Emotion (Ain't Nobody)

Album: single release only (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The song borrows the chorus of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody." Sabre explained to Digital Spy: "I'm a massive funk and R&B fan, so I've always been a Chaka Khan fan. To be honest, it was something that kind of came out of the blue really. I'm a bit of purist myself and normally would think that's kind of, like, blasphemy using Chaka Khan's chorus or anyone else's chorus, and especially such a big tune."

    "But when I was in the studio I had actually another chorus written, and I had a space that I needed to fill just before the end of the studio session," he continued. "We tried out a couple of different melodies on it but none were really working, and the first thing that kind of really stuck with me was that melody... those lyrics came out and it suited what I was writing about."

    "Just for me myself, the most important thing is everything fitting together on a tune and I need to feel right about it," Sabre added. "So when I laid it down, we actually took the chorus that was written already and swapped it over and, to me, it suited it. I tried to write other choruses and I tried to write something in a similar vein, but nothing ever fitted the emotion like that. So we got in contact with Chaka Khan and her team. They were a fan of the tune and wrote back, got her blessing and we went ahead with it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.