Ain't Nothing 'Bout You

Album: Steers & Stripes (2001)
Charted: 25
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this country chart-topper by Tom Shapiro and Rivers Rutherford, Brooks & Dunn celebrate all the qualities of a special woman, including the way "you kiss, the way you cry, the way you move when you walk by." Not only did the track spend six weeks at #1 on the country chart, but it was also the top country song of 2001.
  • Neither Shapiro nor Rutherford were much interested in working on the song, in what would be their first writing session together. Luckily, the two ended up getting along as collaborators and as friends. Shapiro brought in an idea he came up with in the shower and Rutherford added a melody. Shapiro told The Tennessean: "Sometimes I do mental exercises. This was a way of saying, 'How do you say, 'I love everything about you?' ' That's all it was. I was actually in the shower (sings), and it came out. I just filed it away. I walk into the write, Rivers is there and plays this little melody that he had. I just loved the melody. I said, 'I have this idea I thought of this morning.' He was surprised. 'You thought of it this morning?' I said, 'Yeah, I come up with an idea once in a while.'"
  • Ronnie Dunn recorded his vocal in one five-minute take at the tail-end of a four-hour recording session for "Only in America."
  • The songwriters also collaborated on Montgomery Gentry's "If You Ever Stop Loving Me" in 2004.
  • Alana de la Garza, who would later star as ADA Connie Rubirosa on Law & Order, starred in the Trey Fanjoy-directed music video.
  • Brooks & Dunn recorded a new version of the song featuring Brett Young for their 2019 Reboot album. The record features the duo performing some of their biggest hits with a selection of contemporary country stars. The new version transforms "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You" from a sultry, medium-tempo tune into a slow jam.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.