I Have Nothing

"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on February 20, 1993 as the third single from '' The Bodyguard'' (1992) by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster.

After the back-to-back successes of Houston's " I Will Always Love You" and " I'm Every Woman", "I Have Nothing" became yet another hit, peaking at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number one on the US ''Cash Box'' Top 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song also became a hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart, with a number four peak, and number-one peaks on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart and Radio Songs chart. Houston established another historic milestone in ''Billboard'' chart history with the two previous singles off the soundtrack and this song, becoming the first artist to have three songs inside the top 11 of the Hot 100 chart in the same week since the chart began using Broadcast Data System and SoundScan data in 1991. Internationally, the song reached number one in Canada, the top five in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the top ten in Denmark and Portugal, and peaked within the top forty in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The song received various nominations, including for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, and Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B Single (Female).

The song was promoted by Houston with live performances on her worldwide concert tour, The Bodyguard World Tour (1993–94) only, and also at various awards ceremonies and concerts such as the 4th ''Billboard'' Music Awards in 1993, the 21st American Music Awards in 1994, '' Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa'' in 1994, and the 1st BET Awards in 2001. "I Have Nothing" also features on compilations like '' Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' (2000) and '' Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances'' (2014).

As with much of Houston's material, the song has been an extremely popular choice on many reality television series around the world, in particular ''American Idol'', on which it has become one of the most performed songs in the show's history; as of 2023, it had been covered twelve times. "I Have Nothing" was also featured on the second half of the trailer, for the estate-approved documentary on Houston's life, '' Whitney''.

Background and recording

In April 1991, Houston announced that she was to begin filming her first movie, '' The Bodyguard'', with Kevin Costner as co-star. After her '' I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour'' wrapped up in October of the year, producers of the film — including Costner himself — set the date for principal photography after Thanksgiving 1991. Initially, the romance thriller featured no music, which concerned Houston's label head, Clive Davis, who sent a letter to Costner and the film's director Mick Jackson, addressing them of how Houston's character, singing diva Rachel Marron, needed a bodyguard with minimal music. Costner agreed with Davis' concern and, through Warner Bros. Pictures, Houston eventually signed a deal to record content for the film's soundtrack in which she would earn royalties. Houston, along with Davis, would serve as executive producer on the album.

Houston agreed to record six songs, of which, four would be prominently featured in scenes from the film that would then feature Houston's character performing the songs. After recording her composition, the hard rock number " Queen of the Night" with producers Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid on November 9, 1991; Houston headed to Encore Studios in Burbank, California three days later on November 12 to begin working with record producer David Foster on two songs, marking the first time in her career that Houston would work with Foster. Since Houston had recently suffered from a cold at the time, producer and artist agreed on recording two of the songs that had been submitted for the film and its accompanying soundtrack — " Run to You" and "I Have Nothing". Two takes of the former song were recorded first before they recorded "I Have Nothing". Prior to recording, Houston was concerned about the song's pitch, complaining to Foster that the song's composition was written "out of her range" and asked if he could drop the pitch down to a lower key. However, Foster told her that due to the label's demand to record the songs immediately and submit them that he was unable to. Houston then reportedly sipped green herbal tea before laying down her vocal, which was recorded on a single take, according to Foster.

The song was lyrically composed by Foster's then-wife Linda Thompson. In her 2016 memoirs, ''A Little Thing Called Life: On Loving Elvis Presley, Bruce Jenner, and Songs in Between,'' Thompson mentions that Jackson had approached her to write a song for ''The Bodyguard''. She later revealed that the lyrics, ''"Stay in my arms if you dare / Or must I imagine you there / Don't walk away from me"'', was inspired by her relationship with American singer Elvis Presley. Thompson was Presley's girlfriend between 1972 and 1976; Thompson broke up with the star prior to his death a year later. Said Thompson, "having lived with the very biggest rock star of all time, I had a good deal of experience to draw on while creating that lyric." Thompson further wrote about the character of Marron in the film, "it was centered around this gorgeous megastar. She's petulant. She's a diva. And she has this bodyguard, he's protecting her, but she's difficult. And then she starts to fall in love with him. And the song has to be called 'I Have Nothing.'" Much like "I Will Always Love You", Houston performed the song in the film and later the music video of the song at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach.

Composition

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, "I Have Nothing" is a pop and R&B song with soul and pop rock elements.

It has a "moderately slow" tempo and starts at the key of G major during the intro and through the verses and A major in the bridge until switching to D major in the first two choruses. It then switches to the key of E major and ends at B major.

Houston's vocal range in the song goes from G₃ to F₅ while the piano range from producer David Foster goes from C₂-F₅.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic complimented the song as a "first-rate urban pop song that skillfully captures Houston at her best". Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' magazine called it a "booming power ballad". He added that it "has the same lung-bursting drama" as " I Will Always Love You", "tweaked with a quasi-symphonic climax that never fails to push all the right buttons. No need to predict single's future. Just count the minutes to its planting at No. 1." Another ''Billboard'' editor, Chuck Taylor, in his writing about Britney Spears on October 24, 1998, issue, described "I Have Nothing" as "bombastic and ultra-challenging." Jan DeKnock of ''Chicago Tribune'' said it is "yet another scorcher of a ballad" from the soundtrack. Dave Sholin from the ''Gavin Report'' complimented Houston's "emotionally-charged performance". In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "A classic ballad like the Whitney we used to know and love showing her voice off to best effect and making a deservedly high new entry."

Howard Cohen from ''The Miami Herald'' remarked that Houston "soars effortlessly as she belts out the brass-inflected ballad". James Montgomery of MTV said the song was "untouchable." Alan Jones from ''Music Week'' declared it as "an emotionally charged rollercoaster of a song, giving Ms Houston another chance to display her range." Nancy Culp from ''NME'' felt the "big ballad epic-ness" of "I Have Nothing" "calls for that kind of treatment." Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' wrote that the song and " Run to You" are "booming generic ballads to which Houston applies her typical stentorian delivery." James T. Jones IV of ''USA Today'' praised the song with "Run to You" as "thrilling ballads, powered by an operatic coloratura alto."

Accolades

"I Have Nothing" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 65th Annual Academy Awards on March 29, 1993. David Foster and Linda Thompson were nominated for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for the song at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards on March 1, 1994. The song was also nominated for Best R&B Single, Female but lost to Toni Braxton's "Breathe Again" at the 8th Annual Soul Train Music Awards on March 15, 1994. Foster and Thompson received the award for Most Performed Song from a Film for the song at the 10th BMI Film & Television Awards on May 17, 1994.

In August 2012, Polish ''Porcys'' included "I Have Nothing" in their list of "100 Singles 1990-1999". In 2017, ShortList's Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest key changes in music history". In 2022, ''The Guardian'' ranked it number one in their list of Houston's greatest songs, writing that besides it being overshadowed by the commercial success of "I Will Always Love You" that it was "the Whitney Houston power ballad to end all Whitney Houston power ballads, a five-minute-long emotional rollercoaster ride that surges from gentle pleading to full-on hell-hath-no-fury anger... with all the vocal trimmings thrown in", further adding, "in lesser hands he songwould just sound histrionic, but Houston’s vocal makes it utterly gripping and believable – an alchemist at work." In February 2025, ''Billboard'' magazine ranked it number six in their list of "Top 100 Breakup Songs of All Time", naming it "one of Houston's most stunning vocal performances."

Commercial performance

"I Have Nothing" was released as the third single from '' The Bodyguard'' in February 1993. The single debuted at number 42 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Singles chart, the issue date of February 27, 1993, when her two songs, " I Will Always Love You" and " I'm Every Woman" still placed within the top ten. Remarkably, for the weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart ending March 13 and 20, Houston had three songs inside the top 11, making her the first artist to achieve the trifecta on the same week since 1991, when the Hot 100 using Broadcast Data System and SoundScan data. On the Hot 100 Airplay chart, Houston equaled the feat with the aforementioned tracks on the February 27 and March 6 issues. The song peaked at number four on the Hot 100 on the April 3 issue, becoming Houston's 14th top five hit, spending 20 weeks on the chart. The single entered the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart at number 37 on the February 27 issue and peaked at number four on the chart in the April 10 issue. The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Adult Contemporary chart the issue dated May 1, 1993, and remained there for two weeks, becoming her tenth number-one song on the chart. It placed at number thirty and thirty-two on the ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles charts respectively. On the Cash Box pop singles charts, the song peaked at number one on the week of April 10, 1993 and would remain at number one for three consecutive weeks, becoming Houston's eleventh number one single on the chart. On Cash Box's R&B chart, it peaked at number two behind Silk's " Freak Me" on the week of April 24, 1993. The single was certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America on June 1, 1993. On March 11, 2019, it was certified platinum for shipments of 1 million copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America and then, two years later, on what would've been Houston's 58th birthday, the song was certified double-platinum for sales of 2 million copies or more.

In Canada, the song debuted at number 50 on the ''RPM'' Top 100 Hit Tracks chart on March 13, 1993, and four weeks later reached the top ten. In its eighth week of release, on May 1, 1993, the single topped the chart and spent three weeks at the summit, staying on the chart for 18 weeks. The song entered the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary Tracks chart at number 20 in the same week of its top 100 debut. Within five weeks, it hit the pole position of the chart on April 17, 1993, and stayed on the top for six weeks.

Worldwide, the song was a success but not as big as two previous singles from its parent soundtrack. In the United Kingdom, the single debuted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart on April 24, 1993, and the following week peaked at number three on the chart, making it Houston's ninth UK top five hit. According to The Official Charts Company, the single sold 220,000 copies in the country. It peaked at number four in Ireland, number 16 in Belgium, and number 20 in New Zealand. The song also reached a peak of number 28 in Australia, number 50 in France, number 39 in Germany, number 22 in the Netherlands, and number 39 in Switzerland.

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by S. A. Baron. It depicts Houston performing the song to an audience in a dining room hall. The video is intercut with scenes from the film ('' The Bodyguard'', the same thing for '' I Will Always Love You''). It was made available on Houston's official YouTube channel in November 2009, and has generated more than 940 million views as of June 2025, where it is her second most popular music video on YouTube after " I Will Always Love You".

Live performances

Houston performed "I Have Nothing" at the 4th Billboard Music Awards on December 9, 1993, receiving a standing ovation. Chris Willman of ''Los Angeles Times'' commented on the performance, saying "Houston's physically stationary, vocally mobile approach to the ballad―backlit behind the mike in a she-got-back-her-figure-flattering gown―effectively heightened the tune's diva dramaturgy, making it an easy highlight in a night otherwise short on compelling performances." She also performed a rousing 10-minute-medley of show tunes that ended with the song―" I Loves You, Porgy" from ''Porgy and Bess'', " And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from ''Dreamgirls'', and "I Have Nothing"―at the 21st Annual American Music Awards, where she won the record eight awards, on February 7, 1994. This performance was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, '' Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances''.'' Jet'' magazine wrote about the AMA performance that "she oustonbrought the house down with her soulful, stirring medley renditions."

On November 12, 1994, Houston sang the song during the concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, entitled '' Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa'', telecast live via satellite on HBO. The performance is found in VHS and DVD with the same title of the concert, originally released in December 1994, and later re-released on June 24, 2010. The song was also performed on the concert to celebrate the wedding of Brunei royalty, at the Jerudong Park Garden on August 24, 1996. Houston sang the short-edited version of the song along with " I Will Always Love You," which were followed by a standing ovation, at the 1st BET Awards on June 19, 2001, becoming the first artist ever to be given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Though "I Have Nothing" is one of Houston's notable hits during her career, the song was performed solely on The Bodyguard World Tour (1993–94) among her ten tours. Houston performed the song as the final part of a medley which included the aforementioned songs from Broadway shows on first North American leg of the tour in 1993, but since the European leg in 1993, the song was performed solely without two show tunes on almost all the rest of the tour dates. Four performances of the song on the South American leg of the tour (1994) were broadcast on each country's TV channel: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 23, Santiago, Chile on April 14, Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 16, and Caracas, Venezuela on April 21.

Covers and samples

Official recording versions

Filipino singer Jake Zyrus recorded a version of the song on his debut release, the self-titled '' Charice'' EP released in May 2008. Korean singer SunMin has a cover of the song on her mini album ''Cover Girl'', released in Japan, August 2008. The Italian variety TV show, '' Ti Lascio Una Canzone'' alumna Sonia Mosca covered the song on the compilation album ''Ti Lascio Una Canzone - La Compilation'', released in May 2009. In 2012, the song is performed on the TV musical series ''Glee'' in episode 17 of season 3, " Dance with Somebody", by Chris Colfer (as his character Kurt Hummel). The whole episode pays tribute to Whitney Houston and her music.

According to the sample database site, WhoSampled, the song has been covered over 120 times, becoming Houston's third most covered song after her rendition of " I Will Always Love You" and " I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Along with Zyrus and Colfer, other official recording versions have been produced by artists such as Jessie J, Jack Vidgen, Deborah Cox and David Phelps.

Demonstration versions

Jessica Simpson recorded a version of the song as a demonstration when she was a teenager. Britney Spears revealed on VH1's '' Behind the Music'', originally aired on November 9, 2003, that she recorded a demonstration of the song before she was signed to Jive Records. Spears also later sang the song at her Jive audition at the age of fifteen.

Live cover versions

On behalf of Houston who had given birth to a daughter the three weeks before the ceremony, Natalie Cole crooned Houston's two nominated songs including "I Have Nothing" at the 65th Annual Academy Awards on March 29, 1993.

Christina Aguilera sang this song on ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake singing backup. Years later, in November 2017, Aguilera also performed "I Have Nothing" as a tribute to Houston at the 2017 American Music Awards.

Patti LaBelle performed the song as a tribute to Whitney Houston, the first ever recipient of the Triumphant Spirit Award at the 10th annual Essence Awards, taped on April 4, 1997, and broadcast later on Fox TV, May 22, 1997.

Other live performances of the song have been done by singers Jazmine Sullivan and Glennis Grace.

Ariana Grande performed "I Have Nothing" in 2014 at The White House, along with some select dates such as Manila on her Honeymoon Tour.

Samples

Drake sampled the song for " Tuscan Leather", the opening song from his third acclaimed studio album ''Nothing Was the Same'' (2013). Other rap artists who have sampled it include French Montana, Central Cee and Rod Wave. According to ''WhoSampled'', the ballad has been sampled 21 times.

Track listings and formats

* UK 12-inch vinyl single
:A1. "I Have Nothing" ― 4:45
:A2. " All the Man That I Need" ― 3:54
:B1. "Where You Are" ― 4:10
:B2. "Lover for Life" ― 4:48

* European 7-inch vinyl single; Japanese 3-inch CD single
:A. "I Have Nothing" ― 4:45
:B. "Where You Are" ― 4:10

* UK 7-inch vinyl single
:A. "I Have Nothing" ― 4:45
:B. "All the Man That I Need" ― 3:54

* US maxi-CD single; European maxi-CD single; UK maxi-CD single
# "I Have Nothing" ― 4:45
# "Where You Are" ― 4:10
# "Lover for Life" ― 4:48

* UK CD single
# "I Have Nothing" ― 4:45
# "All the Man That I Need" ― 3:54
# "Where You Are" ― 4:10
# "Lover for Life" ― 4:48

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from ''The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album'' liner notes.

"I Have Nothing"
* Whitney Houston – performer
* David Foster – producer, arranger
* Jeremy Lubbock and David Foster – string arrangement
* Dave Reitzas – recording engineer
* Mick Guzauski – mixing engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

I Have Nothing
at Discogs

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1990s ballads
1992 songs
1993 singles
Whitney Houston songs
Arista Records singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Contemporary R&B ballads
Pop ballads
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Song recordings produced by David Foster
Songs written by David Foster
Songs written by Linda Thompson (actress)
Songs written for films
Soul ballads