In a prior post I referenced waiting for the arrival of the documentary about Harry Nilsson.
Once it arrived, I watched it several times.
It is fabulous.
You can see the trailer here:
In this trailer, Tom Smothers gets it exactly right when he says that Harry’s name elicits either instant recognition or nothing at all. Harry Nilsson is astonishingly not well known, yet those who do know who he is tend toward fanaticism. Harryheads, they are called. I am one.
In truth, most everyone does know Harry, in that they have heard his music, but likely with no consciousness of composer or performer. Some of this is due to Nilsson’s own decision to not perform in concert, something his record company dearly wanted him to do. Some of it is due to the incredible variety of work he turned out – beautiful ballads, hard-rocking thumpers, wry and irreverent satires, and “standards” long before people like Rod Stewart thought of it.
And some of it is due simply to luck. Nilsson’s “Spaceman” was released at the same time as Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” Harry’s composition and recording is superior, but mega-star John got all the available airplay for a song about an astronaut.
Still, Nilsson was not without success. His compositions were recorded by everyone from the Monkees to Three Dog Night, and continue to be recorded today by artists such as Neko Case and Raul Malo. He was identified by the Beatles as being their “favorite group.” But in an ironic twist, Nilsson’s two biggest hits were his performances of songs he did not write – “Everybody’s Talking,” and “Without You.”
His music can be found in movies ranging from Goodfellas to You’ve Got Mail. He scored the entire soundtrack to Robert Altman’s Popeye. He conceived and produced an animated fable called The Point. He sang the entire closing credits for the Otto Preminger film Skidoo.
My favorite Nilsson recording changes regularly. As I write this, I am currently enthralled by the demo version of “The Moonbean Song,” a meaningless song that is utterly charming and beautifully performed. Hear it here:
he documentary is about much, much more than Harry Nilsson’s music, including his impoverished upbringing and the self-destructive behavior that ultimately killed him at age 52. So get the DVD of Who Is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) from Amazon or Netflix.