Nothing Matters

Album: Prelude to Ecstasy (2023)
Charted: 16
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Nothing Matters" is a love song that dives headfirst into the wild, untamed depths of passionate desire with a hint of the unconventional. The Last Dinner Party vocalist Abigail Morris lays bare an emotionally raw connection, one so intimate that nobody else could possibly grasp it. Though Morris' boyfriend has other lovers, when they're making love, nothing else matters.
  • The song started as a "slow, sad ballad," a rare departure for Morris, who typically pens heartbreak anthems as they're "easier and more dramatic." But, she told Billboard with a laugh, "I was with my boyfriend at the time, and I was very happy."

    The band turned the simple piano ballad into something far more complex, throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. They added guitar solos, horn sections, and experimented with vocal textures, transforming the track into a baroque art-rock anthem.
  • The Last Dinner Party recorded "Nothing Matters" in Church Studios in Crouch Hill, with Arctic Monkeys and Foals producer James Ford.
  • In the music video, a grand feast unfolds within the opulent confines of an Art Deco mansion, evoking the Romantic poets. It boasts sumptuous sets and costumes that whisper of faded opulence and decadence.

    "The imagery and the way we present ourselves as a band are a natural extension of our interests and music," Davis told Under The Radar. "I studied English Lit at uni, which is how we first met, and as well as being a pretentious di--head, I was always interested in the Romantic poets," she added laughing. "But yeah, mixing up historical fashion, making it contemporary, is really interesting and fun."
  • Released on April 19, 2023, via Island/Republic Records as their debut single, the song entered Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart at #39. It later climbed into the Top 10, becoming a significant radio hit.
  • US audiences finally witnessed the hype firsthand when The Last Dinner Party performed "Nothing Matters" on the January 17, 2024, episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. It was the English band's debut appearance on American TV.
  • The original version of "Nothing Matters" includes the repeated use of the f-word in the chorus. On the radio and during TV performances, they changed the expletive to "have."

    After meeting Courtney Love at a festival, she helped advise the band on how to censor the song's lyrics for radio, but they rejected her suggestion.

    "We met her at The Great Escape and at the time we were in agony over what on earth we were going to use instead of [the F-word] because that's the whole point," Morris told Music Week.

    "After the show she stormed up the dressing room stairs saying, 'I've got it!' She had an empty packet of painkillers and she'd scrawled 'punch' on there. She was kinda pitching to us. We were like, 'Yeah, thanks!' We appreciated her passion."

Comments: 1

  • Nm from UkAbigail speaking to Primavera Sound Radio in Barcelona, May 2024 prior to performing at their festival.

    And I remember when I wrote "I will f--k you", I was just like 'yeah, true - that's what's gonna happen mate!' (laugher). And I didn't think, yes, this is kind of an important political female statement, which I think is in itself kind of a good thing because it's second nature, you know, to feel like you have that agency and that power. And I hope that's how women feel when they hear it, that it's not weird. It can be that natural. You don't have to be passive or being assertive or even just confident in your sexuality. It doesn't have to be a huge mission. It can just be something that sits naturally in yourself.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.