Ain't Nobody's Business
| "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Anna Meyers with the Original Memphis Five | |
| B-side | "That Da Da Strain" |
| Released | 1922 |
| Format | 10-inch 78-rpm record |
| Recorded | New York City, October 19, 1922 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 3:08 |
| Label | Pathé Actuelle (no. 20870) |
| Writer(s) | Porter Grainger, Everett Robbins |
"Ain't Nobody's Business" (originally "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do") is a 1920s blues song that became one of the first blues standards. It was published in 1922 by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins. The song features a lyrical theme of freedom of choice and a vaudeville jazz–style musical arrangement. It was first recorded, as "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do", in 1922 by Anna Meyers, backed by the Original Memphis Five.
Recordings by other classic female blues singers, including Sara Martin, Alberta Hunter, and Bessie Smith soon followed. In 1947, the song was revived by the jump blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon as "Ain't Nobody's Business". It was the best-selling race record of 1949 and inspired numerous adaptations of the song. In 2011, Witherspoon's rendition was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame as a "Classic of Blues Recording".
The early versions of "Ain't Nobody's Business" feature vocals with piano and sometimes horn accompaniment. They are performed as moderate-tempo blues and have an extended sixteen-bar introduction:
There ain't nothin' I can do nor nothin' I can say, that folks don't criticize me
But I'm gonna do just as I want to anyway, I don't care if they all despise me
The remaining verses are eight bars in length, with the first four describing a situation, such as "If I go to church on Sunday, then cabaret on Monday", and the last four concluding with the refrain "Tain't nobody's biz-ness if I do". The song's eight-bar chord scheme was a model for subsequent "bluesy" Tin Pan Alley songs and R&B ballads in an AABA form.
The music and lyrics are usually credited to two pianists – Porter Grainger, who had been Bessie Smith's accompanist from 1924 to 1928, and Everett Robbins, who had his own bands and worked briefly with Mamie Smith.Clarence Williams, who played the piano on Bessie Smith's recording, is sometimes listed as a co-author of the song.BMI, the performing rights organization, lists Grainger, Williams, Witherspoon, and Robert Prince. The original lyrics were copyrighted in 1922 and are now in the public domain. (See External links.)
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