“I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston, in “I Have Nothing” claims to have nothing if her love interest does not stay with her. The resounding theme here is that of fear and failure. It is obvious that in a bid to save herself from these painful feelings she tries to persuade her partner to stay in the relationship with her.
The lyrics in the verse contain an assurance that the narrator is willing to make sacrifices and compromise just so the relationship does not go south. The chorus captures her state of heart when she admits that she doesn’t want to be hurt by the end of this relationship, probably because she has been hurt by others and was really hoping that this final one will work smoothly.
Whitney goes on to convince her love interest to stay with her and work to make the relationship better. She understands that it may not be perfect, but it will take both their efforts. As the song ends, her pleas for him not to leave become even stronger, revealing her ultimate fear.
Summary
In all, “I Have Nothing” talks about the singer’s desperate wish for her partner to stay with her since she doesn’t want to experience the pain of a breakup.
Facts about “I Have Nothing”
Whitney released this classic in February 1993 as her third track form the compilation album entitled “The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album”.
The writers of the song are Linda Thompson and David Foster.
After its release, the song was generally accepted and performed well on a number of charts. In March 1993, the song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. Two months later the UK Singles ranked it number 3 on their chart.
It also earned a nomination for the “Best Original Song” prize at the 1993 edition of the Academy Awards. The following year, the song was up for Soul Train Music Awards’ “Best R&B Single, Female”. That same year, the writers of the song were nominated for a Grammy Award.
Scenes from the movie titled “The Bodyguard” were included in the music video of this song. Furthermore, Houston performed the track at numerous ceremonies and events which includes the 1993 Billboard Music Awards, and the first ever BET Awards.
Throughout the years, many musicians have released their renditions of the song including Jessica Simpson.
