Songfacts®:

• Before Jerry Seinfeld created a show about nothing, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians made a song about nothing. In an interview with Melody Maker, Edie Brickell explained: "One day I was just walking along and I realized I was in a band and I could write about anything in the whole world. The first word that bumped into my head was 'nothing.' And I thought: 'I'll write about nothing!' Just nothing!"
• Credited to the five band members, "Nothing" is part of the first Edie Brickell & New Bohemians album, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars. Brickell was not an original member of the group; she signed on after joining them onstage one hazy night in 1985 when she was a student at Southern Methodist University. Even after landing a deal with Geffen Records, they thought their chances were slim, which explains the album title. But they landed an appearance on Saturday Night Live in November 1988 that broke their first single, "What I Am," and the album went on to sell over 2 million copies. Those same five band members were still making music together decades later.