Billy Preston, “Nothing From Nothing” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 60^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Nothing From Nothing” by Billy Preston. 

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he vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! In the 60^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Nothing From Nothing”, performed by 🎙 Billy Preston.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍

“Nothing from nothing leaves nothing / You gotta have something if you wanna be with me.” Woo, so true, 🎙 Billy Preston! The iconic musician extraordinaire had a surefire pop hit on his hands with 🎵 “Nothing From Nothing” in 1974 (💿 The Kids & Me).  The brief, but funky, potent classic spent one week atop the Billboard Hot 100. It marked Preston’s third and final no. 1 hit overall (his second as the lead artist).  Preston penned “Nothing From Nothing” alongside 🎼 ✍ Bruce Fisher.  He produced the record himself.

Musically, “Nothing From Nothing” is one of the funkiest records of all time, PERIOD. The keyboard work is awesome, as to be expected from a keyboardist as gifted and elite as Preston was.  Furthermore, “Nothing From Nothing” is masterfully arranged and orchestrated from the tightness of the rhythm section to the horns.  The musical canvas which Preston gets to sing over is celestial – R&B/soul/funk heaven if you will!  The lyrics are fun, capitalizing on nothingness. Notably, beyond the famous, infectious chorus, there is one terrific verse:

“I’m not trying to be your hero

‘Cause that zero is too cold for me

I’m not trying to be your highness

‘Cause that minus is too low to see, yeah

Nothing from nothing leaves nothing

And I’m not stuffing, believe you me

Don’t you remember I told ya

I’m a soldier in the war on poverty

Yeah, yes, I am.”

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Final Thoughts 💭 

It’s hard to believe “Nothing From Nothing” is pushing 50 years old.  This old-school soul joint still sounds fresh in the 2020s – truly timeless.  He wouldn’t win the 🏆 Grammy he was nominated for 😏, but he also didn’t need a Grammy to validate the sheer excellence of “Nothing From Nothing” (he’d win two in his lifetime, by the way).  If you need a lift on a down day, let the classic, soulful vibes of this Billy Preston gem elevate you!

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🎙 Billy Preston • 💿 The Kids & Me • 🏷 A&M • 🗓 1974

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Billy Preston, “Nothing From Nothing”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 60 (2022) [📷: A&M, Brent Faulkner, Gerhard G., JL G via Pixabay,  Karl Hörnfeldt via Unsplash,  The Musical Hype]

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