I (Who Have Nothing) - Tom Jones 1/9/23

It was a "Great Italian Song of 1961:" "Uno dei Tanti" ("One of Many") by Joe Sentieri.

Unfortunately, outside of 1958's "Volare" by Dominico Modugno, there wasn't much of a market for Italian songs outside of Italy.

But luckily, "Uno dei Tanti" caught the ears of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the prolific songwriting team who wrote dozens of "Great Songs," including "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," and "Stand By Me."

Jerry & Mike kept the tune, but almost completely rewrote the lyrics (except for a few translated words), and turned it into a "Great Song of the '60s" in English for Ben E. King, and then Shirley Bassey.

The new title was "I (Who Have Nothing).

Ben's version of the song, made it to #10 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart, and Shirley's version was a Top 10 hit in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand...both in 1963.

But then, when 1970 rolled around, and Tom Jones put his powerful spin on "I (Who have Nothing)," it turned out to be the best of the bunch...reaching #2 in the US on the Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart, and #10 on the matching chart in Canada.

With songwriters like Leiber & Stoller, and hit versions by the likes of Ben E. King, Shirley Bassey, and Tom Jones, "I (Who Have Nothing)" has a pedigree that assures it of "Great Song" status--of both the '60s AND '70s!

Tom Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg7UbMGQYGQ

Shirley Bassey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQpmykoLJHc

Ben E. King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUyAwLz7Wg