Little Rebellion Music

Darius Rucker’s third single, ‘I Got Nothing’ off his “Charleston, SC 1966” album, was a bit of a surprise selection for me.  As summer approaches, kids are getting out of school and vacations plans are being finalized with many looking forward to the “easy breezy” of summer schedules and fun times ahead. With this ballad of love, regret and loss, it doesn’t actually leave one with the desire to crank it up in the car with the top down on your way to the lake or beach. A somber selection for a summertime single.

That being said, ‘I Got Nothing’ is still a well-crafted song penned by Darius and Clay Mills. It is obvious from the very beginning that a couple has been up all night arguing and are at a turning point in their relationship. With the lines “I watch you pack your things / You look down at your ring / Slowly slip it off and then lay it on our bed/”  it is clear that his wife (or fiance) has had enough and no amount of “I’m sorry’s” is going to change her mind. Yet, the song tells us that her eyes are pleading for him to say something – anything- that might help her change her mind.  Alas, ‘I Got Nothing.’ It is clear, however, that he DOES have something to say, yet he doesn’t.  The very last line of the song is “‘Cause if you go, I got nothing.”  I wanted to cry out, “Tell her that!”

In any event, the lyrics and the music (that amply provides the proper canvas for this somber scene) are the best parts of the song. In listening, I just could not hear the pain in Darius’s vocals … he could not make me believe he was feeling what he was singing. For an artist to really, really connect with the listener, we should be able to somehow believe they own those emotions in the lyrics.  While catchy enough to elicit a fair amount of radio play this summer, it still left me a bit disappointed.

• About
• Latest Posts

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.

Latest posts by Liv Carter (see all)

• Well yes, racism, but it’s more complicated - February 13, 2017
• Black River Entertainment had a great reason to party! - October 25, 2016
• Keith Urban returns to the States for US arena leg of his “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016” - October 10, 2016