Remembering When Harry Nilsson’s Career Got a Boost From a Pair of Fab Four Fans in 1968

Imagine that you’re an up-and-coming artist who has released a couple of albums and a handful of singles that have done little to nothing in terms of sales or airplay. And then suddenly you hear your name on the lips of the biggest act in the world.

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That’s how it all went down for Harry Nilsson. The singer-songwriter received a notoriety boost in 1968 thanks to the praise of The Beatles.

Covering The Beatles

Harry Nilsson seemed to be the epitome of a cult artist at the start of his career. Possessed with a stunner of a voice and a quirky songwriting streak, he released material that puzzled the mainstream. He might have been critically acclaimed had there been enough music critics around at that point to sing praises.

In 1967, Nilsson released Pandemonium Shadow Show, his second LP. Included on the album were a pair of Beatles’ covers. “She’s Leaving Home” showed off his gorgeous vocal ability. “You Can’t Do That” highlighted his inventiveness, as he jammed bits and pieces of Fab Four songs into a clever arrangement.

He released the latter song as a single, but it only made it to No. 122 in the US. It didn’t appear as if Nilsson’s career was going anywhere. But those Beatles covers seem to have charmed at least a couple of listeners who made it a point to tell the world about them.

An Important Shout-Out

In May 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney headed to New York City to announce The Beatles’ latest venture to the world. They held a press conference to tout the formation of Apple, the group’s new umbrella company that included a record label and many other potential businesses.

During a press conference, they fielded a bunch of rapid-fire questions from the press on hand. At times, they seemed less than enthusiastic about the whole endeavor, giving snarky answers. But they did briefly perk up on one topic.

Lennon responded to one question with a diversion about Nilsson being his favorite group. McCartney made a similar comment. This was the boys’ cheeky way of referencing the fact that Nilsson often multi-tracked his vocals to make it sound like there was an army of Harrys coming at the listener.

Harry’s Hits

Who knows if any of the assembled press even knew who Nilsson was? Nilsson himself was preparing to release Aerial Ballet, another dazzling LP that would arrive in July 1968. That album contained the two songs that would help Nilsson earn the commercial success that had eluded him to that point.

“One”, which he wrote, would eventually be a huge hit for Three Dog Night. He also recorded a version of “Everybody’s Talkin”, which became Nilsson’s first pop smash when later included on the soundtrack of the film Midnight Cowboy.

In the meantime, John Lennon and Paul McCartney each individually called Nilsson to praise him and tell him how highly they thought of his music. Soon, the rest of the world would come to know what two of the Fab Four were onto before everybody else.

Photo by Stan Meagher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images