Nothing Matters (The Last Dinner Party song)

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"Nothing Matters"
The five bandmembers pose in stylish vintage dresses.
Single by the Last Dinner Party
from the album Prelude to Ecstasy
Released19 April 2023 (2023-04-19)
Genre
Length3:02
LabelUniversal
Songwriter(s)
  • Abigail Morris
  • Aurora Nishevci
  • Emily Roberts
  • Georgia Davies
  • Lizzie Mayland
  • Rhys Downing
Producer(s)James Ford
The Last Dinner Party singles chronology
"Nothing Matters"
(2023) 		"Sinner"
(2023)
Music video
"Nothing Matters" on YouTube

"Nothing Matters" is the debut single by British indie rock band the Last Dinner Party. It was released on 19 April 2023 as the lead single from their debut album Prelude to Ecstasy (2024).

"Nothing Matters" has so far reached the top 25 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Background[edit]

The Last Dinner Party quickly rose through the London live scene, receiving support slots for the Rolling Stones and Nick Cave before releasing any music. "Nothing Matters", their debut single, was released on 19 April 2023. The band released a statement on their Instagram page with the release of the song, reading "Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey so far, and to anyone who is new, welcome, take a seat at the dinner party. The feast is finally served."[2]

Lyrics and music[edit]

Lead singer Abigail Morris originally wrote the song as a "slow, sad ballad". However, the mood of the song changed once she reflected on the feelings of happiness regarding her relationship with her boyfriend at the time.[3] "Put simply, it's a love song about not being afraid to be unbridled and unashamed in your passion for another person," the band said.[4]

The Times described the song as a "thrilling rock, pop rush that sounded like ABBA or Sparks with a guitar solo by Brian May".[5] The Line of Best Fit described it as containing "ornate art-pop melodies", "a sweeping Siouxsie-style chorus" and an "aesthetic of maximalism, grandeur, and joyful campy excess."[4] Rolling Stone said it "was the kind of rock record that didn't seem to exist anymore ... the heady cocktail of cabaret, dank indie and wuthering-heights pop we needed, even if we didn't know it."[6]

The song's chorus contains the lyric "I will fuck you like nothing matters". The radio edit changes the lyric to "I will have you like nothing matters", which the band performed during live television appearances on The Graham Norton Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The band met Courtney Love backstage at The Great Escape Festival in 2023, who suggested that the band censor the lyric to "I will punch you" for the radio edit.[7]

Morris expressed frustration with the censored lyric, telling Variety in an interview, "There's no good word to fit in there ... because there's something so powerful about a woman saying 'I will fuck you,' about being active rather than passive in sex. I didn't really think about how confident and secure that sounds as a sexual person."[8]

Commercial performance[edit]

The song debuted on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart in the United States for the week ending in July 1.[9] It reached the top 10 in September.[3]

"Nothing Matters" entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 71 on the week ending on 18 January 2024. A week before the release of Prelude to Ecstasy, the song cracked the top 40 by jumping 19 spots to No. 22.[10]

Critical reception[edit]

Billboard listed "Nothing Matters" at No. 94 in its staff's list of The 100 Best Songs of 2023.[11] Triple J also listed the song at No. 89 in its Hottest 100 Songs of 2023.[12]

Music video[edit]

The music video was directed by Saorla Houston and references Sofia Coppola's 1999 film The Virgin Suicides and David Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive. It was also inspired by Daisies (1966) and Black Swan (2010). [2][13]

Most of the video was shot at Joldwynds, a 1930's Grade II listed modernist art deco house designed by Oliver Hill for the 1st Baron Greene.[citation needed] It is located on the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty overlooking the Weald.

Cover versions[edit]

Sophie Ellis-Bextor performed a "faithful and energetic" cover of "Nothing Matters" in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on 20 February 2024.[14]

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hooker, Reece. "The Last Dinner Party's Georgia Davies: "Thank You To The Naysayers"". Junkee. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Duran, Anagricel (20 April 2023). "The Last Dinner Party share eclectic debut single 'Nothing Matters'". NME. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b Aniftos, Rania (19 September 2023). "Chartbreaker: The Last Dinner Party Is 'Not F–king Around' Following Its Debut Hit". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "The Last Dinner Party cordially invite you to dance on "Nothing Matters" | Best Fit". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  5. ^ Dean, Jonathan (5 February 2024). "The Last Dinner Party: 'It's fun to be pretentious'". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  6. ^ Browne, David (30 January 2024). "The Last Dinner Party Have a Messy Good Time on Prelude to Ecstasy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  7. ^ Richards, Will (24 January 2024). "Courtney Love helped The Last Dinner Party censor 'Nothing Matters' lyrics for radio". NME. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  8. ^ Shafer, Ellise (2 February 2024). "The Last Dinner Party Talks Debut Album and Breakout Hit 'Nothing Matters': 'There's Something So Powerful About a Woman Saying "I Will F— You"'". Variety. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  9. ^ Zellner, Xander (28 June 2023). "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: The Last Dinner Party, Ludmilla, October London & More". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Nothing Matters – Last Dinner Party". Official Charts.
  11. ^ Werthman, Christine; Aniftos, Rania; Atkinson, Katie; Brown, Eric Renner; Dailey, Hannah; Daw, Stephen; Denis, Kyle; Dinh, James; Duffy, Thom (7 December 2023). "The 100 Best Songs of 2023: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  12. ^ ""Hottest 100 2023 triple j"". triple j. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ Dazed (28 April 2023). "You need to hear The Last Dinner Party". Dazed. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  14. ^ Breihan, Tom. "Watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor Cover The Last Dinner Party's "Nothing Matters"". Stereogum. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Deutsche Download Singles Charts Category: Single". Deutsche Download Singles Charts. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Latvijas spēlētāko dziesmu Radio Top 2024. gads – 11. nedēļa" [Latvia's most played songs Radio Top 2024 – Week 11] (in Latvian). LAIPA. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of March 9, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Rock Airplay: Week of December 30, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Adult Alternative Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
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