Nothin' on You

During the summer of 2009, the Smeezingtons were booked for a week of writing sessions for Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B and Travie McCoy. Bruno Mars and Philip Lawrence usually hummed melodies, while Aaron Bay-Schuck, former Atlantic A&R, encouraged both of them to develop the best of those melodies, such as "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire". In the beginning, they only had scratch chorus demos of "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire", with a guitar on the backing track and Mars singing on top of it. The instrumental of the song was composed when Ari Levine programmed the drums, based on an old-school hip-hop beat. When Mars heard it, he started playing the piano and "Magically, that melody worked with this track we were doing", the latter explained. "Nothin' on You" was finished a few months later, around November, with B.o.B working with the Smeezingtons to shape it. It was recorded with different arrangements. Initially, Mars was not supposed to feature on the hook, but his "charisma" when singing it, made the label want to keep his voice after he recorded the final version. However, when "Nothin' on You" was being shown to different music industry decision-makers, one of them tried to give the song to a "blue-eyed blonde" artist instead of Mars, due to his race. That experience made the singer reach his lowest point so far in his career. Mars concluded, "Even with that song in my back pocket to seal the deal, things like that are coming out of people's mouths. It made me feel like I wasn't even in the room." According to American record producer Jim Jonsin, Atlantic Records' chairman, Craig Kallman, wanted him to work on the track for Lupe Fiasco. However, Jonsin pressured Kallman to give the song to B.o.B. Fiasco stated that Kallman told him his lyrics and performance on the record were "wack". Fiasco claimed the repeated denigration from the label drove him to a breaking point. Afterwards, his verses were removed and new ones were written by Mars and B.o.B. An unmixed version of the song with Fiasco and Mars's vocals leaked later in the same year. B.o.B. wrote his rendition with Mars, Lawrence, and Levine, who also handled production as the Smeezintons. Levine and Mars played all the instruments on the track, with Brody Brown playing the bass. Levine recorded, engineered and mixed the song at Levcon Studios in California. It was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC. ==Release==

"Nothin' on You" was first available to listen in late November 2009. However, it was released as an official single in the United States via digital download on December 15, 2009, by Atlantic Records. On May 14, 2010, an EP of the song, containing the album version of the song, a remix and its respective radio cut, an instrumental and a cappella of the original version, was issued in several countries. In 2010, a 12" single containing different versions of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" was issued by Atlantic Records in the United States. The song was also included on Mars's first compilation album, Collaborations (2026). ==Composition and influences==

"Nothin' on You" has been described as a pop rap, R&B It has been described as "slow" and "lulling", having an "uplifting melody". Pitchfork's Jayson Greene said the whole album sounds "sticky-sweet" for "modern-rock radio", including "Nothin' on You". Angus Batey from The Guardian called the recording "glorious, euphoric, essentially old-fashioned kind of love song". Sheet music for this song shows the key of B major, with a chord progression of E9–Cm9–Dm–F, and a tempo of 104 beats per minute. B.o.B and Mars's vocals span from F4 to B5. B.o.B, during his verses, makes references appealing not only to younger supporters, "Just like that, girl, you got me froze/ Like a Nintendo 64", but also to older admirers, "Baby you the whole package, plus you pay your taxes". B.o.B compared the song's "spirit" to "Bonita Applebum" by A Tribe Called Quest. ==Reception==

Critical "Nothin' on You" received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Billboards Evan J. Nabavian gave the song a 4 out of 5 stars, noting that the song explores the swell appeal "between Mars' delicately delivered melodies and B.o.B.'s Southern twang." He compared it to Lupe Fiasco's duet with Matthew Santos' "Superstar" (2007), "especially its feel-good, singalong hook". The review concluded with positive feedback for the recording's lyrics and references. Lee Tyler from Blues & Souls awarded the single 8 out of 10 stars, and commented "Whilst not being content to just please the ear – B.o.B's debut single "Nothin' On You" seems ... laden with instant charisma, stopping only to refresh the parts others cannot reach of late." The critic added, "A delight from start to finish". M.T. Richards of Slant Magazine gave "Nothin' on You" a negative review, calling it "anticlimactic" and a "slow, lulling song that sounds like it was recorded in the midst of a drab winter, and I'll take Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno over Bruno Mars." Becky Bain of Idolator, when comparing B.o.B's and Lupe Fiasco's versions of "Nothin' on You", noticed the lack of "audacious and energetic vocals" of the latter, as B.o.B has "more personality" on the track. as well as, Best Collaboration at the BET Awards 2010 and Reese's Perfect Combo Award along with Verizon People's Champ Award at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards. In the same year, "Nothin' on You" won the category Song of the Year at the 2010 Soul Train Music Awards. In 2011, "Nothin' on You" was nominated for Best Rap Song, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Record of the Year at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. It was nominated for Top Rap Song at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. The single received two awards from ASCAP, one from the Pop Music Awards as one of the Most Performed Songs and Top Rap Song from the Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. ==Commercial performance==

North America In the United States, "Nothin' on You" debuted at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100, spent 28 weeks on the chart and topped it on week ending May 1, 2010. It stayed there for two consecutive weeks. The single spent 34 weeks on the Hot Rap Songs chart, peaking at number one and it also topped the Pop Songs and Rhythmic Songs, spending 22 and 29 weeks on each chart, respectively. Later, by September 2012, that number rose to 3,062,000 copies sold, which led it to be certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart and in the Billboard Hot Rap Songs, the track placed at number 11 and one, respectively. In Canada, the song didn't reciprocate the success it found in the United States, since it only charted in the top 10, with 22 weeks on its chart run. Nevertheless, it was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC), denoting 80,000 copies sold. International In the first week in the United Kingdom, May 29, 2010, the song topped the list, with a total of 85,333 copies, replacing Roll Deep and Jodie Connor's "Good Times" at the top of the chart. In January 2020, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded the recording a platinum plaque for track-equivalent sales of 600,000 copies. It also debuted at number one on the UK R&B chart, succeeding Jason Derulo's "Ridin' Solo". The single reached number one in the Dutch Top 40, making the Netherlands the first country where it reached the top spot on a national chart, on the issue date of April 24, 2010. It did so after eight weeks on the chart run and it was able to spend two consecutive weeks on the top. As of May 20, 2010, the song debuted at its peak position of number seven. It charted at number 12 in Italy and received a gold plaque by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI). In Australia it debuted at number 25 in the ARIA Singles Chart and six weeks later reached its highest peak, number three. It spent sixteen weeks on the Australian chart. After its success in the country, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified it platinum for selling 70,000 digital copies. In New Zealand, the song spent eighteen weeks on the chart and it was number five for one week. "Nothin' on You" earned triple platinum certification by the Recorded Music NZ (RIANZ). In South Korea, two versions of the song were released, one featuring Mars and another with Korean-American rapper and singer and ex-2PM member, Jay Park. Both versions reached number one on the South Korea International Singles (Gaon). On the 2010 Year End Chart list of Gaon, it was number one in South Korea. ==Music video==

Background and concept Filmed in Los Angeles, the music video for "Nothin' on You" was directed by Ethan Lader, and the animation process was conducted by George Rausch. The video was first shot with a white background with Lader edited it with Final Cut Pro. Afterwards, over 3,000 frames were printed onto paper. Eight people were in charge of tearing every frame by hand, which were then animated and photographed individually with a digital camera. Finally, the frames were imported back into Final Cut Pro. "We took digital stills of and keyed in after animation", Lader concluded, "It was a process and a half". In the video B.o.B is seen traveling the world, in cities such as London, Paris, Tokyo, Atlanta and New Orleans, searching for beautiful girls. The woman he chooses is revealed towards the end of the video. Five years after the release of the music video for "Nothin' on You", on July 10, American indie pop/rock band American Authors released a video for their song "Go Big or Go Home" with the same "paper cut-out technique". It was also directed by Lander. Reception Alyssa Rosenberg of The Atlantic criticized the song's video, saying that it was too "literal", since the track is "about seeing pretty girls! And there are pretty girls to be seen!. However, Rosenberg also thought the collage concept was "cute". It was also nominated for Video of the Year at the BET Awards 2010, and Best Hip Hop Video at 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards. ==Live performance==

B.o.B and Mars made their debut performance of "Nothin' on You" at MTV Spring Break, on March 26, 2010. Nearly a month later, on April 20, they performed the song at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The next day, B.o.B sang it alone at SOB's in New York City. The song was also played on late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! by B.o.B and Mars, who played the guitar, backed up by a band, on May 13, 2010. Jayson Rodriguez said B.o.B was "boisterous and energetic" during the show. In the same year, on June 23, B.o.B performed the song at The Wendy Williams Show. A couple of days later, on June 27, B.o.B performed the song at the BET Awards pre-show. B.o.B. and Bruno Mars performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" along with Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. On December 1, B.o.B and Mars performed the song at "Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!: Countdown to Music's Biggest Night". In the same month, the track was sung at Z100's Jingle Ball 2010. In 2011, the song was performed twice only by B.o.B, first on SXSW and then at SuperTraxx. The single was also sung during Lopez Tonight. It was the eleventh song of Mars's debut world tour, The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour (2010), and eleventh on the Hooligans in Wondaland Tour (2011). It was seventh along with "If I Knew" (2014 set list) on his second world tour, The Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013–14). The single was part of some shows during the 24K Magic World Tour (2017–2018) interpolated with "It Will Rain" (2011). In 2022, Mars sung "Nothin' on You" as part of a medley during his Bruno Mars Live (2022-2024) setlist. ==Cover versions and media usage==

In 2010, Jay Park recorded a solo cover of the track and posted it on YouTube. The effect was so strong that the original version went back to the top of iTunes. In the same year, American rapper XV's cover of the song was included in his mixtape 30 Minute Layover (2010). Dead Prez sampled the song for their 2010 mixtape with DJ Drama titled Turn Off The Radio Volume 4: Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz. The recording is called "The Beauty Within", with additional vocals by Antonia Jenaé. The American group Boyce Avenue covered "Nothin' on You" along with Justin Timberlake and T.I.'s duet, "My Love" and "Rocketeer" by Far East Movement and Ryan Tedder; they included it in their sixth EP, Acoustic Sessions, Vol. 1, released on December 6, 2010. In 2011, South Korean girl group Wonder Girls covered "Nothin' on You". In the same year, "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of the song called "Another Tattoo", which is featured on his album Alpocalypse (2011). "Nothin' on You" is featured in the movie Just Go With It (2011). Leeteuk from the boyband Super Junior covered the song during the band's concert tour Super Show 6 in 2014, and it's recording was subsequently released in the live album Super Show 6 – Super Junior World Tour Concert Album in 2015. ==Track listing==

• Digital download • "Nothin' on You" (Album Version) – 4:29 • "Nothin' on You" (TC Switch-Up Remix) – 3:57 • "Nothin' on You" (TC Switch-Up Extended Remix) – 5:25 • "Nothin' on You" (Instrumental Version) – 4:23 • "Nothin' on You" (Acapella version) – 4:21 • Promo CD • "Nothin' on You" (Short Radio Edit) – 3:42 • CD single • "Nothin' on You" (Album Version) – 4:29 • "Haterz Everywhere" (Album Version) (featuring Wes F.I.F) – 3:28 • '''12" single Nothin' on You & Airplanes''' • "Nothin' on You" (Album Version)  – 4:29 • "Nothin' on You" (Instrumental)  – 4:29 • "Airplanes" (Explicit)  – 2:59 • "Airplanes" (Amended)  – 2:59 • "Airplanes" (Instrumental)  – 2:29 ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. • Bobby Simmons Jr. – lead vocals, songwriting • Bruno Mars – lead vocals, songwriting, instrumentation • Philip Lawrence – songwriting • Ari Levine – songwriting, instrumentation, engineering, recording, mixing • The Smeezingtons – production • Brody Brown – instrumentation • Chris Gehringer – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==