Nothing Lyrics – Chorus Line, A

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• Comic solo for Diana Morales, placed mid-show inside the Montage section, sung on the original Broadway cast album by Priscilla Lopez with Donald Pippin as music director.
• The number satirizes a certain strain of acting-class orthodoxy while charting Diana’s self-respect taking root.
• The song appears in the 1985 film adaptation, performed by Yamil Borges; later recordings include the 2006 Broadway revival with Natalie Cortez.
• No evidence of a standalone single release, yet the parent album became a best-seller and multi-platinum certified.
• Spanish-language productions render it as “Nada,” keeping the same spine of story and bite.

Creation History

“Nothing” sits at the crossroads of two creative engines: the collage-like, documentary impulse that shaped A Chorus Line, and Edward Kleban’s knack for plainspoken, razor-edged lyric storytelling. Early workshops drew on real audition-room recollections, and the show’s recording was produced by Goddard Lieberson, a legendary studio hand whose marathon cast-album sessions were the stuff of theatre lore. The orchestrations for the score were shared by Bill Byers, Hershy Kay, and Jonathan Tunick, with Pippin shaping vocal textures. On the 40th-anniversary remaster, the album notes and synopsis restore context around the Montage so you can hear Diana’s episode as Part 2 - a tight, springy character scene dressed as a song.

Onscreen, the number survived the 1985 film’s reshuffles. The movie favors a slightly slicker studio sheen, but keeps the basic architecture: spoken setup slides into sung storytelling, then snaps into rhythmic patter. Hearing it across formats - original cast album, film soundtrack, later revival cut - you can map how different producers highlight the groove under Diana’s punchlines.

Highlights in the writing

The song is built on a speak-singing chassis. Phrases land like little stage directions - “Every day for a week we would try to feel the motion...” - then jump into clipped rhymes that feel almost percussive. Harmonically, the track stays accessible, letting wordplay do the heavy lifting; the accompaniment leans on steady pulse and nimble hits from the rhythm section. The effect: a bright, almost conversational engine that speeds up as Diana’s confidence starts driving the scene.

The key takeaways in the writing and performance:

1. Text-first design. The lyric stays in control; the music clears space so the jokes, the sting, and the turning point read instantly.
2. Satire with stakes. The target is an acting teacher’s dogma, but the hurt is personal. That friction gives the comedy its heat.
3. Rhythmic lift. The groove tightens as the story narrows to one clear conclusion: Diana’s gut wisdom means more than performative “method.”
4. Performance room. Built-in pauses and accelerations give an actor space to calibrate bite, charm, and momentum.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Diana arrives at the High School of Performing Arts desperate to be a “serious actress.” Her teacher, Mr. Karp, runs improv drills - bobsleds, sports cars, ice cream cones - that hinge on students reporting sensation on cue. Everyone vows they “feel the snow,” but Diana doesn’t. The class laughs. The teacher nudges, then needles, then writes her off as talentless. After a crisis of faith, Diana listens to herself, decides the course is the problem, and leaves. She later hears Karp has died - and feels “nothing,” a final acerbic twist that seals the joke and the growth.

Song Meaning

At heart this is a story about authority, taste, and knowing when to trust your instrument. “Nothing” skewers a style of training that rewards theatricalized “results” over honest impulse. The song’s punchline - that Diana can feel nothing for a teacher who belittled her - doubles as a boundary line. She is done performing gratitude for gatekeepers. The mood is antic and sly; the message is serious: artists do their best work when curiosity, not ritual, sets the tempo.

Annotations

“If you want a laugh, listen to the song ‘Something’ from Upstairs at O’Neal’s... It is the same story but from Mr Karp’s point of view.”

Cabaret culture has long riffed on Broadway staples, and Upstairs at O’Neal’s spun a number called “Something” that flips the vantage point to the teacher. It is not part of the show’s canon, but it does underline why “Nothing” endures - the material is strong enough to withstand parody and reply. Treat it as a fun mirror piece rather than a source of dramaturgical truth.

Deep-dive analysis

Genre and groove

The track is Broadway through and through, but it leans into pop-friendly storytelling patterns: tight verses, conversational setups, a mid-tempo engine around ninety beats per minute. You hear crisp drum kit figures, piano comping that nudges without crowding, and reed accents that brighten punchlines. It is theatre jazz in sensible shoes - danceable pulse, pit-band sparkle, and room for text to land.

Emotional arc

We start in eagerness, move quickly through embarrassment, then plateau in defiance. The last verse reframes defiance as discernment. Diana does not just win a fight with a snide teacher. She marks the exit ramp from a mindset that says “if you cannot fake the feeling, you have no place here.” That arc is why so many actors pick the song for auditions: it gives you jokes, rage, and resolve, all in four minutes and change.

Touchpoints and context

Historically, the number captures a 1970s New York argument about training - Method-derived exercises versus a more pragmatic toolbox. In under five minutes the lyric nods to Catholic prayer, schoolyard cruelty, and the survival instincts of a working-class student in a high-pressure arts lab. That blend makes “Nothing” feel oddly timeless in conservatories and high school drama rooms alike.

Instrumentation and staging notes

Because the accompaniment is clean and largely in common time, staging can stay simple. Chairs become sleds; a scarf can become an improvised prop; light cues punctuate the transitions from spoken setup to sung punchline. If you keep the staging minimal, the text pops and the actor’s authority reads as the special effect.

Key Facts

• Artist: Priscilla Lopez (vocal); producer credit on the album to Goddard Lieberson
• Featured: No guest features
• Composer: Marvin Hamlisch
• Lyricist: Edward Kleban
• Producer: Goddard Lieberson (original cast recording)
• Release Date: October 1975 (album)
• Genre: Broadway show tune with comic monologue elements
• Instruments: Pit band with rhythm section, reeds, brass; orchestrations by Bill Byers, Hershy Kay, Jonathan Tunick; music direction and vocal arrangements by Donald Pippin
• Label: Columbia Masterworks
• Mood: Brisk, wry, defiant
• Length: 4:19 (original cast album)
• Track #: Side 1, cut 6 on A Chorus Line - Original Broadway Cast
• Language: English; widely performed in Spanish as “Nada”
• Album: A Chorus Line - Original Broadway Cast
• Music style: Theatre jazz with patter-song snap
• Poetic meter: Conversational iambic patterns over 4/4; patter passages with internal rhyme and enjambment

Canonical Entities & Relations

• Priscilla Lopez - sings “Nothing” on the 1975 cast album.
• Edward Kleban - writes lyric of “Nothing.”
• Marvin Hamlisch - composes the music.
• Goddard Lieberson - produces the original cast recording.
• Donald Pippin - music director and vocal arranger on the original production and album.
• Bill Byers, Hershy Kay, Jonathan Tunick - orchestrators for the score.
• Michael Bennett - conceives, directs, and choreographs the original production.
• James Kirkwood Jr., Nicholas Dante - co-write the book of A Chorus Line.
• Columbia 30th Street Studio - recording location for the cast album sessions on June 2, 1975.
• Masterworks Broadway - releases the 40th Anniversary remaster of the album.
• Yamil Borges - performs “Nothing” in the 1985 film adaptation.

Questions and Answers

Is “Nothing” part of the Montage or a standalone track?

On stage it functions as Part 2 of the Montage, sitting between “Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love” and “Mother.” The album indexes it as its own cut for clarity.

Was the number always this comic?

Yes, but the comedy sharpens as Diana’s patience thins. The lyric rides sarcasm, not cruelty. That keeps the character sympathetic even as the punchlines land.

Does the song survive the 1985 film changes?

It does. Several numbers were swapped or trimmed for the movie, but “Nothing” remains, delivered by Yamil Borges with a studio polish and slightly different pacing.

Any notable revivals or recordings beyond 1975?

The 2006 Broadway revival restores the classic structure; Natalie Cortez’s recording gives a modern belt profile. The 40th Anniversary reissue of the original album adds archival context from early workshops.

How far can a performer bend the tempo?

The track lives happily around a moderate pulse near 90, but rubato in the spoken set-ups is your friend. Just snap back to the groove for the patter and you will keep the audience with you.

What about language versions?

Spanish editions commonly retitle it “Nada.” The story and jokes travel well, with local tweaks in idiom and Catholic references.

Did cast members or critics single it out?

Critics often cite it as the show’s cleanest takedown of theatre pretension. Performers love it because it offers a full acting arc plus a tidy, audition-length package.

Is there a direct parody or answer song?

Yes, cabaret revues have flipped the viewpoint in pieces like “Something,” sung from Mr. Karp’s side. Fun, not canonical.

Where does the track sit on the album?

Side 1, cut 6 on the original LP, running just over four minutes.

Did Priscilla Lopez ever revisit the piece?

She has performed it in concert settings decades later, a small masterclass in how humor ages when anchored to truth.

Awards and Chart Positions

While “Nothing” was not issued as a single, its home album, A Chorus Line - Original Broadway Cast, peaked in the U.S. album charts and later achieved multi-platinum certification. The show itself took home the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In the film era, “Nothing” appears on the 1985 motion picture soundtrack, which charted modestly in some territories. According to Playbill and Masterworks, the cast album remains one of Broadway’s best-sellers.

How to Sing Nothing

This is an actor’s song with a beat. Treat it like a story first, then layer in vocal polish. According to stage reference guides and tempo databases, typical parameters land near the following:

• Vocal range: roughly G sharp 3 to B4 for the original cast key, sitting mid-voice with a few belt spikes.
• Tempo: moderate pulse around 90 BPM; spoken set-ups can breathe before you click back in.
• Likely key center: B major on common references; transpositions are common for audition books.
• Length: about 4 minutes 15-20 seconds depending on patter speed and optional pauses.

Step-by-step HowTo

1. Tempo framing. Set a steady 4/4 at a moderate clip. Speak the first stanza in rhythm before adding pitch to feel the internal engine.
2. Diction and point-of-view. Consonants carry the jokes. Land “nothing” with variety - once weary, once furious, once triumphant.
3. Breath plan. Mark silent breaths before each patter run. If you cannot breathe invisibly, breathe in character - a huff can be punctuation.
4. Flow and rhythm. Alternate rubato talk-singing with in-the-pocket patter. Think: free, then grid, then free again.
5. Accents and dynamics. Save your biggest pop for the turn where Diana decides the class is the problem. Upstep dynamics through the final stinger.
6. Ensemble and doubles. If you have classmates onstage, coach their “woosh” layer to stay light so you can cut through without shouting.
7. Mic craft. On a handheld, pull back slightly for belt edges at the peak phrases. On a headworn, trust the compressor and play the vocal colors, not volume.
8. Common pitfalls. Do not let rage flatten the humor. Resist over-miming props. If your patter rushes, you will lose the story.

Practice kit: loop a metronome at 90 and run the lyric as spoken monologue; record two takes, one “deadpan amused,” one “fed up but cool,” then split the difference. According to Masterworks’ liner notes and common practice in audition cuts, a tidy 32-bar excerpt around the mid-song confession usually plays best for rooms on a clock.

Additional Info

Two performance breadcrumbs mark the song’s long tail. First, Priscilla Lopez brought it back in later concert appearances, proof that clean comic writing ages well when the performer’s focus is sharp. Second, Spanish-language productions in Spain and Latin America have embraced “Nada,” a sign of how portable Diana’s journey is. That portability has also meant plenty of concert covers and cast recordings - Kim Criswell’s late 90s take is a fine example of cabaret-meets-cast-album polish.

Production-wise, a small army made the original recording sing. As stated in Masterworks’ notes and in archival listings, Lieberson marshaled the session with his signature patience; Donald Pippin’s vocal shapes keep everything crisp; the orchestrations spread the weight so even a fast patter can sit comfortably on the beat. According to Playbill coverage and industry histories, A Chorus Line remains one of the defining cast albums of the modern era.

If you are tracing “Nothing” through the film, the shift in studio sound is instructive. Film scoring trims the air between jokes and replaces the room’s ambience with a tighter, close-mic profile. The bones are the same; the muscles flex differently.

Sources: Masterworks Broadway; Playbill; IBDB; Wikipedia; The New Yorker; CastAlbums; StageAgent; Spotify; Apple Music; Movieclips; Discogs; Teatro del Soho; Billboard.