Songoftheday 4/23/13 - Captured effortlessly that's the way it was, happened so naturally, I did not know it was love...

Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Ain't Nobody" 
from the album Stompin' At The Savoy - Live (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22 (three weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 8

Today's Song of the Day is by the Chicago R&B outfit Rufus, with its breakout lead singer Chaka Khan, who originated from the remnants of the 60s psychedelic band American Breed, whose "Bend Me, Shape Me" reached the top-10 in 1967. After adding Chaka to the lineup, the band moved to California, and after being signed, released their self-titled debut album in 1973, and from it came their first R&B Top-40 hit, "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)". Their sophomore set, Rags To Rufus, was their pop breakthrough, with help from powerhouses like Stevie Wonder, who wrote the first single, "Tell Me Something Good", which went to #3 on both the pop and R&B charts, and Ray Parker Jr., who wrote the followup, "You Got The Love", which topped the R&B list in 1974.

Their next effort, Rufusized, expanded their impact to the disco, as "Once You Get Started" reached the top-10 on the club chart. With Chaka clearly becoming the "lead" in the band, their next album was the first with her name on it, and they again scored with another #1 soul/top-5 pop hit, "Sweet Thing". However, that imbalance caused fights within the band, and even though they hit with another #1 R&B single, "At Midnight", the rift eventually led to Chaka leaving for a solo career in 1978.

The thing was, her contract kept her obligated to the band, so at the end of the 70s/early 80's we saw releases from each featuring her vocals. Chaka's solo stint was a smash off the bat with her first single "I'm Every Woman" which again topped the R&B chart as well as going top-40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. The following year, returning with Rufus, they went to #1 on the soul chart with "Do You Love What You Feel". After that, Chaka's 1981 third solo album topped the charts with "What Cha Gonna Do For Me".

After Chaka finally completed her obligation with the band, they released one more album, which didn't do well, and as a break-up commemoration negotiated with her to do a live album, and the result, Stompin' At The Savoy was filmed and recorded in New York. Four new studio songs were added to the release as well, and one of them, "Ain't Nobody", became their last big hurrah. Written by Rufus keyboardist Hank Wolinski, Quincy Jones tried to snag the song for Michael Jackson's Thriller, but luckily they kept it for themselves....

"Ain't Nobody" was Rufus' final top-40 pop hit, and topped the R&B charts as well in the late fall of 1983. It also was featured in the hit movie Breakin' in 1984. In the clubs, it originally reached #6, and also went top-10 in Britain that year. Their followup single, "One Million Kisses", reached the top-40 on the R&B list before their light went out. Chaka, though, went on to have her biggest hit yet the next year, courtesy of an old Prince song called "I Feel For You".

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In 1989, for Chaka's Life Is A Dance - The Remix Project album, "Ain't Nobody" was remixed by Frankie Knuckles and ended up not only making it back to the dance chart, and topping it, but also reaching #6 on the British singles chart as well...

 Rapper Yo-Yo had a minor R&B hit with an interpolation of the song on "Ain't Nobody Better" in 1991..

1994 saw two acts reaching the British top-40 with versions of the track. First, KWS (the "Please Don't Go" remakers) went to #21...

..then soul singer Jaki Graham peaked right under the top-40 with her version, which also topped the American dance chart...

The following year, pop/reggae singer Diana King put the song back on the Hot 100 with a cover that went to #95 (and #4 on the dance charts)...

LL Cool J also recorded a single using "Ain't Nobody" as the title and backdrop and stalled right under the top-40 on the pop chart and went top-30 on the R&B list, from the movie Beavis & Butthead Do America...

British group Liberty X "mashed up" the song with the Human League's "Being Boiled" for their top-5 hit "Being Nobody" in 2003...

Another English performer, Delilah, sampled the record for her #17 hit in the UK in 2011, "Go"...

German rave kings Scooter also interpolated "Ain't Nobody" for their minor hit single "It's A Biz (Ain't Nobody)" in 2012...

Lastly, with a voice that could come close to Chaka's, Mary J. Blige covered it on her 2012 My Life II set...

Up tomorrow: Some Scotsmen with some wide open spaces.