169:"Nobody" became Bert Williams' signature theme, and the song that he is best remembered for today. It is a doleful and ironic composition, replete with his dry observational wit, and is complemented by Williams' intimate, half-spoken singing style. Williams became so identified with the song that he was obliged to sing it in almost every appearance for the rest of his life. He considered its success both blessing and curse: "Before I got through with 'Nobody', I could have wished that both the author of the words and the assembler of the tune had been strangled or drowned... 'Nobody' was a particularly hard song to replace."
330:, as he always did performing alongside Walker, he embraced the racist caricature with the intent to walk the fine lines between humiliation, assimilation and humor. The lyrics are a tale of reality just as much as they are a cry for help. On the surface level, Williams is pleading for direct, personal attention and companionship. However, digging deeper into the context, he is asking for the American society to extend a welcoming hand to blacks. He is revealing much of himself, being vulnerable, genuine all while maintaining his comedic flair.
247:, or the Ethiopian empire, was dominant from about 1270 to 1974. Showing reverence to the Empire, Williams and Walker set out to put its dominance on display so that their audience would not only be educated, but also empowered by its greatness. It represented a resurgence of the black community in America, as it was a symbol of greatness. It was also a symbol for the longevity and depth of roots that blacks have, giving black Americans the confidence and mentality to succeed in the midst of oppression. The show
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223:. Traveling as a performer, Williams faced issues with hotels not letting him use the same elevators or facilities as whites, and white performers not wanting to perform with him. He took those experiences to the stage with him, giving the audience his real life that they could relate to. As the businessman of the group, Walker was in charge of managing and handling the dealings of
273:, many stereotypes were formed to justify the racist actions against blacks to keep them at the bottom of the social totem pole. Stemming from images, phrases and common beliefs, the stereotypes held power and weight, as they were the force and the background behind much of the daily encounters that whites had with blacks even after
277:. These stereotypes did not even have to make sense. "For instance, an enslaved person forced under violence to work from sunrise to sunset could hardly be described as 'lazy,' yet laziness, as well as characteristics of docility, backwardness, lasciviousness, treachery, and dishonesty, historically became characteristic of
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headlined, "Williams and Walker Make and
Opening at the New York Theatre and Hold It: All Negro Book and Music Played by and All-Negro Cast – The Negroes in the Audience Were in Heaven." Using that success, they prided themselves on appealing to the entire social spectrum. Therefore, Williams was
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Although the song was published in 1905, the lyrics are similar to a poem "The
Bachelor's Complaint" that appeared in The American Musical Times, Volume 4, Number 6, June 1894, page 8. The first lines read: "Returning home at close of day / Who gently chides my long delay, / And by my side
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Analyzing the lyrics from the mindset of
Williams, he takes the realities of poor blacks in America as the theme. Performing on Broadway, he and Walker were able to break racial barriers to gather both blacks and whites in the same theatre. In Dahomey was their debut on Broadway, which gained
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intent in making the narrative relatable to blacks that were fortunate enough to be in his audience. Taking on the character of a lowly, lazy, lonely black man who has lived through hardships, he plays into the stereotypes that white people created. Dressed in
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developed for culture. Changes in social structure, the polarization of rich and poor, and the growth of a salaried middle class anxious about its own opportunity — indeed, created the necessity — for the healing properties identified within
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He likewise experienced the realities of being black in a business that did not cater to black performers. Trying to combat their own realities and the known condition of blacks in
America, Williams used the song as a statement. Debuting in
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comedians ever appeared." This musical was one of the highlighted works of their careers, showing off their talent along with their awareness of their common plight, situated within an overarching historical narrative.
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was emerging, whites felt pressured to thwart the growth of blacks, using these stereotypes in any way that could be justified. As a result, these beliefs crept their way into the entertainment industry and onto the
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219:. Off the stage, they were accomplished individuals who tried to separate themselves as distinguished and sophisticated; thus, defying the pervasive
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was a smash hit, intertwining the depths and gravity of the historical narrative with the common stereotypes, drenched in drama and humor. The
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went through during their lives both as citizens and performers on the vaudeville stage. As black men living during the
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Williams uses "Nobody" as the counter to the stereotype that whites had about blacks at the time. During
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estimates that it sold between 100,000 and 150,000 copies, a phenomenally high amount for the era.
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delights to stay? / Nobody! ". No author is given; the magazine editor is D. O. Evans.
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787:"Bert Williams and George Walker: The First African American Superstars"
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Magee, Jeffery; Man, Jonah (Autumn 1998). "A Tribute to Bert
Williams".
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was an attempt to bring attention to black excellence, specifically in
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The
Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age
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recorded "Nobody" for the Victor label (no. 4391) on May 22, 1905.
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838:"Popular and Pervasive Stereotypes of African Americans"
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National Museum of
African American History and Culture
203:"Nobody" embodies the struggle that Bert Williams and
281:." As social classes were beginning to form, and the
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176:' sales catalogue into the 1930s, and musicologist
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422:And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
380:And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime,
425:I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
383:I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time!
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451:, feat. in the Broadway Show "Ziegfeld Follies")
812:"Williams and Walker Abyssinia Plot and Review"
419:I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
377:I ain't never got nothin' from nobody, no time!
618:" as part of the medley "Outside Looking In")
527:. It was actually broadcast on April 2, 1947.
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366:who says " Ah, here's two bits, go an' eat!"
352:who soothes my thumpin' bumpin' brain ?
297:was becoming increasingly popular. Scholar
753:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
394:who says " Ah, look at that handsome man!"
158:and continued the string of hits for the
870:. New York: Hill and Wang. p. 145.
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388:When I try hard an' scheme an' plan,
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402:When all day long things go amiss,
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725:. Richard K. Spottswood. Urbana.
510:" to open his version of the song
405:and I go home to find some bliss,
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150:. The show, which included live
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971:"...And Here's Bing!"
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818:. October 27, 1906
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41:May 22, 1905
692:: 349–351.
622:Johnny Cash
551:Nina Simone
519:Bing Crosby
195:(left) and
137:Alex Rogers
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1024:1905 songs
1008:Categories
930:2022-03-24
666:2016-02-03
643:References
541:Jimmy Dean
531:Perry Como
295:minstrelsy
290:stage, as
288:vaudeville
178:Tim Brooks
160:vaudeville
949:Kokomo.ca
902:April 22,
866:(2007) .
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506:) added "
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496:no. 4391)
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328:blackface
292:blackface
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249:Abyssinia
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230:Abyssinia
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657:"Nobody"
616:Tintypes
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99:(lyrics)
38:Recorded
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706:3052642
271:slavery
263:colored
199:(right)
126:popular
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411:Nobody
397:Nobody
369:Nobody
355:Nobody
338:Lyrics
241:Africa
217:racism
152:camels
122:Nobody
58:Length
47:Studio
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688:(3).
586:Gonzo
75:Label
982:2017
956:2013
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872:ISBN
850:2019
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798:2019
755:link
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612:1980
602:1960
580:1977
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504:1978
490:1905
475:1941
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449:1913
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