"Nothing On (But the Radio)" is a song by American singer and media personality Addison Rae from her debut extended play (EP) AR, released on August 18, 2023, through Sandlot. Initially written by Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander for American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, the song surfaced online in October 2010. Lady Gaga have not released it in any capacity, however it became her fan's "beloved" track. Later, it was recorded by Paris Monroe, before Addison Rae made her rendition, with the latter's itiration also leaking. The official version, with additional writing credit for Rae, Madison Love and Jacob Kasher Hindlin, was described as a 2000s-sounding siren song with its title being a reference to Marylin Monroe quote.
Background and release
"Nothing On (But the Radio)" was initially recorded by Lady Gaga(pictured), however she has not released it in any capacity. Rae's version was compared to her debut album The Fame (2008).
After becoming a successful TikTok star,[1] Addison Rae launched her music career in 2021 with the release of her debut single "Obsessed".[2] Set to be the lead single of her debut album, the song was critically panned,[3] leading to shelving her musical project.[4] The following year saw an influx of leaks of songs intended for her debut effort, including a cover of Lady Gaga's unreleased track "Nothing On (But the Radio)".[5] A four-seconds snippet surfaced online on January 21, 2022, leading to mixed reactions from internet users.[6][7] On August 14, 2023, Rae announced that she would be releasing an EP made up of some unreleased songs which were intended to be a part of her "lost album".[8][9]AR was released four days later through Sandlot, with "Nothing On (But the Radio)" being its third track.[10] Five years earlier, the singer posted a TikTok lip-syncing to Lady Gaga's version.[11] In 2024, Rae told People that she wishes the original performer to listen to her itiration, hence it is "different", and called Lady Gaga a "pioneer of pop and experimenting".[5]
"Nothing On (But the Radio)" was initially written by Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander[note 1] and recorded by Lady Gaga.[16] Her demo leaked in October 2010, which she has not commented on by the singer or her labels.[17] Due to its retro1990s-club sonicscape and previous leaks of her older unreleased tracks, Consequence writer Derek Staples speculated it might be a lingering demo from The Fame (2008), highlighting its "catchy" hook and "synthesized guitar riffs" reminiscent of that album.[16] Since then, Lady Gaga's rendition became a fan-beloved classic.[18][12] Another version of the song was recorded by Paris Monroe.[6]
Composition and reception
The song title is a reference to Marylin Monroe 1952 quote "It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on".[12][13] "Nothing On (But the Radio)" was described as a 2000s-sounding track,[19] reminiscent of Lady Gaga early input, especially The Fame.[20]Vogue's Liam Hess reviewed the track as a "deliciously silly siren call to a distant lover", noting that it is "much fun to listen to as Rae clearly had making it".[4]Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos credits a leak of this song, among with "2 Die 4", to spark interest of general public in Rae's discography.[21]
