Nobody But Me

Album: Nobody But Me (1968)
Charted: 8
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Songfacts®:

  • In literal terms, this is the most negative song ever recorded. The word "no" appears 100 times and "nobody" gets sung 46 times, according to rock critic Dave Marsh.
  • This was originally recorded in 1962 by the Isley Brothers, who wrote it in the studio. The Human Beinz were a bar band from Youngstown, Ohio, who originally spelled their band name Human Beingz - the name was spelled wrong on their record contracts and that's how it stayed. "Nobody But Me" was their only hit, and it was a song the band loved to play live long before they recorded it. According to the band's guitarist Ting Markulin, their live version would last about 7 minutes, but the studio version was chopped down to 2 minutes to attract airplay. It took two days to complete the song, which was recorded on an 8-track tape machine.
  • The dances that "nobody can do" like the singer: The Shingaling, The Skate, The Boogaloo, and The Philly.
  • This was used in the movies Kill Bill: Vol. 1, What Women Want, Jersey Girl and The Departed. It was also used in the opening segment of the season 7 premiere of The Office, where the office workers lip-synch to it. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2
  • Listen at the end for a tinging sound - that's their bass player Mel Pachuta hitting an empty Pepsi bottle with a drumstick. The producer was looking for something to add more excitement to the track, and that did the trick.
  • This song gets used in commercials from time to time, including some Capital One spots in the '00s where David Spade played a customer service rep who said no to everything. It was also used in a popular Nike commercial in 2011 which featured athletes demonstrating all manner of difficult feats.
  • The Jaded Hearts Club Band, a supergroup comprising Matt Bellamy, Graham Coxon, Miles Kane, Nic Cester, Sean Payne, and Jamie Davis, released a cover of "Nobody But Me" as their debut single. Their updated version features Miles Kane on lead vocals.

Comments: 23

  • Steve from Dublin, Oh.Went to YSU in the 60s. Knew John Ballas. Sat buy him in speech class. I roomed with Bill Ross the drummer who also knew John not certain of spelling of John's last name
  • Jim Kostelic from Canfield,ohioI was raised in Cornersburg and I use to hear you guys practicing on Straley Lane.... was it Ting who use to live there...
  • Annabelle from Eugene, OrTo Howard in St. Louis Park, MN I think the foghorn-like sound you hear in the intro is actually guitar feedback.
  • Byron from KansasWhere can I find a copy of the extended opening and closing version on vinyl? Thanks. Great song. I always heard a group member got drafted. Is that true?
  • Ed from Newburgh, NyHey -squid, Clarksburg, WV. You are way off. I doubt you were anywhere near that studio when Nobody But Me was recorded.
    How do I know that? I know that because I'm a former lead singer for The Human Beinz and I also played with Ting Markulin from 2005 to 2011.
    Ting told me the story personally, about what took place at the recording session for Nobody But Me. No one else was in the studio; except,
    all 4 of the Human Beinz and their producer Lou Avezedo. And you're dead wrong about the quarter and the coke bottle.
    If you were there, then you would know that Mel Pachuta played the 16th notes on a PEPSI bottle, with a drumstick.
    But you weren't there, squid. Nice try, though.
    Anyone can read the true story about that recording session on the web page for the Human Beinz: http://www.thehumanbeinz.com/
    Do me a favor squid. Do your research before you start telling lies about where you were or how important you are, ok?
    At least get the facts straight... you squid!
    -Rick White, former Lead singer for The Human Beinz. Look it up.
  • Randy from Fayettevile, ArWow! What a song! I always wondered what that pinging sound was at the end of the record & now I know. "Nobody But Me" came out in 1968 when there were a lot of music varieties in rock & roll. Psychedelic rock, folk-rock, bubble gum rock, soft rock, pop, and hard rock. After it faded, we never heard from The Human Beinz again. But it was a rockin' song for the times.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 28th 1968, "Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz peaked at #8 (for 3 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on December 3rd, 1967 and spent 15 weeks on the Top 100 (and 4 of those 15 weeks were on the Top 10)...
    As already stated above it was composed by the Isley Brothers; it was track 16 on their 1962 album 'Twist and Shout' and was released as a single, reached #106 on the 'Bubbling Under the Top 100' chart...
    The Human Beinz's only other Top 100 hit was a covered version of Bobby Bland's 1962 record "Turn On Your Love Light"; it reached #80 in the U.S.A. but did peak at #1 in Japan.
  • Charles Hollingswort from Leeds, AlThis song:you can "Blame It On The Bossa Nova." Really!!!
  • Steve from Whittier, CaNo, No, No, No, No, No, Noi....how many beinz in here? This amounts to a hill of beinz. Jack took some beinz to the local market.
  • Budd from Rutland, VtThis song rocked.A great one hit wonder from the 60s.It sure can tire you out between singing no a zillion times and trying to do all the dances real quick just to keep up with it all.It's a good workout record.Love that fuzzy guitar sound and mind bending organ.
  • Dominick from New York, NyI remember when the band performed the song on "American Bandstand." Dick Clark asked them why they had such an unusual spelling for the band name. They said it was a mistake. It was supposed to be spelled correctly as "The Human Beings," but in the rush to get the single to market, the printer made a mistake and put "The Human Beinz" on the record label, so they kept it.
  • Donald from Lewiston, MeQ: What contemporary of Sam Cooke recorded a song that transforms into an early version of this one? I heard it once years ago and now I can't find it or even anyone who knows what I'm talking about...
  • Ed from Newburgh, NyHi some intresting comments. I play with Ting Markulin In the Human Beinz. I took the place of Mel the Bassist who plays country music now. The Human Beinz may be contacted at humanbeinz05@yahoo.com
  • Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesThis was used in a (Canon?) copier commercial in the 1980s in which, among other things, an elephant sits on a rival brand.
  • Marilyn from Indian Orchard, MaI remember being in a dance contest in junior high when this came out.

    We made the finals!
  • Bob from Hicksville, NyA great tune about the local dances going on at the time!!!! Come on man boog-a-loo!!!!
    goldy...FLA
  • Steve from Fenton, MoAn amazing song...if you are feeling down, just put this song on and crank up the volume.
  • Dirk from Nashville, TnSquid--How did they get such a hot sound on the guitar solo? Reminds me of the solo on Mitch Ryder's "Devil With a Blue Dress." Same smokey overdrive.
  • Howard from St. Louis Park, MnLet's not forget the foghorn-like sound in the intro.
  • Chase from Chillicothe, OhGreatest song ever recorded, bar none.
  • Megan from Goldsboro, NcEveryone knows why they sang "No, no no" repeatedly! Ohhh, you are so naive... must I explain it? Dave Marsh was making a statistical joke, come off it, you must've realized that! Honestly...
  • Derek from Carmel, InThis was in Kill Bill.
  • Squid from Clarksburg, WvYou guys don't get it. The song, originally by the Isleys, was based on the "scat" singing method. I've read that Ernie Isley sang "No, No No..." on purpose, to make it clear that it was - "NOBODY BUT ME." this is how they did it in the 60's.
    Also, they had a second, minor hit from the same album, "Turn On Your Love Light", which is readily available in mp3 from me. It is also found in a similar version by Edgar Winter's White Trash double album "Roadwork." There's no negativity to it at all. Last, he "Chink" sound you hear at the end is a quarter being hit on a Coke bottle. I was there when this song went down.
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