THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

522-Brenda Lee-Sweet Nuthin’s.

1960-Number 4 single.

Best Bit-At 1.40. ‘And the radio played that forgotten song, Brenda Lee’s ‘Comin’ On Strong’ (see also best songs 937.)

Brenda Lee was born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11th, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, at her birth she weighed just 4lb and 11 ounces, and her height as a adult is four feet and nine inches, approximately 145 centimetres. She received her stage name from a local Disc Jockey called Peanuts Fairclough, as he said it would be easier to remember when she was famous. Brenda Lee’s breakthrough came in February 1955 at the age of 10, when she appeared on the same bill as the American ‘Country Music’ singer Red Foley, (1910-1968) who after hearing her sing ‘Jambalaya,’ (see also best songs 555) said, ‘I still get cold chills thinking about the first time I heard that voice. One foot started patting rhythm as though she was stomping out a prairie fire, but not another muscle in that little body even as much as twitched. And when she did that trick of breaking her voice, it jarred me out of my trance enough to realise I’d forgotten to get off the stage. There I stood, after 26 years of supposedly learning how to conduct myself in front of an audience, with my mouth open two miles wide and a glassy stare in my eyes.’ After recording the song ‘Dynamite’ in 1957, and because of her height, she would become affectionately known as ‘Little Miss Dynamite.’ John Lennon was once quoted, saying, ‘She has the greatest Rock N’ Roll voice.’ Between 1960-1962 she accumulated nine consecutive American Billboard top 10 singles, which set a record for a female solo artist, that was not surpassed until 1986 by Madonna. In 2023 Brenda Lee’s festive classic ‘”Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ finally made it to Number 1 on Billboard, 65 years after it was first issued, making Brenda Lee at 78 the oldest person to have a Billboard Number 1 single. After falling from the top spot, the song went back to Number 1 in January 2024, and with Brenda Lee now aged 79, she broke her own record.

The discography of Brenda Lee who has sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide, includes, 36 studio Albums released between 1959-2007, and 103 singles between 1956-2001, there are also four collaborative singles, and nine foreign language singles available. Brenda Lee has also issued 63 official compilation Albums, two box sets, and two live Albums. She has had 29 American Billboard top 40 hit singles, with three of those tracks reaching Number 1, while ‘Sweet Nothin’s’ peaked at Number 4. In the UK, Brenda Lee has charted within the top 40 on 19 occasions, with ‘Speak to Me Pretty’ peaking the highest at Number 3 in 1962.

‘Sweet Nothin’s’ as it was issued as in America, and as ‘Sweet Nuthin’s’ in the UK, was the second single released from Brenda Lee’s self titled second studio Album, from August 1960, the song was written by Ronnie Self, (1938-1981) and produced by Owen Bradley (1915-1998.) Ronnie Self was born, Ronald Keith Self on July 5th, 1938, in Tin Town, Missouri, United States, he was a heavy user of amphetamines, alcohol, and marijuana, and died on August 28th, 1982, at the age of 43. It is said that if it hadn’t have been for his erratic, and sometimes violent behaviour, he would have probably have had a very successful solo career in the genre of ‘Rockabilly,’ as well as composing many more songs. As well as writing ‘Sweet Nuffin’s,” he also wrote other hits for Brenda Lee, including, ‘I’m Sorry,’ (1960-Billboard Number 1 & UK Number 12) and ‘Everybody Loves Me But You’ (1962-Billboard Number 6.) His ‘Country Gospel’ song ‘Ain’t That Beautiful Singing,’ recorded by the American ‘Southern Gospel’ singer Jake Hess, (1927-2004) was awarded a ‘Grammy Award’ for ‘Best Sacred Performance’ in 1969.

‘Sweet Nuthin’s” saxophone break was played by Boots Randolph, who was born Homer Louis Randolph III, on June 3rd, 1927, in Paducah, Kentucky, United States, he died on July 3rd, 2007, after suffering a brain haemorrhage, at the age of 80. He said that one of his brothers gave him the nickname ‘Boots’ to avoid confusion, since his father and he had the same first name, though the reason for the nickname choice is unknown. Boots Randolph performed the saxophone on countless recordings, including Roy Orbison’s ‘Oh Pretty Woman,’ (see also best songs 657) Elvis Presley’s ‘Return to Sender,’ and Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.’ He also composed the ‘Pop’ novelty instrumental ‘Yakety Sax,’ which reached Number 35 on Billboard in 1963, but has become far better known as the closing theme music of ‘The Benny Hill Show.’

In 2013 the ‘Hip-Hop’ artist Kanye West (see also best songs 1049-849-477-and 267) sampled Brenda Lee’s voice from ‘Sweet Nuthin’s” for his song ‘Bound 2,’ on his Album ‘Yeezus,’ which in turn was sample by the British ‘Drum and Bass’ duo ‘Sigma,’ on their 2014 single ‘Nobody to Love,’ Brenda Lee has stated that she was flattered. In 1986, the American music producer David Z adapted Brenda Lee’s vocals from ‘Sweet Nuthin’s” to produce the distinctive backing vocals in ‘Kiss,’ which went on to give Prince his third American Billboard Number 1 single.

‘Uh huh, honey alright. My baby whispers in my ear, mm sweet nothin’s. He knows the things I like to hear, mm sweet nothin’s. Things he wouldn’t tell nobody else, secret baby I keep them to myself. Sweet nothin’s um sweet nothin’s.’