Most artists are thinking about the smartest way to advance their careers with their next project, especially in their younger years. Harry Nilsson, who always zigged when most expected him to zag, never operated that way.
In 1970, Nilsson, coming off his biggest commercial success to that point, had the music world waiting for his next move. He decided to use his newfound clout to throw the spotlight on a writer he thought deserved more attention.
Harry and Randy
Harry Nilsson trod a unique musical path through the 60s. He shone as a songwriter and a singer, while also delivering records that sounded completely unique thanks to his ability to arrange his multitracked vocals in clever ways. It made him a critical darling. But it didn’t amount to much in the way of sales.
But in 1969, Nilsson enjoyed a sudden one-two punch of mainstream success. Three Dog Night took “One”, a song that he’d written, to the Top 5. And Nilsson’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin’” by Fred Neil also went to the Top 10 that same year.
Suddenly, Nilsson had carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to do next. He chose to collaborate with Randy Newman on an album solely made up of Newman compositions. The unorthodox choice didn’t do much for either man’s popularity. But it now stands as an impressive part of their respective musical legacies.
Touching Interpretations
Randy Newman was even more under the radar in the 60s than Nilsson. He earned some success writing songs for others. But when he delivered his first solo album in 1968, his minuscule sales made Nilsson’s look like The Beatles by comparison.
Nilsson deeply admired Newman’s songwriting, which combined impressive melodic complexity and a bracing honesty in the lyrics that was atypical for that era. The two men made the album, called Nilsson Sings Newman, pretty much all by themselves. Newman handled the piano, and Nilsson did the singing and vocal arranging.
Those ornate vocals helped to set the songs on Nilsson Sings Newman apart from the recordings that Newman did of his own songs. Whereas Newman often played up the sarcasm and irony in his lyrics with his no-frills vocals, Nilsson found beauty and melancholy within them.
Low-Selling but Unforgettable
Nilsson Sings Newman is hardly more than 25 minutes in length despite encompassing ten Newman compositions. There’s not a moment that’s wasted, however. The cleverness with which Nilsson multitracks his voices makes even a simple love lament like “Living Without You” sound colossally heartbreaking.
As could have been predicted, Nilsson Sings Newman trickled out onto the market in February 1970 and didn’t sell much at all. Nonetheless, it was an admirable move by Nilsson to put the spotlight on Newman at a time his career needed it.
A year later, Harry Nilsson enjoyed his ultimate commercial breakthrough on Nilsson Schmilsson. Randy Newman was soon winning plaudits as one of the most uncompromising singer-songwriters of the era. Their lone collaboration, long forgotten by that time, now stands as a highlight in both of their careers.
(Photo by Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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