"I Ain't Got Nobody" is a standard with music by Spencer Williams and lyrics by Roger A. Graham, although some sources credit Graham as co-composer. It was copyrighted in 1915. Earlier copyright claims existed under longer titles, including "I Ain't Got Nobody and Nobody Cares for Me", and in 1916 the Chicago firm Frank K. Root & Co. acquired some of these rights. The song is also known as "I'm So Sad and Lonely" and "I Ain't Got Nobody Much". The first recording, by Marion Harris, was made in August 1916 and issued that November as "I Ain't Got Nobody Much". Early recordings by Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and Sophie Tucker were followed by versions from Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.
The A section follows a ii–V–I progression in F major, with a chromatic walkdown from the tonic, and the B section has a bluesy character. Louis Prima's 1956 medley with "Just a Gigolo", arranged by Sam Butera, became his signature number and opened the album The Wildest! (Capitol, November 1956). The song is generally classed as jazz, but it has been recorded in many styles, from pop and jazz to country.
