Harry Nilsson: The Beatles’ Favourite Songwriter (Who Became Famous for Covers)
The Beatles’ favourite American songwriter, Harry Nilsson, was born in New York but soon moved to L.A. to pursue a career in music.
Recognised as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, it’s somewhat ironic that his two biggest hits were covers.
His first success came with a cover of a Beatles song, You Can’t Do That (a B-side to Can’t Buy Me Love). This was in 1967, a year after his debut album Spotlight On Nilsson had introduced Harry to the world.
On the debut, two tunes stand out—Sixteen Tons (a Merle Travis cover) and Good Times (later covered by The Monkees).
The debut didn’t chart significantly, and the same goes for his next five albums: Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967), Aerial Ballet (1968), Harry (1969), Nilsson Sings Newman (1970), and The Point! (1971).
These albums may not have been commercial hits, but they contain some great tunes and notable covers.
I’m mainly thinking of River Deep – Mountain High (1967), Everybody’s Talkin’, and One (1968)—with only One being a Nilsson composition.
One wasn’t even released as a single, yet it has become one of his most recognisable songs, aside from the covers.
Everybody’s Talkin’ was his first major hit—it even reached #1—and is widely regarded as his signature tune, even though it was written by Fred Neil.
Without You – But Never Forgotten
Harry’s next big hit came with his most successful album, Nilsson Schmilsson (1971). The tune in question was Without You, which Harry first heard while in London. Mistaking it for a Beatles song, he decided he had to record it.
Almost a quarter of a century later, Mariah Carey covered Without You with even greater success—transforming it from a Nilsson classic into a go-to audition song for every aspiring female powerhouse vocalist.
Another standout from the same album is the humorous Coconut, which became his last major hit.
Only two more singles found any real success after Coconut: 1972’s Spaceman from the album Son of Schmilsson, and a rendition of the jazz standard As Time Goes By in 1973.
Harry continued releasing albums through the ’70s. In 1974, Pussy Cats, produced by John Lennon, featured two more covers: Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues and The Drifters’ Save the Last Dance for Me—the latter with Ben E. King on lead vocals.
Neither release charted well, and it was clear Harry Nilsson’s golden era had passed.
When John Lennon was murdered in 1980, Harry stepped away from music entirely to campaign for gun control.
Nilsson died from a heart attack in 1994. One final album was posthumously released in 2019: Losst and Founnd, a collection of unreleased songs. Track 7, Listen, the Snow Is Falling, was written by Yoko Ono.
Harry Nilsson Tunes | Related Pages
Everybody’s Talkin’ | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Cmaj7 G6 | Cmaj7 G6 |
Everybody’s talkin’ at me…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Everybody’s Talkin’ (Harry Nilsson) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
One | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play One by Harry Nilsson using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Cm | Cm7 | Cm6 | Cmb6 |
One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: One (Harry Nilsson) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
River Deep – Mountain High | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play River Deep – Mountain High by Tina Turner using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bb N.C | N.C | Eb | Eb | Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll, only doll I’ve ever owned…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: River Deep – Mountain High (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Without You | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Without You by Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recordings.
| Esus2 E | G#sus4 G#m |
No, I can’t forget this evening or your face as you were leaving…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Without You (Harry Nilsson + Mariah Carey) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Harry Nilsson on the web
