Sweet Nothin's is a 1959 song by
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...
written by
Ronnie Self. It peaked at No. 4 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 12 on the
Hot R&B Sides chart, in 1960.
The song (as Sweet Nuthin's) also charted on the
UK Singles Chart in 1960, peaking at No. 4,
marking Lee's first appearance on the UK chart.
Musician and producer
David Z adapted Lee's vocals from the song to produce the distinctive backing vocals in
"Kiss", the smash hit for
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
.
Lee's voice from "Sweet Nothin's" was later sampled in
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
's song "
Bound 2" on his 2013 album ''
Yeezus
''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, includi ...
''.
This sample in turn was used by
Sigma
Sigma ( ; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used as an operator ...
in their 2014 song "
Nobody to Love."
In popular culture
The song was used in a 1985 TV commercial for
Molson Canadian beer in Canada.
References
{{Authority control
1959 singles
Brenda Lee songs
1959 songs
Rockabilly songs
Songs written by Ronnie Self