Little Baby Nothing
{{Short description|Song by Manic Street Preachers}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Little Baby Nothing
| cover = Littlebabynothing.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Manic Street Preachers
| album = Generation Terrorists
| B-side =
- "Dead Yankee Drawl"
- "Suicide Alley"
- "Never Want Again"
| released = {{Start date|1992|11|9|df=y}}{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=19|date=7 November 1992}}
| recorded =
| studio = Black Barn (London, England)
| genre =
- Glam metal{{cite web | url=http://www.musicomh.com/features/manic-street-preachers-national-treasures | title=Manic Street Preachers – National Treasures | publisher=musicOMH | date=29 October 2011 | access-date=29 July 2019 | author=Shepard, Sam}}
- soft rock{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/qjdp | title=Manic Street Preachers - Forever Delayed Review | publisher=BBC | access-date=29 December 2015 | author=Pike, Daniel}}{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/oct/25/old-music-manic-street-preachers-mash-theme | title=Old music: Manic Street Preachers – Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless) | work=The Guardian | date=25 October 2012 | access-date=29 December 2015 | author=Burrows, Marc}}
| length = {{Duration|m=5|s=00}}
| label = Columbia
| composer =
| lyricist =
| producer = Steve Brown
| prev_title = Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)
| prev_year = 1992
| next_title = From Despair to Where
| next_year = 1993
}}
"Little Baby Nothing" is a song recorded by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers for their debut studio album, Generation Terrorists (1992). It was released on 9 November 1992 by Columbia Records as the sixth and final single from the album. The song features guest vocals by American actress and singer Traci Lords.
Content
"Little Baby Nothing" features vocals by former pornographic actress Traci Lords. The song is about the sexual exploitation of a woman, and Lords agreed to a duet with the band's singer-lead guitarist James Dean Bradfield. Bradfield said: "we needed somebody, a symbol, a person that could actually symbolize the lyrics and justify them to a certain degree. Traci was more than happy to do it. She saw the lyrics, and she had an immediate affinity with them. It was definitely easy to incorporate her personality into the lyrics. We just wanted a symbol for it, and I think she was a great symbol. She sounds like a female Joey Ramone to me."{{sfn|Price|1999}} Lords said that "I listened to the tape and really identified with the character in the song... this young girl who's been exploited and abused by men all her life."{{cite book |last=Power |first=Martin |title=Manic Street Preachers |date=17 October 2010 |publisher=Omnibus Press}} In an interview some years later, she said that she was distressed at the news of the disappearance and presumed suicide of the band's guitarist-lyricist Richey Edwards.{{sfn|Price|1999}}
Originally, the band wanted the duet to feature vocals by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, but she could not be released from her PWL contracts. She later performed the song live with the group. She also collaborated with them on her 1997 album Impossible Princess.
The B-side "Suicide Alley" had previously been released as the Manics' debut single. It was included on all formats (except CD2) as copies of the original 7-inch release were already fetching £250–300 at auction.{{cite journal |date=January 1993 |title=Little Baby Nothing |journal=Select |publisher=IPC Media}} The inclusion of the song on CD also upset Glen Powell's plans to reissue the single. Powell had produced the original version and still owned the master tapes.
Music video
The promotional video for the song was directed by GobTV (music journalist Steven Wells and Nick Small) and featured the first appearance on screen by pop duo Shampoo.{{cite news |last=Wells |first=Stephen |date=13 November 1992 |title=Pop Will Shoot Itself |newspaper=The Guardian |url=http://www.thisisyesterday.com/ints/shoot.html |access-date=19 February 2015}}
Track listings
All music was composed by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. All lyrics were written by Nicky Wire and Richey Edwards.
CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=Little Baby Nothing|others=Manic Street Preachers|year=1992|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=Columbia Records|id=658796 2}}
{{track listing
| title1 = Little Baby Nothing
| note1 = 7-inch version
| length1 = 4:13
| title2 = Never Want Again
| length2 = 3:37
| title3 = Dead Yankee Drawl
| length3 = 3:45
| title4 = Suicide Alley
| length4 = 2:27
}}
- CD1 was rereleased in 1997 with an altered running order.
{{track listing
| title1 = Little Baby Nothing
| note1 = 7-inch version
| length1 = 4:13
| title2 = R.P. McMurphy
| note2 = live at Club Citta, Kawasaki, 13 May 1992
| length2 = 4:44
| title3 = Tennessee
| note3 = live at Club Citta, Kawasaki, 13 May 1992
| length3 = 2:29
| title4 = You Love Us
| note4 = live at Club Citta, Kawasaki, 13 May 1992
| length4 = 4:30
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1 = Little Baby Nothing
| note1 = 7-inch version
| length1 = 4:13
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side B
| title2 = Never Want Again
| length2 = 3:37
| title3 = Suicide Alley
| length3 = 2:27
}}
Cassette
{{track listing
| title1 = Little Baby Nothing
| note1 = 7-inch version
| length1 = 4:13
| title2 = Never Want Again
| length2 = 3:37
| title3 = Suicide Alley
| length3 = 2:27
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|29|artist=Manic Street Preachers|rowheader=true|access-date=December 24, 2016|refname="UK"}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
= Sources =
- {{cite book |last=Price |first=Simon |title=Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers) |publisher=Virgin Books |place=London |isbn=0-7535-0139-2 |year=1999}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|102185|type=single}}
- {{YouTube|wM3N54avEQc|Music video for "Little Baby Nothing"}}
- [http://www.thisisyesterday.com/ints/shoot.html Director Steven Wells on the story behind the video for "Little Baby Nothing"]
{{Manic Street Preachers}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:British soft rock songs
Category:Male–female vocal duets
Category:Manic Street Preachers songs
Category:Songs with feminist themes
Category:Songs written by James Dean Bradfield