Top 10 Harry Nilsson Songs

Photo: RCA Records / Public domain via Creative Commons

Our Top 10 Harry Nilsson Songs list looks at one of the most treasured artists in rock and roll history. Harry Nilsson was both a gifted songwriter and a remarkable song interpreter. He wrote “One,” which became a massive hit for Three Dog Night, and transformed Badfinger’s “Without You” into one of the most powerful vocal performances of the 1970s.

Nilsson won two Grammy Awards and earned enormous respect from his fellow musicians. He became close friends with some of rock and roll’s biggest legends, including John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon. Nilsson worked hard, partied hard, and created a catalog filled with beautiful ballads, sharp humor, inventive arrangements, and some of the finest pop songwriting of his generation.

Harry Nilsson’s first album, Spotlight on Nilsson, was released in 1966, although it was primarily assembled from singles he had recorded for Tower Records. His first proper full-length RCA album, Pandemonium Shadow Show, followed in 1967. Nilsson continued releasing albums at a remarkable pace until Flash Harry in 1980, the last studio album issued during his lifetime.

Nilsson died in 1994 at the age of 52. In 2019, the posthumous album Losst and Founnd completed material he had been developing during the final years of his life. Our Top 10 Harry Nilsson Songs list barely touches the depth of his catalog, but these ten recordings offer a wonderful place to begin.

# 10 – “Jump into the Fire”

We open our Top 10 Harry Nilsson Songs list with the excellent track “Jump into the Fire.” With the song’s splendid guitar riffs, relentless groove, and smoking Harry Nilsson vocals, this one stands as a great way to begin the countdown.

The song was released on the 1971 album Nilsson Schmilsson. It followed “Without You” as a single and stood in dramatic contrast to that massive ballad. “Jump into the Fire” presented Nilsson as a fierce rock singer and remains one of the hardest-rocking performances of his career.

# 9 – “Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga”

“Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga” is a medley of two distinct but beautifully connected songs from Harry Nilsson’s 1974 album Pussy Cats. “Mucho Mungo” was written by John Lennon, while “Mt. Elga” was written by Nilsson. The finished medley carries the creative stamp of both men.

John Lennon produced Pussy Cats during his famous “Lost Weekend” period. The sessions took place largely in Los Angeles and brought together an extraordinary group of musicians, including Ringo Starr. Nilsson damaged his voice during the making of the album, but the warmth and imagination of “Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga” still shine through.

The medley was not one of the album’s principal singles, but it remains one of its most creative and affecting tracks.

# 8 – “Spaceman”

Continuing with our Top 10 Harry Nilsson Songs list, we turn to the great tune “Spaceman.” This classic Nilsson song was released on the excellent Son of Schmilsson album in 1972.

The record featured an all-star collection of rock and roll musicians, including Peter Frampton, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Bobby Keys, Lowell George, and Nicky Hopkins. The legendary Paul Buckmaster supplied the orchestral arrangement.

“Spaceman” balances humor, loneliness, and a sweeping arrangement as Nilsson imagines the glamour of space travel giving way to boredom and homesickness. The song reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 7 – “Coconut”

Unlike most novelty songs, Nilsson’s “Coconut” has stood the test of time. The song was released on Nilsson Schmilsson and reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nilsson created the song’s entire comic drama through a small cast of voices, all performed by him, while the arrangement remained fixed around a single chord. His vocal performance is hysterical, but the construction is also remarkably clever.

“Coconut” has repeatedly found its way back into popular culture, including its memorable use in Quentin Tarantino’s film Reservoir Dogs.

# 6 – “Old Dirt Road”

This great track, “Old Dirt Road,” was released on the album Flash Harry in 1980.

John Lennon and Harry Nilsson wrote the song together. It first appeared on Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges, with Nilsson also contributing backing vocals to Lennon’s recording.

Nilsson’s later version has a reflective quality that fits the final studio album released during his lifetime. It sounds like an old friend returning to a song that had gathered even more meaning over the years.

# 5 – “Me and My Arrow”

We love how this one jumps right out at you. “Me and My Arrow” was featured on Nilsson’s 1970 concept album The Point!

The album tells the story of Oblio, the only round-headed person in the Pointed Village, where everyone and everything is expected to have a point. “Me and My Arrow” celebrates the bond between Oblio and his faithful dog, Arrow, as the two travel through a strange world filled with rules, judgments, and unexpected wisdom.

Its melody is instantly memorable, but the song’s real strength lies in the affection at its center. Few songs about friendship sound this simple, sincere, and joyful.

# 4 – “You’re Breakin’ My Heart”

How many times have you played this song to make yourself feel better about that one person who constantly stabbed you in the heart? This blew me away when I first heard it. I used to drive my parents crazy playing this song really loud back in the 1970s. Now I drive my wife crazy playing it. The song ticks her off. It is great rock and roll.

“You’re Breakin’ My Heart” was released on Son of Schmilsson in 1972. Peter Frampton played guitar on the track, while the legendary Nicky Hopkins played piano.

Nilsson’s combination of anger, humor, melody, and blunt language made the song unlike almost anything else being released by a major pop artist at the time.

# 3 – “Everybody’s Talkin’”

The following three Nilsson songs still knock me out every time I hear any one of them. These gorgeous pieces of music define the storylines of so many lives.

“Everybody’s Talkin’” was written and first recorded by Fred Neil. Nilsson recorded his version for the 1968 album Aerial Ballet, and the song later gained worldwide attention through its use in the film Midnight Cowboy.

Nilsson’s recording reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him his first Grammy Award. The song established his reputation as a sensitive interpreter who could take another writer’s composition and make it sound completely personal.

Over the years, “Everybody’s Talkin’” has been recorded by artists from many musical genres, including Crosby, Stills & Nash, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Neil Diamond, Iggy Pop, and Stevie Wonder. The Tedeschi Trucks Band took the song into an entirely different musical place.

# 2 – “One”

Most classic rock fans associate “One” with Three Dog Night, which had a massive hit with the song. There is no denying that the group released a spectacular version.

Three Dog Night took “One” to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. However, this brilliant composition was written by Harry Nilsson and first appeared on his 1968 album Aerial Ballet.

Nilsson reportedly developed the opening figure after hearing a telephone busy signal. From that simple repeated tone, he created one of the most unforgettable songs ever written about loneliness.

# 1 – “Without You”

Harry Nilsson’s tremendous ballad “Without You” remains one of the most beautiful and explosive rock and roll ballads ever recorded. The melody, arrangement, production, and incredible vocal performance define one of the greatest moments in popular music. The song has been covered many times, but none compare with Harry Nilsson’s version.

“Without You” was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the British rock band Badfinger. Their original recording appeared on the band’s 1970 album No Dice.

Nilsson’s version, released on his 1971 album Nilsson Schmilsson, transformed the song into a worldwide hit. Richard Perry’s production begins with a tender piano-led introduction and gradually builds toward an enormous orchestral climax, while Nilsson moves from restraint to one of the most astonishing vocal peaks of the era.

“Without You” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Nilsson received the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for the recording. It remains the performance most closely associated with his extraordinary voice.