#BoTB Round 12 ‘I (Who Have Nothing)’ showdown
Welcome to another round of Battle of the Bands!
Ben E. King recorded, I (Who Have Nothing) originally in 1963 which was new to me. Thanks to Mr. Shady from Shady’s Place Music & Memories the blind of ignorance is now lifted.
According to Wikipedia, I Who Have Nothing is an English language cover of the Italian song “Uno Dei Tanti” (English: “One of Many”) recorded by singer & actor, Joe Sentieri. In the U.S. King’s version reached #29 on Billboard Hot 100 chart and #16 on the Hot R&B Charts. Many artists have recorded the song but the most popular in the U.S. has been Tom Jones, the cover I remember, Billboard Hot 100 (#14) and the Easy Listening chart (#2).
Today I’m featuring two well-known, talented artists. It’s gonna be a battle between a gal and a guy. Who will win? Only you can decide. Listen and cast your vote in comments.
Contender #1 Shirley Bassey released her cover in 1963 hitting the UK charts #6. Shirley purrforms the song at nearly all of her concerts and is frequently found on her compilation albums.
Contender #2 Joe Cocker included his cover on his 2004 Heart & Soul album.
Who gets your vote, Shirley or Joe?
[tweetthis]I just voted in the ‘I (Who Have Nothing)’ #BoTB showdown & you’re invited to play along. #coverbands[/tweetthis]
You’ll find more awesome battles underway at some of these blog listed below (not everyone is doing the bi-monthly showdowns now) and if you’d like to be included in the fun, then contact Stephen requesting to be added to the list.
✩ai loves music✩ (Amy), Angels Bark (Michele), Cherdo on the Flipside, The Doglady’s Den (Debbie), Jingle Jangle Jungle (Mary), Mike’s Ramblings, STMcC Presents BoTB (Stephen, BoTB Manager), The Sound of One Hand Typing (John), & Tossing It Out (Lee)
Polls close noon (EST) on the October 7th!
I will share the results of this battle in my Oct. 15th BoTB, so mark your calendar to see if Shirley or Joe wins in the ‘I (Who Have Nothing)’ BoTB showdown and be ready to cast a new vote!
My friend and fellow BoTBer, Mary from Jingle Jangle Jungle, is hosting her second annual Rocktober Mewsic Fest and I decided to give it another go this year. I hope you’ll join the party!
This time I’m going to use rock mewsic from the 70s, starting today with Aerosmith. Up until now, I had no clue how old today’s featured song. Dream On released June 1973 written and purrformed by Steve Tyler. It became the bands first major hit. I wasn’t even 12 years old at the time.
Wikipedia says Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 70 million records in the United States alone. It wasn’t until the past 10 or so years that I rediscovered my rock roots with some of the best classic 70s band with Aerosmith still at the top of my favorites list. What surprised me about the band is despite the popularity of their mewsic, they only had one #1 hit, I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing from the 1998 movie, Armaggedon.
To round things out feel free read about Aerosmith’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits!
I’ll see you tomorrow for more Roctober Mewsic Festival fun!
X💋X💋, Cathy
30 Comments
messymimi's meanderings
Shirley, and i’m not sure why. Maybe because she makes it sound like a show tune, at least to my ear.
Cathy Kennedy
Mimi,
Just when I thought Joe was going to win this round you gave your vote to Shirley Bassey putting them neck and neck again. WOW! Thanks for voting, darlin’!
Birgit
I vote for Shirley Bassey who has such a powerful voice and gave such feeling to the song. Joe Cocker did a great rendition of this song as well but I still love Dame Shirley. She could easily have done opera.
Cathy Kennedy
Birgit,
It’s great you found time to check out my latest BoTB. Your vote for Dame Shirley still has her down by one but she truly is a powerhouse performer. I love her voice but I also like Joe’s. They are just very different. 🙂
-Eugenia
I gotta go with Joe Cocker coz I like his version. Difficult choice because they’re both good.
Cathy Kennedy
Eugenia,
Thanks for voting for Joe Cocker. For a while, it looked like this battle was going to end in a tie but Joe finally edged Shirley out and now has a two-vote lead.
-Eugenia
😀
Mike Spain
Joe Cocker gets my vote, I could feel the song more with his version. Aerosmith was nice a bonus!
Cathy Kennedy
Mike,
I’m so glad you got a chance to swing by to vote for Joe Cocker who now has a two tally lead. Aerosmith is a nice old band. I love their mewsic!
aisasami
This is a tough one because both artists are great. Love Shirley’s pipes but Joe’s version is my favorite. It is such a smooth song vocally and just soothing.
I love the songs you featured for Aerosmith too. Those are the songs I think about when someone mentions Aerosmith. Actual this post (with Aerosmith) have a connection with my BotB: Diane Warren.
Cathy Kennedy
Amy,
With your vote for Joe Cocker, he’s now in the lead! Will he stay in the front? There are a few more days left for others to cast their ballots. Ahh, thanks for the heads up on your BoTB. I’m heading over to your place now!
Cherdo
Shirley is and will always be the bomb, but I really like Joe Cocker’s gravelly vocals on this one. He pulls off desperation well.
Great battle! I love when it’s two people you don’t normally associate with a song. These flew under my musical radar. Nice!!
Cathy Kennedy
Cherdo,
I like both covers each artist gives the song something unique, striking my mood in different ways. I like Joe’s gravelly voice. Thanks for voting for Cocker. The tally is even again.
Arlee Bird
I know this song, but never heard these versions. I’ve never been much of a Joe Cocker fan, but he does this song very nicely. Still, I prefer Shirley (Goldfinger) Bassey.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Cathy Kennedy
Lee,
Shirley Bassey has a distinctive voice. What a powerhouse! For years, I only heard her sing the ‘Goldfinger theme’. I didn’t recall any other songs by her and in recent years a few straggling ones made it to my ears, so it was a pleasure to find that she covered my battle song. I knew I had to use her. Another vote for Shirley Bassey.
Brian Frum
Such good tunes. We would go with Joe too, he was a cool dude.
John Holton
Both Joe Cocker and Shirley Bassey did a fantastic job with “I Who Have Nothing.” For sentimental reasons, I cast my vote for Dame Shirley. Had you had Joe up against anyone else (say Tom Jones), he would have won.
A great kickoff to Rocktober! I chose to dispense with my usual format and just present the song and let it stand on its own, but you give some good background on it.
Cathy Kennedy
John,
Nothing wrong with changing your BoTB format. I tend to do those sorts of things on occasion. I have you down for Dame Shirley! Gosh, I loved it that you’re not afraid to call a gal a ‘dame’! I love hearing stuff like this. It reminds me of time when men were men and women were women, no apologies or regrets for acting as such, either. 🙂
John Holton
Dame Shirley is a Dame of the British Empire, a title bestowed on her for “services to music.” And she’s a gorgeous dame besides. 😉
Stephen T. McCarthy
HiYa, CATHY ~
I don’t recall having ever heard this song before, but if Tom Jones had a #14 hit with it, I MUST have heard it a few times on some old transistor radio.
I’m really not a fan of Joe Cocker’s stuffs, but I did prefer him over Shirley Bassey on this song, so he gets my BOTB bote. It’s a rare day when one would find me voting for Joe.
I didn’t learn this until about 2 or 3 years ago, but you know why Joe Cocker used to do all that weird gyrating while singing on stage – like a guy having an epileptic seizure? He was attempting to emulate the body movements of Ray Charles when Ray would play his piano. (Ladies and Gentlemen, watch this White man imitate a blind Black man at the piano… without a piano! Hokey-Smoke! I think that has to be one of the dumbest things I ever heard of!)
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Cathy Kennedy
Stephen,
That’s some interesting tidbits about Cocker. I generally dislike watching an artist perform because they tend to do something that I do not like and I find it worse for me to see women on stage because they tend to behave less feminine which I really dislike in a big way. That’s one reason why I try to not watch the YT vids. I want the vocals and mewsic arrangement to stand on its own without visual influences good or bad. I’m glad you like Cocker in this showdown, as for me I’ve always been a fan. 🙂
scr4pl80
Tough call with this one. I think I’m going with Joe Cocker. I agree with Thomas that he seemed to hold back a little but to me it worked for this song. Two great songs from Aerosmith as well. This is going to be a fun month for listening I think!
Cathy Kennedy
Janet,
I guess if you’re in tune with the way an artist performs then one can pick up on what you and Tom are speaking of but I enjoyed Cocker’s version and am not sensing what y’all do; not to say it isn’t so, I’m just getting any vibes. Gotta you down for Joe Cocker, darlin’!
Debbie D.
Hi Cathy! I LOVE this song, primarily Tom Jones’ rendition. The covers were both good, but in my opinion, the Flamenco-style guitar and emotional vocals of Joe Cocker’s version gave it something extra. Joe Cocker for the win! 🙂
Aerosmith is comparable to the Rolling Stones in many ways, including having a singer with big lips. 😀 Great tunes for your Rocktoberfest kickoff! I’ll try and check in here and there during the month. Have fun!
Sandee
Shirley Bassey gets my vote. The emotion she put into this song is amazing.
Have a fabulous day my friend. Love and hugs. ♥
Cathy Kennedy
Sandee,
WP had you in my Spam folder. I’m so glad that I noticed it. Thanks for voting for Shirley Bassey. This vote puts the squeeze on Joe who’s ahead by one.
Thomas Anderson
Hi, Cathy!
Happy H-ween month to you, dear friend, and thanks for mentioning me in the post. While I will always favor the version of “I (Who Have Nothing)” released in 1966 by Terry Knight And The Pack, a major hit at the Dell, I applaud you for picking two other worthy versions of the song to compete in your October 1 band battle.
In the mid 60s, Shirley Bassey gave me chills and fever singing the theme from the hit 007 film “Goldfinger” and I appreciated Shirley’s operatic belting style on her cover of “I (Who Have Nothing).” Apart from the meticulously edited video of Shirley’s performances, her recording of the song is powerful and it reaches me.
Joe Cocker delivers a characteristically raw vocal performance on his version of “IWHN.” It was sad and bleak, which suits the material, and yet I felt Joe held back on this one. His rendition lacks the passion and intensity of some of his other great performances. I very much enjoyed the bluesy guitar solo in the middle, but Joe’s singing didn’t grab me to the extent Shirley’s did. Therefore, I am voting for Shirley Bassey.
I didn’t know that Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time. Thanks for informing me. I am a rock lover from way back and love gravel voiced lead zingers but, for some reason, I didn’t take much interest in Steven Tyler and his band. The first vid you posted is blocked in this country but I enjoyed the second “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” I must add that I also enjoyed Steven’s country style solo album We’re All Somebody from Somewhere and his song and video “Love Is Your Name.”
Thank you for the morning mewsic and fun, dear friend Cathy!
Cathy Kennedy
Tom,
Thanks for stopping by to cast your vote. The dynamics of Bassey’s voice with this song really grabs the soul, doesn’t it? Cocker’s rendition is different but in a good way. I think it’s gonna be a question of one’s mood at the time you hear both. They each certainly evoke varying emotions with each style. If I were to vote for one, I’m not sure how I’d go in this round.
Oh, I’m with you I like Steven’s country mewsic which came as a huge surprise but I do love those vintage Aerosmith classics! Have a good day.
Mary B
Well it is nice to hear this song from both the male and female perspective. It was a tough decision for me, but in the end, I find myself favoring Shirley Bassey.
Thanks so much for joining me in my #RocktoberMusicFest2019! It’s going to be a great month!
Cathy Kennedy
Mary,
I think #RMF is going to be great fun and I have all of my posts done for the month. Incidentally, I’ll be taking a mini-break around mid-month. DH has some time that needs to be used, so we’ll do somethings locally to break away from the normal grind. It’ll be lots of fun. I hope the weather is cooler at that time. Thanks for playing along in my showdown today and being the first to cast a ballot for Shirely Bassey in this round. Have a good day!