Anderson (born May 10, 1957) is an American musician. She was the vocalist, composer, and musician for the Young Disciples and is known for her numerous, varied collaborations. Her solo career began in 1992. She is credited w ...

, who also co-wrote it and was released in 1991 by

Talkin' Loud Talkin' Loud was a record label, originally founded by Gilles Peterson in 1990 after he left Acid Jazz Records. The label name is based on Peterson's Dingwalls club night "Talkin' Loud And Sayin' Something", itself a reference to James Brown a ...

as the second single from the band's only album, '' Road to Freedom'' (1991). The song samples "Here I Am Baby" by

the Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan, Inkster, Michigan in 1960, consisting of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was ...

and is inspired by the

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. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, but on the

UK Dance Singles Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...

, it was even more successful, peaking at number two. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Luxembourg and a top 40 hit in the Netherlands. The band performed the song in the British music chart television programme ''

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 ...

''. It remains their biggest hit and is now widely considered as a classic of its genre. In 1999, a new version of "Apparently Nothin'" was released with Anderson and British acid jazz and

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 ...

group

The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies are an English band formed in 1985, consisting of Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy, and Jan Kincaid. After the addition of N'Dea Davenport in 1990, the group experienced mainstream success and pioneered a new genre called a ...

, peaking at number 32 in the UK.

Chart performance

"Apparently Nothin'" charted in several European countries. In Luxembourg, the single peaked at number 12 in its second week within the top 20 in August 1991, after entering the chart on number 17 the week before. It then dropped to number 15 and 19 before leaving the chart. In the Netherlands, the single spent four weeks on the Dutch Top 40 Tipparade, before entering the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...

chart with three weeks within it and peaking at number 34. On the

Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...

chart, it spent a total of eight weeks within, peaking at number 36 on October 19, 1991. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

, the single peaked at number 45. In the UK, "Apparently Nothin'" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on number 55 on February 17, 1991. 46, 59, 62 before leaving the chart. Then in July, it reappeared at number 33, climbing to number 19 and peaking at number 13 on August 11. The following weeks, the song dropped to number 15, 30, 42 and 64. On ''

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 ...

''s Dance Singles chart, it reached number two in February 1991.

Critical reception

American magazine ''

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 ...

'' deemed the song "wildly contagious". An editor,

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 ...

, wrote, "Here we have a

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

jam, fueled with a chunky swing beat (are those real drums we hear ?!) and snakey guitar work. Would slip snugly into sets that include

Deee-Lite Deee-Lite was an American House music, house and Dance music, dance music group formed in New York City. The group's Single (music), single "Groove Is in the Heart", which was released in 1990 from their debut studio album, ''World Clique'' (19 ...

and

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

." He added that Anderson injects a "

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-like fervor into the tune's wildly infectious hook". Martin Johnson from ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' felt her "piercing vocals" were igniting the track, naming it "perhaps the best bit of pop social commentary so far this decade." An editor from ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'' said she makes tracks like "Apparently Nothin'" "hard to forget". ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' described it as "era-defining", indicating that the singer "became one of the most recognisable voices of the

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 ...

jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds, and analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre that ranges from ...

movement" of the time, and that the emergence of the band along with acts Soul II Soul,

Omar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...

Incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''Incognito'', a 1915 film featuring Rae Berger * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Dan ...

D'Influence D'Influence (also D-Influence and D*Influence) is a British production team and acid jazz band. Formerly of The Echo Label, they founded their own label, Freakstreet Records. Original members include Kwame Kwaten, Sarah-Ann Webb, Ed Baden-Powell, ...

and Galliano "was as groundbreaking an era as black British music has ever known." A reviewer from ''

Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...

'' stated that it is "destined to be a club hit", writing that it "involve thick, jazzy bass paired against thin keyboards that prove for the smoothest-yet fusion of

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- ...

and jazz —

." 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 ...

'' said that Anderson's lead vocals are "pure soul delight", as illustrated on "Apparently Nothin'". Davydd Chong from ''

'' ''RM'' Dance Update called it a "mind-numbingly brilliant track", "uplifting, inspirational and funky". The magazine's

James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland *James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman *James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...

declared it as a "Carleen Anderson wailed rare groove-style lurcher". Mandi James 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 ...

'' commented, "Am I jumping the gun, or are delicious vocals and refined arrangements coming back into vogue? Cool, calm and sophisticated. Young Disciples take things nice and easy with blues beats and a funkin' good ambience. If you know what's good for you, trash your hi-top trainers and invest in some Hush-Puppies." Another editor, Stephen Dalton, said that "the Disciples are mixin' that '60s soul-funk sound with tough, clean, bang-up-to-date production and creatin' modern R&B in the process. This cut is bitchin'." Dennis Romero from ''

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' felt it's "destined to be a club hit". Phil Cheeseman from ''

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 ...

'' wrote, "All very mid-Eighties warehouse jams this kind of low-slung funk, but there's something very sexy about this and Carleen Anderson's vocal is superb, suggesting that the Disciples could be on to something here. Kicks harder than

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

when they're one down." Marc Andrews 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 ...

'' found that it "was one of those rare soul-funk throwbacks to the '70s that actually sounded exceptionally groovy and hip in these here cool-catting '90s."

Charles Aaron Charles Aaron is an American music journalist and editor, formerly for ''Spin'' magazine, where he worked for 23 years. Personal life Charles Aaron was born in Rockingham, North Carolina, and raised in Asheboro, North Carolina and Rome, Georgia ...

from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' remarked that "this Brit duo with diva-for-hire replaces Soul II Soul's capitalist uplift goo-goo with a fretful attitude and snappier grooves. The

Large Professor William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and music producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...

Rap Mix thumps with even less patience." Another editor, Jonathan Bernstein, declared it as "elegant" and "

-inspired".

Impact and legacy

'' ranked "Apparently Nothin'" number 29 in their list of "Singles of the Year" in December 1991. In 1994, the magazine featured the track in their list of "Top ten vibin' modern soul-jazz masterstrokes that every 'face' should own", writing, "The day

came good. A spindly funky thing, it married a deep-seated sense of black history with impeccable pop suss, and provided the launchpad for the slightly less-than-spectacular solo career of

." British DJ, radio show host, and founder/managing director of

Acid Jazz Records Acid Jazz Records is a record label based in East London formed by Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller in 1987. The label is the namesake of the acid-jazz subgenre of jazz music for which it is most famously known for producing. Background The l ...

Eddie Piller Eddie Piller is a British DJ, radio show host, and founder/managing director of Acid Jazz Records. Early life and career Piller was born in 1963 and grew up in Essex. His father ran a firm of bookmakers and his mother ran the Small Faces' fa ...

named "Apparently Nothin'" one of his favourites in 1996, saying, "One of the best British

tunes of all time. This record took British soul to a new level." Josh Strauss from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote in 2013, "My memory of this song is sitting in very long car journeys to

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

or the south of France with only my

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

and my stepdad's

cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

s for entertainment. Whilst some tapes compelled me to plug in my headphones and focus on the endlessly repetitive, but strangely hypnotic theme tune from

Tetris ''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...

, "Apparently Nothin'" always got me jumping up and down in the back seat and drumming on the driver's headrest; much to the annoyance of my parents."

Track listing

* 7" single, Uk & Europe (1991) #"Apparently Nothin'" (Edit) #"Apparently Nothin'" (Soul River Mix) * 12" single, UK & Europe (1991) #"Apparently Nothin'" #"Apparently Nothin'" (Soul River Mix) #"Apparently Nothin'" (Instrumental) * CD single, Europe (1991) #"Apparently Nothin'" (Edit) — 4:03 #"Apparently Nothin'" — 4:40 #"Apparently Nothin'" (Soul River Mix) — 5:24 #"Apparently Nothin'" (Instrumental) — 4:38

Charts

References

{{authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Acid jazz songs Talkin' Loud singles