"Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Gwen Guthrie | ||||
from the album Good to Go Lover | ||||
Released | 1986 | |||
Format | 7", 12" | |||
Genre | Post-Disco | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Writer(s) | Gwen Guthrie | |||
Producer(s) | Gwen Guthrie | |||
Gwen Guthrie singles chronology | ||||
|
"Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent" is a hit song recorded by American singer Gwen Guthrie. Released as a single in 1986 on Polydor Records, the song became the biggest hit of Guthrie's career, and the song's title became a semi-popular catchphrase among many women throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The song was a major hit in the U.S. on both sides of Atlantic, mostly in dance clubs and on the radio, charting moderately on the US pop chart (reaching #42 on the Billboard Hot 100), but faring better on the R&B chart where it spent one week at #1 and on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart where it spent two weeks at the top. The song was also successful in parts of Europe, reaching #5 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached #1 in New Zealand.
The song contains apparent references to at least three other songs:
The line "Ain't nothing goin' on now, but the rent-uh" appears in the 1972 James Brown hit "Get on the Good Foot — Pt. 1".
The line "You got to have a J-O-B if you want to be-with-me" is set to a melody line that recurs throughout "Doctor Love", a 1977 disco hit by First Choice.
The line "Nothing from nothing leaves nothing" is taken from Billy Preston's 1974 hit song of the same name.
The song has been referenced numerous times in popular culture, including songs with similar messages, such as Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills", and by Eddie Murphy in one of his stand-up comedy shows. The last stanza of Blackstreet's song "No Diggity" uses the title line. Rapper Foxy Brown released a cover version of the song, titled "JOB", which also featured Mýa. It appeared on Brown's 1999 album Chyna Doll.