"I (Who Have Nothing)" (sometimes billed as "I Who Have Nothing") is an English-language cover of the Italian song "''Uno dei tanti''" (English: "One of Many"), with music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti. The original version, "Uno dei Tanti", was performed by Joe Sentieri in 1961. The song was first recorded in English, with new lyrics by

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Leiber and Stoller were an American songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricist Jerome Leiber (; April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933). As well as many R&B and pop hits, they wr ...

, by Ben E. King in 1963. King's 2001 re-recording of the song was selected for ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' ''Peppers & Eggs'' soundtrack CD. Other successful cover versions were released by

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

, Tom Jones, and

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

Ben E. King version

The English lyrics for "I (Who Have Nothing)" were written by

. The title is a translation of a line in the Italian lyrics "''Io, che non ho niente''", but otherwise the English lyrics were written afresh by the lyricists. Leiber and Stoller also produced the first English language release, performed by Ben E. King in 1963. Leiber and Stoller previously had co-written and produced the song " Stand by Me" with Ben E. King in 1961. The record used the same arrangement from Joe Sentieri's record (orchestra conducted by Luis Enriquez Bacalov). In the US, the Ben E. King version reached No. 29 on the ''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 ...

charts and No. 16 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.

Charts

Shirley Bassey Version

recorded the song with producer

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

as the song by Ben E. King was rising in the chart in the US, and released the song in the UK in September 1963. Her version reached No. 6 on UK charts. Bassey has performed the song at almost every live concert she gave, and it is included in many of her compilation albums, such as a version in ''I Am What I Am'' recorded with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, and a version in Spanish ("Hoy No Tengo Nada") in her 1989 album ''La Mujer''. She has also performed with the song's composer Donida who conducted his own music on Italian television.

Charts

Tom Jones version

Tom Jones recorded a version which was released in 1970. The song is the title track of his album ''I Who Have Nothing''. This became the most popular version of the song in the United States, peaking at No. 14 in 1970 on the ''

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 100, No. 2 on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart, and No. 10 in Canada. This version also peaked at No. 11 in '' Cashbox''.

Charts

Sylvester version

recorded a disco version in 1979. The orchestral arrangement for the song was recorded at Island Records'

Basing Street Studios Basing Street Studios was a recording studio in a former 17th century chapel at 8–10 Basing Street, in Notting Hill, London, England. Originally established in 1969 as Island Studios by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, the studi ...

. This version reached No. 40 in US and No. 86 Canada.

Charts

Other versions

Other versions which reached the Billboard charts were performed by

Terry Knight and the Pack Terry Knight and the Pack (also known as The Pack and The Fabulous Pack) was an American garage rock band formed in Flint, Michigan in 1965. The band was signed to the Lucky Eleven label through most of its brief recording career. They produced ...

in 1966 (No. 46 US, No. 36 Canada), Liquid Smoke in 1970 (No. 82 US, No. 66 Canada), Warhorse in 1972. Also recorded in Australia by

Normie Rowe Norman John Rowe (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He rose to national prominence in the mid-1960s as a pop star and teen idol, backed by The Playboys. His 1965 double A-side " Que Sera Sera"/" Shakin' All Over" w ...

(1965), The Easybeats, The Dave Bridge Trio (1966) and Rob E. G. (1964/65), and in New Zealand by Shane. British rock band The Spectres, later known as

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

, released their version of the song produced by John Schroeder in September 1966 as a single on

Piccadilly Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

. This would be their debut single, nearly a year before changing their name and finding their way to mainstream popularity. The single, however, failed to chart. Swedish pop group Tom & Mick & Maniacs recorded the song sporadically between 5–7 and 15 October 1967 at Europafilm Studio in

Bromma Bromma () is a Boroughs of Stockholm, borough (''stadsdelsområde'') in the western part of Stockholm, Sweden, forming part of the Stockholm Municipality. Bromma is primarily made up of Bromma Parish and Västerled Parish. The fourth largest airpo ...

, Stockholm together with producer Anders Henriksson.''Tom Mick & Maniacs'' (liner notes pg. 10). Brandels, Göran. Tom & Mick & Maniacs.

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riversid ...

. 2013. In December of that year, it was released on their album ''Tom & Mick Maniacs'',''Tom Mick & Maniacs'' (liner notes pg. 4). Brandels, Göran. Tom & Mick & Maniacs.

. 2013. and in February 1968, it was extracted as a single on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, backed by "Pandemonium", an original composition. It reached No. 8 on '' Tio i Topp'', becoming their final chart hit. Neil Diamond covered the song and was included in the album Up On the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building, released in 1993 on Columbia Records. Also recorded, by

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the L ...

(1967),

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (; born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. After beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, she garnered acclaim for her role in the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical ''Hallelujah, Baby!'', winning a T ...

(1967),

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.), number-one R&B single "We're Gonna Ma ...

(1968), Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972), Cockney Rebel (1974), Brian May & Kerry Elli,

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

(1991).

References

{{authority control 1963 singles 1966 singles 1970 singles 1979 singles Ben E. King songs Shirley Bassey songs Sylvester (singer) songs Songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Songs written by Mogol (lyricist) Song recordings produced by George Martin Torch songs 1963 songs Atco Records singles Columbia Graphophone Company singles Fantasy Records singles Songs written by Carlo Donida it:Uno dei tanti/Cara cara