"I (Who Have Nothing)" is a cover of Italian song "Uno Dei Tanti" (English: "One of Many"), with music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti.[1] "Uno Dei Tanti" was released by Joe Sentieri in 1961. The English lyrics for "I (Who Have Nothing)" were written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also produced the Ben E. King record using the backing track from Joe Sentieri's record (orchestra conducted by Luis Enriquez Bacalov).
While the song IS about unrequited love, there is an unmistakable class dimension in the lyrics that you can't escape.
While the original English-language version and lyrics were recorded by Ben E. King, the most commercially successful version was recorded by Dame Shirley Bassey (produced by George Martin) in September 1963, where it reached #6 on UK charts. She performs the song at almost every live concert she gives. Fair or not, the song has always been closely identified with Dame Bassey, so much so that many people are unaware that Ben E. King originally recorded the English language version.
The most popular version in the United States was by Tom Jones, peaking at #11 in Cashbox and at #14 in Billboard in the fall of 1970.
Actually it's a bit more nuanced than that.
"I (Who Have Nothing)" is a cover of Italian song "Uno Dei Tanti" (English: "One of Many"), with music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti.[1] "Uno Dei Tanti" was released by Joe Sentieri in 1961. The English lyrics for "I (Who Have Nothing)" were written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also produced the Ben E. King record using the backing track from Joe Sentieri's record (orchestra conducted by Luis Enriquez Bacalov).
While the song IS about unrequited love, there is an unmistakable class dimension in the lyrics that you can't escape.
While the original English-language version and lyrics were recorded by Ben E. King, the most commercially successful version was recorded by Dame Shirley Bassey (produced by George Martin) in September 1963, where it reached #6 on UK charts. She performs the song at almost every live concert she gives. Fair or not, the song has always been closely identified with Dame Bassey, so much so that many people are unaware that Ben E. King originally recorded the English language version.
The most popular version in the United States was by Tom Jones, peaking at #11 in Cashbox and at #14 in Billboard in the fall of 1970.