3 Songs Jack Nicholson Sang or Wrote in His Films, Including One Written for The Monkees

Before starring in his 1970 film Five Easy Pieces, Jack Nicholson learned to play the piano for his role as a former prodigy pianist who gives up music to work in the oil fields. Before then, music was part of Nicholson’s repertoire in some films with singing parts and a writing credit earlier on.

Along with winning his first of three Oscars for Best Actor as Randle McMurphy in the 1975 drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nicholson also sang “The Star Spangled Banner” in the film.

By the mid-’80s, he went on to sing two duets with Meryl Streep in their 1986 romantic comedy Heartburn, including “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and two songs solo: “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel song “Soliloquy.” A year later, Nicholson also collaborated with Bobby McFerrin on the children’s album The Elephant’s Child, which won a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Music Album.

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Decades later, he also shared a duet of the Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim classic “I Feel Pretty” with Adam Sandler in their 2003 comedy Anger Management and sang the lyrics of the 1910 Irish song “Mother Machree” in Martin Scorsese’s crime drama The Departed (2006).

Nicholson’s vocals were featured on plenty of soundtracks, and he also co-wrote a song earlier in his career. Here’s a look behind three songs featuring or written by the legendary actor.

“Ditty Diego – War Chant,” The Monkees (Head, 1968)

Written by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson

Written and produced by Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, the 1968 satire musical film Head starred The Monkees in several vignettes, including a Western, war, mystery, and more. For the soundtrack, the Monkees released their sixth album Head, featuring the theme, “Porpoise Song,” written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Harry Nilsson‘s “Daddy’s Song,” and another song, also co-written by Nicholson and Rafelson: “Ditty Diego—War Chant.”

In the song, the Monkees start off singing Hey, hey, we are the Monkees / You know we love to please / A manufactured image / With no philosophies before each member takes on a verse, beginning with Mike Nesmith, followed by Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones, and repeats in that order with all closing the chorus.

Hey, hey, we are the Monkees
You know, we love to please
A manufactured image
With no philosophies

We hope you like our story
Although there isn’t one
That is to say, there’s many
That way there is more fun

You’ve told us you like action
And games of many kinds
You like to dance, we like to sing
So let’s all lose our minds!

We know it doesn’t matter
‘Cause what you came to see
Is what we’d love to give you
And give it one, two, three!

But there may come three, two, one, two
Or jump from nine to five
And when you see the end in sight
The beginning may arrive!

“Ditty Diego – War Chant” was written as a parody of the Monkees’ Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart-penned theme song from their television series (1966-’68).

“Jack was fabulous,” said Tork of Nicholson in a 2011 interview. “We adored him, all of us. Michael practically fell in love with him, in a manly sort of way.” Dolenz added, “He was such a wonderful, charismatic, funny guy. Jack spent a lot of time with us. He hung out on the [TV] set and came out on tour, just picking up the vibe.”

“Go to the Mirror!” (Tommy, 1975)

Written by Pete Townshend

Though director Ken Russell initially considered Peter Sellers in the role of The Specialist (Dr A. Quackson) in the 1975 fantasy film Tommy, based on The Who‘s 1969 rock opera of the same name, it was Nicholson who would ultimately take on the role.

“Russell’s films intrigue me, some I like very much, some I don’t like at all,” said Nicholson in a 1974 interview, “and I want to find out what makes him tick.”

As the Specialist, Nicholson helps Tommy, played by Roger Daltrey, regain some of his senses while wooing his mother, Nora (Ann-Margaret). In the film, Nicholson also sings The Who’s “Go to the Mirror!” with Daltrey and Ann-Margaret.

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“La Vie En Rose” (Something’s Gotta Give, 2003 — Deleted Scene)

Written by Édith Piaf

In Nancy Meyers’ 2003 romantic comedy, Something’s Gotta Give, Nicholson plays a 6o-something playboy who only dates younger women but ends up falling for a more age-appropriate divorcee, Diane Keaton. Nicholson later serenades Keaton in a deleted scene from the film, singing the English version of Édith Piaf‘s 1947 classic “La Vie En Rose.”

Meyers later shared the deleted scene on Instagram in 2017. “They were so great,” said Meyers. “Why did I ever delete this? Well, you can see it now.”

Something’s Gotta Give earned Keaton an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and Nicholson one for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Years after its release, Nicholson was still disappointed that the scene was cut from the film. “When it came time to tell Jack I was cutting out the scene, he didn’t hold back his disappointment,” shared Meyers. “He said, ‘Chief, what do you mean?’ He brings it up to me every time I see him, and recently I saw him for his birthday, and he cornered me (and said), ‘Now, about that scene…’ To make it up to him, I put it in the DVD, so at least he can watch it on there.”

Photo: Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images