Harry Nilsson

Harry Nilsson, who performed under just his last name, is one of those singer-songwriters who is best known for writing songs for other people, and for the other artists who admired him. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney were asked what American singer they liked best, they both answered, "Nilsson." Nilsson became friends with all of the Beatles, and had some legendary drug-fueled adventures with Lennon, who once listened to a Nilsson album for 36 hours straight.

Ironically, Nilsson's greatest hits were written by other people. I suppose most today would know him for Everybody's Talkin', written by Fred Neil and used to great effect in Midnight Cowboy. One of the great break-up songs of all time, Without You, was a cover of a Badfinger song, but Nilsson made it completely his own.

But Nilsson excelled as a songwriter. One was a smash hit for Three Dog Night:

"One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do,
Two can be as bad as one, it's the loneliest number since the number one."

Other groups that covered his songs were The Monkees, The Yardbirds, Blood Sweat and Tears, and The Turtles. His songs are still recorded, including his hauntingly beautiful "Don't Forget Me," by Neko Case.

"And when we’re older and full of cancer
It doesn’t matter now, come on get happy
‘Cause nothing lasts forever
But I will always love you"

Nilsson was born in 1941 in Brooklyn, from a broken home. He discusses this in his first single, "1941."

"Well, in 1941 a happy father had a son

And by 1944, father walks right out the door."

After working at the computer department of a bank, he recorded his first album in 1967, and while not a huge commercial success, impressed The Beatles and scores of others. He had a string of albums throughout the '70s, going a little harder mid-decade, but also composing a children's theme album, which included "Me and My Arrow," which has ended up being used in a commercial for an automobile. He also composed and sang the theme song for the TV show The Courtship of Eddie's Father, "Best Friend," which he adapted from his song, "Girlfriend." I can still remember the song well:

"People let me tell you 'bout my best friend,
He's a warm-hearted person who'll love me till the end.
People let me tell you bout my best friend,
He's a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy."

Another song well-remembered from my youth was "Coconut," a kind-of novelty song that has inspired many theories. Is it about the remedy for a stomach ache, or is it a form of birth control? He had some other trippy songs, like "Spaceman," and "You're Breakin' My Heart," which gets right to the heart of the matter:

"You're breakin' my heart,
You're twistin' it apart,
So fuck you."

Nilsson never really hit it big, but has an important legacy in the history of pop music. He had an air of mystery--he never toured and rarely gave interviews. He died in 1994, at the age of 53.