In 1969, a cute little situation comedy called The Courtship of Eddie’s Father debuted on ABC. It ran for three years and is perhaps best known for its fun and catchy theme song. We Baby Boomers didn’t know it then, but for most of us, that theme song was our introduction to the music of Harry Nilsson.
We learned his name a couple of years later from yet another television show: ABC’s Movie of the Week. In 1971, this made-for-TV movie vehicle aired a music-filled, animated story about a boy who looked different from everyone else. The Point was the brainchild of Harry Nilsson, who produced it, wrote the story, and wrote and performed the songs.
With Nilsson’s unique style and incredible voice, Viewers immediately recognized the singer as the guy who sang the Courtship theme song. And, largely due to one particular song from the movie, it wasn’t long after that we could put a name to that voice. “Me and My Arrow” made it’s way to the radio and we made our way to the store to buy the soundtrack.
From 1971 through 1974, Nilsson had a string of hit songs that rivaled the brightest stars of that era. He had a smooth, powerful voice with a wide range. As for style, he was master of nuance, with an uncanny ability to bring just the right touch to acheive the maximum effect. “Without You” is a perfect example. Lulling the listener nearly to sleep with the sad, quiet verses, and nearly knocking them out of their chairs when he hit the chorus.
Known for his range that covered more than three octaves, his range of style is equally impressive. From the emotionally-charged “Without You” to the hard driving “Jump into the Fire” to the silly semi-reggae “Coconut,” Harry Nilsson could do it all.
In November of 1971, Nilsson released Nilsson Schmilsson which was a success both critically and commercially. It generated four Grammy nominations, winning one for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (“Without You”). He followed it up in 1972 with the release of the equally-popular Son of Schmillson. These two albums make up the majority of his pop career.
Though labelled a pop star, Harry Nilsson didn’t really fit the mold. He had a penchant for non-word vocalizing (i.e. Ba Dum Ba Dum Ba Dah – from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father theme song), humor (as evidenced by the songs “Joy” and “Coconut”) and for Forties-style crooning – long before Harry Connick Jr. made it popular again ( as evidenced by songs like “Remember(Christmas)”).
It was his affinity for these types of songs the prompted his next album, A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (1973), to be filled with Sinatra-style classics like “It Had to Be You” and “As Time Goes By.” Unfortunately, given that his fan base was mostly ‘70s teenagers who had railed against anything their parents held in high regard, the album did not fare well.
His next effort was the soundtrack of the Ringo Starr-produced movie Son of Dracula, in which Harry Nilsson played the title role. It produced one minor hit called “Daybreak,” and that was pretty much the last we heard from Harry Nilsson.
It is unfortunate and even unfair that we often judge an artist’s entire career through the window of a handful “popular” years. This seems especially true in the case of Harry Nilsson, whose talent as a songwriter was considerable and as a singer was extraordinary. In all, he recorded thirteen studio albums, and had a hand in several other artistic endeavors.
But when I tell his story, I tell what I remember – how his work impacted me and most others of my generation. And speaking of stories…There are two that always comes to mind when I think of Harry Nilsson.
I had just set up a sound system in my bedroom. It was pretty basic, but it was loud – and that, to a teenager, is the important thing. I was playing Son of Schmilsson for the first time and had it cranked pretty high. That particular album has a song on it called “You’re Breakin’ My Heart” which, unbeknownst to me, prominently featured the F-word. YIKES! Less than a second from sitting on the floor to up and across the room to turn down the volume.
The second story takes us to a high school band trip to the thriving metropolis of Enid Oklahoma. It was multi-day competition and we stayed in an old hotel called the Youngblood. It had the look and feel of a once-great building that had seen better days. On the balcony level was a large open area that offered a couple of sofas for sitting, a single pinball machine, a pool table (I think), and a jukebox. There were only two or three songs worth playing on that jukebox and they got played to death. One of those songs was Nilsson’s “Jump Into the Fire” – a song with a repetitive bass line and cyclical beat. You would think we’d have gotten tired of it, but we never did. Still like that song.
Of his thirteen albums, I owned but three. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate his vocal talent, or the originality he brought to his work. But I knew that I loved what I heard. His songs were funny and moving and powerful and fun to share.
On January 15, 1994, Harry Nilsson died of heart failure in his home in California at the age of 52. At the time, he was making plans to get back to making music, but it wasn’t to be.
Fun Facts.
- A disclaimer of sorts. Nilsson had achieved a fair amount of fame already in the late ’60s for “Everybody’s Talkin'” – a song he recorded but did not write. It was featured in the soundtrack for Midnight Cowboy.
- He had close relationships with many well-known musicians of his day, including members of both the Beatles and the Monkees.
- In fact, Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones of The Monkees starred in a stage production of The Point. And the movie Son of Dracula was a collaboration with Ringo Starr.
- Nilsson owned a flat in London where, on separate occasions, Cass Elliot (of the Mama’s and the Papa’s) and Keith Moon (drummer for The Who) were found dead. The former of heart failure and the latter of an overdose.
- After Moon’s death, Nilsson sold the flat – to Pete Townsend.
- In 1998, long after his heyday, three of his songs were featured in the romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail.”
- Much like Gerry Rafferty, Harry Nilsson did not like to perform live and rarely toured.
- The Youngblood Hotel is now called the Hiland Tower and the ground floor dining room was recently renovated and re-opened as the Youngblood Grill.
- Harry Nilsson wrote one of Three Dog Night‘s biggest hits – “One”
- Son of Schmilsson featured an outtake in which he begins singing the soft and melodious “Remember(Christmas)” and then belches loudly. Great middle school humor.
- The Fun. song “Light a Roman Candle with Me” is very Nilsson-esque.
Here’s your Must Listen Harry Nilsson playlist on Spotify
And here’s the theme song from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
You can shop for his music and much more on Amazon.
Listen. Enjoy.
all images copyright Harry Nilsson
Alongside Your 78s 