Nothing from Nothing

"Nothing from Nothing"
cover art
US single picture sleeve
Single by Billy Preston
from the album The Kids & Me
B-side"My Soul Is a Witness"
ReleasedAugust 5, 1974 (August 5, 1974)
Genre
Length2:38
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Billy Preston
Billy Preston singles chronology
"You're So Unique"
(1974)
"Nothing from Nothing"
(1974)
"Struttin'"
(1974)
Music video
"Nothing from Nothing" on YouTube

"Nothing from Nothing" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and recorded by Billy Preston for his 1974 album The Kids & Me. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in October 1974, becoming Preston's second solo chart-topper in the United States (following his 1973 hit "Will It Go Round in Circles").[2] It spent four and a half months on the chart.

Preston performed "Nothing from Nothing" on Saturday Night Live, the first musical performance ever on the show.

The song was also used in late 2002 for all GM-brand commercials and was also prominently featured in both the 1975 low-budget independent bank-heist caper Flash and the Firecat and the 2008 film Be Kind Rewind.

The song is also mentioned in the novel Just Above My Head by James Baldwin.[3]

The song was also featured in the 2024 Apple TV+ animated Peanuts special Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin.[4]

  1. ^ Smith, Troy L. (14 December 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. ^ Bronson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits - revised & enlarged. New York: Billboard Books. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-8230-8298-8.
  3. ^ Baldwin, James (1978). Just Above My Head. New York: Dell Publishing. p. 26.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Mark (15 February 2024). "Franklin stars in new 'Peanuts' special on Apple TV+". staradvertiser.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.