Deconstructing Harry
August 7, 2013 5:06 AM Subscribe
His is a career that feels both forgotten and deeply embedded in modern pop. He sang standards and rock and jazz and winding conceptual songs and tiny little kids' tunes and commercial jingles. He wrote, voiced, and spearheaded an animated film starring Dustin Hoffman. He played Dracula in a movie. He soundtracked a sitcom and nearly fought Jackie Gleason in a nightclub. He was "the Beatle across the water." He tore up London bars with Ringo Starr and Keith Moon. He invented the remix album. He also invented the mash-up. He dropped acid with Timothy Leary. He sang of moonbeams and fire and coconuts and puppies. He was a prodigious songwriter whose two biggest hits were covers. He performed live in concert in his prime exactly zero times. He wrote a musical about the Wright brothers. He had no. 1 albums and pop smashes and disastrous failures. He won Grammys. He was hilarious, and such a sad man.
The Legacy of Harry Nilsson.
The Legacy of Harry Nilsson.
@edgeways
I thought it was fairly well known Lennon could be a total asshole at times.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 5:25 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I thought it was fairly well known Lennon could be a total asshole at times.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 5:25 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I recommend this to folks at least once a month or so
Who is Harry Nilsson on Netflix
posted by DigDoug at 5:30 AM on August 7, 2013 [8 favorites]
Who is Harry Nilsson on Netflix
posted by DigDoug at 5:30 AM on August 7, 2013 [8 favorites]
He was fearless, except when it came to performing live.
posted by tommasz at 5:33 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by tommasz at 5:33 AM on August 7, 2013
When I was 9, Can't Live... Was my favorite song, because of the amazing soaring melody line, even though I knew at that age that it was schmaltz, and thus a guilty pleasure. The bass intro to Jump Into The Fire blew me away, as it should any young bass player, but then I sorta forgot him for years, until Middle Cyclone. Neko Case's cover of Don't Forget Me is just devastating.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:43 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:43 AM on August 7, 2013
Harry is a constant companion for me, and (hopefully many years from now) when I am getting my iPod loaded up to take with me to the hospice, his stuff will feature heavily.
But there is always such a bittersweet feeling listening to him, because no matter how much the music might make you feel, "Man, this is just so good!" the listening is always tinged with sadness because of the knowledge that things never did really work out for Harry himself ...
posted by woodblock100 at 5:55 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
But there is always such a bittersweet feeling listening to him, because no matter how much the music might make you feel, "Man, this is just so good!" the listening is always tinged with sadness because of the knowledge that things never did really work out for Harry himself ...
posted by woodblock100 at 5:55 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
See also, A Souvenir (Also Sprach Schmillson Schmixon) and Nilsson on Playboy After Dark.
I must have that box set. Yes, I must have it.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:23 AM on August 7, 2013
I must have that box set. Yes, I must have it.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:23 AM on August 7, 2013
I don't usually care that much about chart action, but it almost meant something in those days, and Nilsson's record (heh) -- ok, then, his performance (heh) in this regard is a bit strange. It's not that he didn't have hits. He sure did.
A singer-songwriter in rock's singer-songwriter period, Nilsson's biggest hits as a singer were written by others, while his biggest hits as a songwriter came when covered by other artists.
Nilsson's own recording of his song One made little impression, while Three Dog Night's cover at #5 hit was his biggest hit as a songwriter.
Without You, a #1 record and Grammy for Nilsson, was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans for Badfinger.
Everybody's Talking, a #2 record and Grammy for Nilsson was written by the similarly reclusive Fred Neil.
None of Nilsson's self-written records did as well as these.
Not even Jump into the Fire -er -er -er -er -er Oh wo-oh wo-oh wo-oh-oh -oh -oh -oh . . .
"Ya doesn't have to have a point to have a point, kid."
posted by Herodios at 6:38 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
A singer-songwriter in rock's singer-songwriter period, Nilsson's biggest hits as a singer were written by others, while his biggest hits as a songwriter came when covered by other artists.
Nilsson's own recording of his song One made little impression, while Three Dog Night's cover at #5 hit was his biggest hit as a songwriter.
Without You, a #1 record and Grammy for Nilsson, was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans for Badfinger.
Everybody's Talking, a #2 record and Grammy for Nilsson was written by the similarly reclusive Fred Neil.
None of Nilsson's self-written records did as well as these.
Not even Jump into the Fire -er -er -er -er -er Oh wo-oh wo-oh wo-oh-oh -oh -oh -oh . . .
"Ya doesn't have to have a point to have a point, kid."
posted by Herodios at 6:38 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Nilsson has long been one of my personal heroes. We named our dog "Arrow" after Oblio's dog in The Point. True to his name, he was the best dog in the world. He recently died. We miss him, so now hearing "Me and my Arrow" will always have a special poignancy to us (as if the sound of Nilsson's voice isn't heart-rending enough in its own right)... Thanks for this post.
posted by saulgoodman at 6:56 AM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by saulgoodman at 6:56 AM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
I've always wondered about that contest, if John was jealous of Harry's voice/range..
this happened during john's lost weekend, yeah? while he and harry were cavorting all over LA getting kicked out of clubs for heckling the smothers brothers and such? you're probably giving john too much villainous credit - chances are they were both just drunk - especially since john was producing harry's album at the time.
posted by nadawi at 7:02 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
this happened during john's lost weekend, yeah? while he and harry were cavorting all over LA getting kicked out of clubs for heckling the smothers brothers and such? you're probably giving john too much villainous credit - chances are they were both just drunk - especially since john was producing harry's album at the time.
posted by nadawi at 7:02 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Actual conversation with four year-old son:
"What is this song even about?"
"It's about this guy. He puts the lime in the coconut. And then he feels better."
And then he rolls his eyes at me, because I am the dumbest man in the world.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:31 AM on August 7, 2013 [6 favorites]
"What is this song even about?"
"It's about this guy. He puts the lime in the coconut. And then he feels better."
And then he rolls his eyes at me, because I am the dumbest man in the world.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:31 AM on August 7, 2013 [6 favorites]
Here's a short documentary about the Walkmen's entire album cover of Pussycats: (Parts 1-4) (Part 2)
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:35 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:35 AM on August 7, 2013
I have never enjoyed eating coconut as an ingredient in anything except narrowly sweet food like German chocolate cake, for example. Today I found this on google:
lime coconut cheesecake bars.
It looks very tasty and includes both lime and coconut but it doesn't look easy to make. Does anybody know of any common lime coconut concoctions that you would be likely to find in an Average American Neighborhood Bakery?
posted by bukvich at 7:49 AM on August 7, 2013
lime coconut cheesecake bars.
It looks very tasty and includes both lime and coconut but it doesn't look easy to make. Does anybody know of any common lime coconut concoctions that you would be likely to find in an Average American Neighborhood Bakery?
posted by bukvich at 7:49 AM on August 7, 2013
If you take "Can't Live" seriously, it is terrifying, not corny
posted by thelonius at 8:09 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by thelonius at 8:09 AM on August 7, 2013
If you take "Can't Live" seriously, it is terrifying, not corny
Both of the song's composers committed suicide.
posted by Herodios at 8:11 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Both of the song's composers committed suicide.
posted by Herodios at 8:11 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh *hell* no, you did not just call Popeye "ill-conceived." That movie provided the soundtrack to my entire life, along with The Point and, for some reason, Schmilsson in particular. I've been a fan of Nilsson since *way* before I could understand just how depressing his music really is!
posted by Mooseli at 8:16 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Mooseli at 8:16 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
John Lennon challenged Harry to a screaming match, (ie they yelled as loud and as long as they could), it damn near wrecked Nilsson's amazing voice.
I've always wondered about that contest, if John was jealous of Harry's voice/range.. if Lennon he pulled his punches during it, and so forth.
For one thing, there's no good authority for the "screaming match" story, as far as I'm aware. There's also a story that they were competing over singing some blues song in the most gravelly voice possible. And the most common story is simply that Nilsson's voice gave out during the recording sessions for Pussy Cats but that he didn't want to disappoint Lennon and kept soldiering through. Vocal cord injuries are very rarely the result of one evening's shouting match and it's not remotely rare for a singer to suffer a vocal cord injury--especially a relatively untrained one like Nilsson. Furthermore, it wasn't a career-ending injury, as you seem to imply. Nilsson's own personal favorite of his records (Knnillssonn) was still ahead of him and his voice had fully recovered by the time he recorded it.
But more disturbing to me is the bizarre implication that Lennon would somehow have deliberately engineered this supposed "screaming contest" as a way of sabotaging Nilsson's voice. Given that Lennon had gone out of his way to promote Nilsson's career before they'd ever met, was producing his album at the time of the injury, would go on to strong-arm RCA into re-signing Nilsson (by dangling the prospect of him and Ringo signing with RCA if they would sign Nilsson--and flatly asserting that they wouldn't consider it if they didn't) and that Nilsson remained Lennon's friend until Lennon's death this just seems a really perverse and rather offensive suggestion.
posted by yoink at 9:16 AM on August 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
I've always wondered about that contest, if John was jealous of Harry's voice/range.. if Lennon he pulled his punches during it, and so forth.
For one thing, there's no good authority for the "screaming match" story, as far as I'm aware. There's also a story that they were competing over singing some blues song in the most gravelly voice possible. And the most common story is simply that Nilsson's voice gave out during the recording sessions for Pussy Cats but that he didn't want to disappoint Lennon and kept soldiering through. Vocal cord injuries are very rarely the result of one evening's shouting match and it's not remotely rare for a singer to suffer a vocal cord injury--especially a relatively untrained one like Nilsson. Furthermore, it wasn't a career-ending injury, as you seem to imply. Nilsson's own personal favorite of his records (Knnillssonn) was still ahead of him and his voice had fully recovered by the time he recorded it.
But more disturbing to me is the bizarre implication that Lennon would somehow have deliberately engineered this supposed "screaming contest" as a way of sabotaging Nilsson's voice. Given that Lennon had gone out of his way to promote Nilsson's career before they'd ever met, was producing his album at the time of the injury, would go on to strong-arm RCA into re-signing Nilsson (by dangling the prospect of him and Ringo signing with RCA if they would sign Nilsson--and flatly asserting that they wouldn't consider it if they didn't) and that Nilsson remained Lennon's friend until Lennon's death this just seems a really perverse and rather offensive suggestion.
posted by yoink at 9:16 AM on August 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
Both of the song's composers committed suicide.
I remember as a kid hearing maybe my first ever rock interview. It was one of the Badfinger guys explaining how they and Harry Nilsson were both recording in the same studio (one upstairs, one down), and got to partying, and at some point, they played him Without You, which is how he came to record the song ...
The album Badfinger were recording at the time was Straight Up, which has to be one of the overlooked wonders in the history of rock/pop/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Baby Blue was one of the singles. As I recall, it was in the charts at the same time as Nilsson's take on Without You.
posted by philip-random at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2013
I remember as a kid hearing maybe my first ever rock interview. It was one of the Badfinger guys explaining how they and Harry Nilsson were both recording in the same studio (one upstairs, one down), and got to partying, and at some point, they played him Without You, which is how he came to record the song ...
The album Badfinger were recording at the time was Straight Up, which has to be one of the overlooked wonders in the history of rock/pop/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Baby Blue was one of the singles. As I recall, it was in the charts at the same time as Nilsson's take on Without You.
posted by philip-random at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2013
John Lennon challenged Harry to a screaming match
Say, didja hear about the gross-out contest between Frank Zappa andThe Fugs Lou Reed Wildman Fischer Alice Cooper Captain Beefheart The Flock an enormous mutant star-goat?
posted by Herodios at 9:25 AM on August 7, 2013
Say, didja hear about the gross-out contest between Frank Zappa and
posted by Herodios at 9:25 AM on August 7, 2013
Actually, it sounds exactly like something Lennon would do, only not for the stated reason -- jealousy -- but out of straight destructive perversity. Lennon was an SOB.
We named our dog "Arrow" after Oblio's dog in The Point.
Funny, when we were kids forty years ago we named our dog "Oblio", just because it sounded better than "Arrow". I don't know if it's possible for dogs to be mentally retarded, but he was a terrible dog; he never did learn how to climb stairs. He couldn't do a single dog thing right. All he was good for was snuggling close on the sofa. I still love the poor guy decades after his death.
Harry Nilsson was (musically) an angel from above. No one could sing like him, no one. "Cuddly Toy" from his first album (written for the Monkees) is another number that gets overlooked a lot.
posted by Fnarf at 9:27 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
We named our dog "Arrow" after Oblio's dog in The Point.
Funny, when we were kids forty years ago we named our dog "Oblio", just because it sounded better than "Arrow". I don't know if it's possible for dogs to be mentally retarded, but he was a terrible dog; he never did learn how to climb stairs. He couldn't do a single dog thing right. All he was good for was snuggling close on the sofa. I still love the poor guy decades after his death.
Harry Nilsson was (musically) an angel from above. No one could sing like him, no one. "Cuddly Toy" from his first album (written for the Monkees) is another number that gets overlooked a lot.
posted by Fnarf at 9:27 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
The story as related in the documentary above was that he was trying to get the perfect rough timbre in his too-perfect a voice, and (under the influence of two bottles of brandy) screamed until there was blood on the microphone. Who knows; there are always going to be stories, especially when surrounded by such a crew of blotto wastrels. Keith Richards? A piker, couldn't hang with Nilsson for a minute.
The saddest part of the story for me is the evil accountant who stole all his money. She served time up here in Washington at McNeil Island for her crimes, but she's out now, and as far as I know still alive.
posted by Fnarf at 9:32 AM on August 7, 2013
The saddest part of the story for me is the evil accountant who stole all his money. She served time up here in Washington at McNeil Island for her crimes, but she's out now, and as far as I know still alive.
posted by Fnarf at 9:32 AM on August 7, 2013
But more disturbing to me is the bizarre implication that Lennon would somehow have deliberately engineered this supposed "screaming contest" as a way of sabotaging Nilsson's voice.
"John, how could you do that to Harry's voice?"
"I felt like destroying something beautiful."
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:58 AM on August 7, 2013
"John, how could you do that to Harry's voice?"
"I felt like destroying something beautiful."
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:58 AM on August 7, 2013
Actually, it sounds exactly like something Lennon would do, only not for the stated reason -- jealousy -- but out of straight destructive perversity. Lennon was an SOB.
True enough. And yet he wrote Across The Universe ...
Sounds of laughter, shades of life
Are ringing through my opened ears
Inciting and inviting me.
The man contained multitudes.
Also, Daybreak ... Released by Nilsson as a single (it went nowhere) and found on the soundtrack from a truly bad movie.
posted by philip-random at 10:11 AM on August 7, 2013
True enough. And yet he wrote Across The Universe ...
Sounds of laughter, shades of life
Are ringing through my opened ears
Inciting and inviting me.
The man contained multitudes.
Also, Daybreak ... Released by Nilsson as a single (it went nowhere) and found on the soundtrack from a truly bad movie.
posted by philip-random at 10:11 AM on August 7, 2013
Actually, it sounds exactly like something Lennon would do
This thread is about Harry Nilsson, but if people are going to make these unguarded statements, I'll like to see the FPP wherein you provide us with a list of confirmed examples of mayhem perpetrated by Lennon against his 'competition', which is what your accusations amount to. All the painters Lennon blinded, pianists whose hands he crushed -- that sort of thing.
If you can't conjure the reasoning on your own, a quick review of Yoink's post above will demonstrate how utterly absurd these statements are.
And now -- an musical interlude:
Doctor Nilsson will see you now. . . .
posted by Herodios at 10:26 AM on August 7, 2013
This thread is about Harry Nilsson, but if people are going to make these unguarded statements, I'll like to see the FPP wherein you provide us with a list of confirmed examples of mayhem perpetrated by Lennon against his 'competition', which is what your accusations amount to. All the painters Lennon blinded, pianists whose hands he crushed -- that sort of thing.
If you can't conjure the reasoning on your own, a quick review of Yoink's post above will demonstrate how utterly absurd these statements are.
And now -- an musical interlude:
||---------------:||
||-1---------1---:||
||-----3-------3-:||
||-------2-------:||
||-3-------------:||
||---------3-----:||
1 2 3 4
Doctor Nilsson will see you now. . . .
posted by Herodios at 10:26 AM on August 7, 2013
Jump into the Fire -er -er -er -er -er Oh wo-oh wo-oh wo-oh-oh -oh -oh -oh . . .
All day long the poor guy's been watching helicopters and tomato sauce!
posted by porn in the woods at 10:29 AM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
All day long the poor guy's been watching helicopters and tomato sauce!
posted by porn in the woods at 10:29 AM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
I have studied Without You heavily, particularly the differences between the original and Nilsson's cover. This is a classic lesson of taking a good idea and making it better, and one I try to remember whenever I start thinking I am overrating my own creations.
posted by Ardiril at 11:00 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ardiril at 11:00 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I recommend this to folks at least once a month or so
Who is Harry Nilsson on Netflix
posted by DigDoug at 5:30 AM on August 7 [6 favorites +] [!]
Definitely worth watching, not least for the relatively upbeat ending. He ended up very happily married to a sweet, very young Irish lady, and apparently was a great father to their six (!) kids.
Still amazing how ubiquitous his music was in the 70s.
posted by aquanaut at 11:11 AM on August 7, 2013
Who is Harry Nilsson on Netflix
posted by DigDoug at 5:30 AM on August 7 [6 favorites +] [!]
Definitely worth watching, not least for the relatively upbeat ending. He ended up very happily married to a sweet, very young Irish lady, and apparently was a great father to their six (!) kids.
Still amazing how ubiquitous his music was in the 70s.
posted by aquanaut at 11:11 AM on August 7, 2013
Harry Nilsson was (musically) an angel from above. No one could sing like him, no one.
Absolutely agree. And his melody lines were long and gorgeous and surprising in ways that no one else has ever matched, IMO.
posted by saulgoodman at 12:33 PM on August 7, 2013
Absolutely agree. And his melody lines were long and gorgeous and surprising in ways that no one else has ever matched, IMO.
posted by saulgoodman at 12:33 PM on August 7, 2013
his melody lines were long and gorgeous and surprising
Yeah, "The Moonbeam Song" is a great example of that, I think. As is "Think About Your Troubles" from The Point.
posted by yoink at 12:37 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yeah, "The Moonbeam Song" is a great example of that, I think. As is "Think About Your Troubles" from The Point.
posted by yoink at 12:37 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
seems a really perverse and rather offensive suggestion.
*shrug8 what can I say? If it did happen, and considering the amount of trouble they got into I could see something like this spontaneously happening (perhaps), I've wondered why it would happen. I don't go to the St. Lennon church, and know that people do stupid things even to people they love. There is an essence to Nillson voice I could see someone in the same field being jealous of. Sorry to have offended with my brand of perversion, but I guess I could have see it coming. ah well
posted by edgeways at 12:46 PM on August 7, 2013
*shrug8 what can I say? If it did happen, and considering the amount of trouble they got into I could see something like this spontaneously happening (perhaps), I've wondered why it would happen. I don't go to the St. Lennon church, and know that people do stupid things even to people they love. There is an essence to Nillson voice I could see someone in the same field being jealous of. Sorry to have offended with my brand of perversion, but I guess I could have see it coming. ah well
posted by edgeways at 12:46 PM on August 7, 2013
I am pretty sure that the "Lime and Coconut" performance with Nisson in the gorilla suits is inspired by this Ernie Kovacs skit from the 50s.
I had the album of "The Point" when I was a kid and found it to be fascinatingly bizarre. Never saw the cartoon until recently; I didn't even know it WAS an animated thing until recently, thanks to the Internet.
posted by egypturnash at 1:11 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I had the album of "The Point" when I was a kid and found it to be fascinatingly bizarre. Never saw the cartoon until recently; I didn't even know it WAS an animated thing until recently, thanks to the Internet.
posted by egypturnash at 1:11 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Spanish version of "Without You," "Si No Estas Tu," recorded during the same sessions he recorded it in English, is delightfully over the top. I've taken to singing it at the local karaoke joint.
posted by brand-gnu at 7:59 AM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by brand-gnu at 7:59 AM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
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I've always wondered about that contest, if John was jealous of Harry's voice/range.. if Lennon he pulled his punches during it, and so forth. Conceding it was a stupid thing for Nilsson to actually do I've always kind of hated Lennon just a little bit for that. Then again, I've never been as head over heels in love with Lennon as the rest of the world seems to be so...
Anyway, I grew up listening to Harry Nilsson, and dam near have all of his albums on record (LP that is), and while the murder of Lennon was an unmitigated horrible thing it is Harry I miss the most.
posted by edgeways at 5:22 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]