Nothingness (song)

"Nothingness"
Single by Living Colour
from the album Stain
Released1993
Recorded1993
GenreSymphonic rock, avant-garde metal
Length3:30
LabelEpic
SongwriterWill Calhoun
ProducersRon Saint Germain
Living Colour
Living Colour singles chronology
"Ausländer"
(1993)
"Nothingness"
(1993)
"Bi"
(1993)

"Nothingness" is a song by Living Colour and the third single off their third studio album, Stain. The ballad reached #17 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1993. It was later included on two greatest hits compilations, Pride (1995) and Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour (2006). An acoustic version, allegedly intended for Dutch radio, was also included on 1994's Japan-exclusive Dread compilation.

The track opens with crickets chirping and a synthesizer-like guitar progression. A prominent bass rhythm carries the song and provides flashy funk-style fills. The lyrics explore themes of isolation and loneliness. The double-track effect of Corey Glover's vocals were accomplished by having Glover sing directly into an outdoor satellite dish (with the microphone placed in the feedhorn location of the dish), hence the satellite-themed artwork of the single. The song was written by the group's drummer Will Calhoun and is a tribute to his father's death.