Vine Street north of Hollywood Boulevard

Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north-south from Melrose Avenue up past Hollywood Boulevard. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. The famed intersection fell into disrepair during the 1970s but has since begun gentrification and renewal with several high valued projects currently in progress. Three blocks of the Hollywood Walk of Fame lie along this street with names such as John Lennon and Deborah Kerr. Vine Street continues for one block as a residential street in Torrance, renamed as Vine Avenue. However, it is a strictly residential street which terminates at Sepulveda Boulevard in Torrance. South of Melrose, Vine turns into Rossmore Avenue, a residential Hancock Park thoroughfare that ends at Wilshire Boulevard.

Buildings[link]

The Capitol Records Building, Capitol Tower, is located just north of the intersection of Hollywood & Vine.^[1] Miss Brewster's Millions (1926) starring Bebe Daniels, was shot on Vine Street at Franklin Avenue, near the site what is now the Capitol Records Building.^[2] The Hollywood/Vine Station for the Metro Red Line serves the intersection with the station entrance located at Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue, located one block east. Metro Local line 210 serves Vine Street.

References[link]

Coordinates: 34°06′06″N 118°19′36″W / 34.101598°N 118.326657°W / 34.101598; -118.326657

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Randy Newman
Newman at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2008
Background information
Birth name	Randall Stuart Newman
Born	(1943-11-28) November 28, 1943 (age 68)
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Piano rock, comedy rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, arranger, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1961–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Reprise Walt Disney (Disney·Pixar films) DreamWorks/Interscope/Universal Nonesuch/Elektra
Website	RandyNewman.com

Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter,^[1] arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant (and often satirical) pop songs and for film scores.

Newman often writes lyrics from the perspective of a character far removed from his own experiences, sometimes using the point of view of an unreliable narrator.^[2] For example, the 1972 song "Sail Away" is written as a slave trader's sales pitch to attract slaves, while the narrator of "Political Science" is a U.S. nationalist who complains of worldwide ingratitude toward America and proposes a brutally ironic final solution. One of his biggest hits, "Short People" was written from the perspective of "a lunatic"^[3] who hates short people. Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer. His film scores include Ragtime, Awakenings, The Natural, Leatherheads, James and the Giant Peach, Meet the Parents, Cold Turkey, Seabiscuit and The Princess and the Frog. He has scored six Disney-Pixar films: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Cars and most recently Toy Story 3.

Newman has been nominated for twenty Academy Awards, winning twice. He has also won three Emmys, five Grammy Awards, and the Governor's Award from the Recording Academy.^[4] Newman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2007, Newman was inducted as a Disney Legend.^[5]

Early life[link]

Newman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Adele (née Fox), a secretary, and Irving George Newman, an internist. He lived in New Orleans as a small child and spent summers there until he was 11 years old, his family having by then returned to Los Angeles. The paternal side of his family includes three uncles who were noted Hollywood film-score composers: Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman and Emil Newman. Newman's cousins Thomas and David, and nephew Joey are also composers for motion pictures. He graduated from University High School in Los Angeles. Newman attended the University of California, Los Angeles.

Songwriter[link]

Newman has been a professional songwriter since he was 17. He cites Ray Charles as his greatest influence growing up, stating, "I loved Charles' music to excess."^[6] His first single as a performer was 1962's "Golden Gridiron Boy", released when he was eighteen.^[7] However, the single flopped and Newman chose to concentrate on songwriting and arranging for the next several years.

In various interviews, National Academy of Songwriters to PBS telecasts, Newman has credited The Fleetwoods with giving him his first national break: The trio recorded his song, "They Tell Me It's Summer", as the B side of one of their 11 hit singles, giving Newman great exposure and royalties (piggy-backed on the sale of the Fleetwoods' 1962 hit A side, "Lovers By Night, Strangers By Day"). Two decades later, The Fleetwoods' founder and manager, female lead Vocalist/Songwriter/Arranger Gretchen Christopher selected, from their recordings, two more of Newman's songs to be included among 10 previously unreleased masters, for their 13th album. The Fleetwoods - Buried Treasure LP and cassette, released in 1982, included Newman's "Who's Gonna Teach You About Love" and "Ask Him If He's Got A Friend For Me".

His early songs were recorded by Gene Pitney, Jerry Butler, Jackie DeShannon, The O'Jays and Irma Thomas, among others. His work as a songwriter met with particular success in the UK: top 40 UK hits written by Newman included Cilla Black's "I've Been Wrong Before" (#17, 1965), Gene Pitney's "Nobody Needs Your Love" (#2, 1966) and "Just One Smile" (#8, 1966); and The Alan Price Set's "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear" (#4, 1967). Besides "Simon Smith", Price featured seven Randy Newman songs on his 1967 A Price on His Head album.

In the mid-1960s, Newman was briefly a member of the band The Tikis, who later became Harpers Bizarre, best known for their 1967 hit version of the Paul Simon composition "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)". Newman kept a close musical relationship with Harpers Bizarre, offering them some of his own compositions, including "Simon Smith" and "Happyland". The band recorded six Newman compositions during their short initial career (1967–1969).

In this period, Newman began a long professional association with childhood friend Lenny Waronker. Waronker had been hired to produce The Tikis, the Beau Brummels, and The Mojo Men, who were all contracted to the Los Angeles independent label Autumn Records, and he in turn brought in Newman, Leon Russell and another friend, pianist/arranger Van Dyke Parks, to play on recording sessions. Later in 1966 Waronker was hired as an A&R manager by Warner Bros. Records and his friendship with Newman, Russell, and Parks began a creative circle around Waronker at Warner Bros that became one of the keys to Warner Bros' subsequent success as a rock music label.^[8]

Randy Newman recently endorsed jazz singer Roseanna Vitro's album, The Randy Newman Project (Motéma Music, 2011).^[9]

Recording artist[link]

His 1968 debut album, Randy Newman, was a critical success but never dented the Billboard Top 200. Many artists, including Alan Price, Van Dyke Parks, Dave Van Ronk, Judy Collins, the Everly Brothers, Claudine Longet, Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, Lynn Anderson, Wilson Pickett, Pat Boone and Peggy Lee, covered his songs and "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" became an early standard.

In 1969, he did the orchestral arrangements for Peggy Lee's single "Is That All There Is?", as well as her album with the same title (which also contained her cover versions of two of his songs: "Love Story" and "Linda").^[10]

In 1970, Harry Nilsson recorded an entire album of Newman compositions called Nilsson Sings Newman. That album was a success, and it paved the way for Newman's 1970 release, 12 Songs, a more stripped-down sound that showcased Newman's piano. Ry Cooder's slide guitar and contributions from Byrds members Gene Parsons and Clarence White helped to give the album a much rootsier feel. 12 Songs was also critically acclaimed (6th best album of the seventies according to Rolling Stone critic Robert Christgau), but again found little commercial success, though Three Dog Night made a huge hit of his "Mama Told Me Not to Come." The following year, Randy Newman Live cemented his cult following and became his first LP to appear in the Billboard charts, at #191. Newman also made his first foray into music for films at this time, writing and performing the theme song "He Gives Us All His Love" for Norman Lear's 1971 film Cold Turkey.

1972's Sail Away reached #163 on Billboard, with the title track making its way into the repertoire of Ray Charles and Linda Ronstadt. "You Can Leave Your Hat On" enigmatically touches on what it is men find important in relationships, and was covered by Three Dog Night, then Joe Cocker, and later by Keb Mo, Etta James, Tom Jones (whose version was later used for the final striptease to the 1997 film The Full Monty), and the Québécois singer Garou. The album also featured "Burn On," an ode to an infamous incident in which the heavily polluted Cuyahoga River literally caught fire. In 1989, "Burn On" was used as the opening theme to the film Major League, whose focus was the hapless Cleveland Indians.

His 1974 release Good Old Boys was a set of songs about the American South. "Rednecks" began with a description of segregationist Lester Maddox pitted against a "smart-ass New York Jew" on a TV show, in a song that criticizes both southern racism and the complacent bigotry of Americans outside of the south who stereotype all southerners as racist yet ignore racism in northern and midwestern states and large cities. This ambiguity was also apparent on "Kingfish" and "Every Man a King," the former a paean to Huey Long (the assassinated former Governor and United States Senator from Louisiana), the other a campaign song written by Long himself. An album that received lavish critical praise, Good Old Boys also became a commercial breakthrough for Newman, peaking at #36 on Billboard and spending 21 weeks in the Top 200.

Little Criminals (1977) contained the surprise hit "Short People," which also became a subject of controversy. In September 1977, the British music magazine, NME reported the following interview with Newman talking about his then-new release. "There's one song about a child murderer," Newman deadpans. "That's fairly optimistic. Maybe. There's one called 'Jolly Coppers on Parade' which isn't an absolutely anti-police song. Maybe it's even a fascist song. I didn't notice at the time. There's also one about me as a cowboy called 'Rider in the Rain.' I think it's ridiculous. The Eagles are on there. That's what's good about it. There's also this song 'Short People.' It's purely a joke. I like other ones on the album better but the audiences go for that one."^[11] The album proved Newman's most popular to date, reaching #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

1979's Born Again featured a song satirically mythologizing the Electric Light Orchestra (and their arranging style) entitled "The Story of a Rock and Roll Band".

His 1983 album Trouble in Paradise included the hit single "I Love L.A.", a song that has been interpreted as both praising and criticizing the city of Los Angeles. This ambivalence is borne out by Newman's own comments on the song. As he explained in a 2001 interview, "There's some kind of ignorance L.A. has that I'm proud of. The open car and the redhead, the Beach Boys...that sounds 'really' good to me." The ABC network and Frank Gari Productions transformed "I Love L.A." into a popular 1980s TV promotional campaign, retooling the lyrics and title to "You'll Love It! (on ABC)". The song is played at home games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Kings use the song along with their Goal Horn. In 2003 Newman's song "It's a Jungle Out There" was used for season 2 of the USA Network's show Monk. Newman was awarded the 2004 Emmy Award for Best Main Title Music for It's a Jungle Out There.

In the years following Trouble in Paradise, Newman focused more on film work, but his personal life entered a difficult period. He separated from his wife of nearly 20 years, Roswitha, and was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus. He has released three albums of new material as a singer-songwriter since that time: Land of Dreams (1988), Bad Love (1999), and Harps and Angels, which was released on August 5, 2008. Land of Dreams included one of his most well-known songs, "It's Money That Matters", and featured Newman's first stab at autobiography with "Dixie Flyer" and "Four Eyes", while Bad Love included "I Miss You", a moving tribute to his ex-wife.^{[citation needed]} (In an interview with Glenn Tilbrook, half of the writing partnership of English pop band Squeeze, to promote the album (probably on BBC radio), Newman acknowledged that ‘I Miss You’ was written for his ex-wife. When asked by Tilbrook how his current wife felt about this, Newman said that though he had always been obedient to his wives in most things there was one area in which he did as he chose; ‘I write what I write’ he said.) He has also re-recorded a number of songs that span his career, accompanying himself on piano, with The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 (2003) and The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2 (2011). He continues to perform his songs before live audiences as a touring concert artist.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Newman's "Louisiana 1927" became an anthem and was played heavily on a wide range of American radio and television stations, in both Newman's 1974 original and Aaron Neville's cover version of the song. The song addresses the deceitful manner in which New Orleans's municipal government managed a flood in 1927, during which, as Newman asserts, "The guys who ran the Mardi Gras, the bosses in New Orleans decided the course of that flood. You know, they cut a hole in the levee and it flooded the cotton fields."^[12] In a related performance, Newman contributed to the 2007 release of Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard), contributing his version of Domino's "Blue Monday". Domino had been rescued from his New Orleans home after Hurricane Katrina, initially having been feared dead.

Film composer[link]

Newman's work as a film composer began in 1971, with his work on the Norman Lear satire Cold Turkey. He returned to film work with 1981's Ragtime, for which he was nominated for two Academy Awards. Newman co-wrote the 1986 film ¡Three Amigos! with Steve Martin and Lorne Michaels, wrote three songs for the film, and provided the voice for the singing bush. His orchestral film scores resemble the work of Elmer Bernstein (with whom he had worked on ¡Three Amigos!) and Maurice Jarre.

Newman has scored six Disney/Pixar feature films; Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Cars, and Toy Story 3. He has earned at least one Academy Award nomination for each of the films he has scored for Pixar, winning the award for Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story 3, both times in the category of Best Original Song. Additional scores by Newman include Avalon, Parenthood, James and the Giant Peach, Seabiscuit, Awakenings, The Paper, Meet the Parents, and its sequel, Meet the Fockers. His score for Pleasantville was an Academy Award nominee. He also wrote the songs for Turner's Cats Don't Dance.

One of Newman's most iconic and recognizable works is the central theme to The Natural, a dramatic and Oscar-nominated score, which was described by reviewer David Ansen of Newsweek as "Coplandesque".

Newman had the dubious distinction of receiving the most Oscar nominations (15) without a single win. His losing streak was broken when he received the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2001, for the Monsters, Inc. song "If I Didn't Have You", beating Sting, Enya and Paul McCartney. After receiving a standing ovation, a bemused but emotional Newman began his acceptance speech with "I don't want your pity!" When the orchestra began playing the underscore signifying that the speaker's time on stage is concluding, Newman ordered them to stop before thanking "all these musicians, many of whom have worked for me a number of times and may not again."

Besides writing songs for films, he also writes songs for television series such as the Emmy-Award winning current theme song of Monk, "It's a Jungle out There". Newman also composed the Emmy-Award winning song "When I'm Gone" for the final episode.

Newman wrote the music for the Walt Disney movie The Princess and the Frog. During the Walt Disney Company's annual shareholder meeting in March 2007, Newman performed a new song written for the movie. He was accompanied by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The New Orleans setting of the film played to Newman's musical strengths, and his songs contained elements of Cajun music, zydeco, blues and Dixieland jazz.^[13] Two of the songs, "Almost There" and "Down in New Orleans", were nominated for Oscars.^[14]

In total, Newman has received 20 Oscar nominations with two wins, both for Best Original Song. While accepting the award for "We Belong Together" in 2011, he joked "my percentages aren't great".^[15]

Filmography[link]

• ¡Three Amigos! (1986) -The Singing Bush, Also Writer

Musical theatre[link]

A revue of Newman's songs, titled Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong, was performed at the Astor Place Theater in New York City in 1982, and later at other theaters around the country. The New York cast featured Mark Linn-Baker and Deborah Rush,^[16] and at one point included Treat Williams.^[17]

In the 1990s, Newman adapted Goethe's Faust into a concept album and musical, Randy Newman's Faust. After a 1995 staging at the La Jolla Playhouse, he retained David Mamet to help rework the book before its relaunch on the Chicago Goodman Theatre mainstage in 1996. Newman's Faust project had been many years in the making, and it suffered for it; a central joke was Newman's depiction of Faust as a shallow heavy metal music fan in thrall to Satan, and this had to be modified to accommodate the less-than-devil obsessed age of grunge rock that was in fashion by 1995.

In 2000, South Coast Repertory (SCR) produced The Education of Randy Newman, a musical theater piece that recreates the life of a songwriter who bears some resemblance to the actual Newman. Set in New Orleans and Los Angeles, it was modeled on the celebrated American autobiography, The Education of Henry Adams. Newman, together with Jerry Patch and Michael Roth, surveyed Newman's songs to find those that, taken together, depict the life of an American artist in the last half of the 20th century. After its premiere at SCR, it was reworked with additional songs written specifically for the show by Newman and presented in Seattle by ACT.

In 2010, the Center Theatre Group staged Harps and Angels, a musical revue of the Randy Newman songbook, interspersed with narratives reflecting on Newman's inspirations. The revue premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and included, among other songs "I Think It’s Going to Rain Today," "Sail Away," "Marie," "Louisiana 1927," "Feels Like Home," "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "I Love L.A." The revue was directed by Jerry Zaks and featured Ryder Bach, Storm Large, Adriane Lenox, Michael McKean, Katey Sagal and Matthew Saldivar.^[18]

Notable performances and appearances[link]

• In 2000, Newman hosted a PBS special on Sunset Blvd, in his native Los Angeles. Driving a convertible, he followed the road from the Amtrak train station downtown, through Silver Lake, on past his alma mater UCLA, and finished in Santa Monica.
• Randy Newman appeared on The Colbert Report on October 9, 2006, performing "Political Science" after his interview. At the end of the performance Stephen Colbert said "I hope they're listening in D.C." This appearance came days after North Korea conducted an underground test of a nuclear weapon.
• Newman appeared on the season two finale of the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, accompanying the character Harry Solomon's performance of "Life Has Been Good To Me" on piano in a dream sequence.
• He appeared as a musical guest at the end of the Keynote Address at Macworld's 2008 San Francisco Macworld Expo, performing the songs "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" and "You've Got a Friend in Me".
• Newman appeared as a musical guest on the second episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1975,^[19] as well as on the show's Mardi Gras special in 1977.^[20]
• In June 2010, Newman was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Monty Python's Eric Idle presented at the ceremony

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Randy Newman (1968)
• 12 Songs (1970)
• Randy Newman Live (1971)
• Sail Away (1972)
• Good Old Boys (1974)
• Little Criminals (1977)
• Born Again (1979)
• Trouble in Paradise (1983)
• Land of Dreams (1988)
• Randy Newman's Faust (1995)
• Bad Love (1999)
• Harps and Angels (2008)
• Live in London (2011)

Compilations[link]

• Lonely at the Top: The Best of Randy Newman (1987)
• Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman (1998) (Box set)
• The Best of Randy Newman (2001)
• The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 (2003) (New recordings of previously released songs)
• The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2 (May 2011)

Other Contributions[link]

• Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard, 2007)^[21]

Film scores[link]

• Performance (1970) (song: Gone Dead Train)
• Cold Turkey (1971)
• Ragtime (1981)
• The Natural (1984)
• ¡Three Amigos! (1986) (songs: "The Ballad of the Three Amigos," "My Little Buttercup," and "Blue Shadows")
• Parenthood (1989)
• Major League (1989) (song: "Burn On")
• Awakenings (1990)
• Avalon (1990)
• The Paper (1994)
• Maverick (1994)
• Toy Story (1995)
• James and the Giant Peach (1996)
• Michael (1996)
• Bean (1997) (song: I love L.A.)
• Cats Don't Dance (1997) (songs: "Danny's Arrival Song","Little Boat On The Sea","Animal Jam Session","Big and Loud","Tell Me Lies", and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now")
• A Bug's Life (1998)
• Babe: Pig in the City (1998) (song: "That'll Do" by Peter Gabriel)
• Pleasantville (1998)
• Toy Story 2 (1999)
• Meet the Parents (2000)
• Jurassic Park 3 (2001) (song: "Big Hat, No Cattle")
• Monsters, Inc. (2001)
• Seabiscuit (2003)
• Meet the Fockers (2004)
• Cars (2006)
• Leatherheads (2008)
• The Princess and the Frog (2009)
• Toy Story 3 (2010)

Awards and honors[link]

• Academy Award
  • 2011: Winner – Best Original Song – "We Belong Together" – Toy Story 3
  • 2010: Nominee – Best Original Song – "Almost There" – The Princess and the Frog
  • 2010: Nominee – Best Original Song – "Down in New Orleans" – The Princess and the Frog
  • 2007: Nominee – Best Original Song – "Our Town" – Cars
  • 2002: Winner – Best Original Song – "If I Didn't Have You" – Monsters, Inc.
  • 2002: Nominee – Best Original Score – Monsters, Inc.
  • 2001: Nominee – Best Original Song – "A Fool in Love" – Meet The Parents
  • 2000: Nominee – Best Original Song – "When She Loved Me" – Toy Story 2
  • 1999: Nominee – Best Original Dramatic Score – Pleasantville
  • 1999: Nominee – Best Original Musical or Comedy Score – A Bug's Life
  • 1999: Nominee – Best Original Song – "That'll Do" – Babe: Pig in the City
  • 1997: Nominee – Best Musical or Comedy Score – James and the Giant Peach
  • 1996: Nominee – Best Original Song – "You've Got a Friend in Me" – Toy Story
  • 1996: Nominee – Best Original Musical or Comedy Score – Toy Story
  • 1995: Nominee – Best Original Song – "Make Up Your Mind" – The Paper
  • 1991: Nominee – Best Original Score – Avalon
  • 1990: Nominee – Best Original Song – "I Love to See You Smile" – Parenthood
  • 1985: Nominee – Best Original Score – The Natural
  • 1982: Nominee – Best Original Score – Ragtime
  • 1982: Nominee – Best Original Song – "One More Hour" – Ragtime

• Golden Globe
  • 2000: Nominee – Best Original Song – "When She Loved Me" – Toy Story 2
  • 1999: Nominee – Best Original Score – A Bug's Life
  • 1996: Nominee – Best Original Song – "You've Got a Friend in Me" – Toy Story
  • 1991: Nominee – Best Original Score – Avalon
  • 1990: Nominee – Best Original Song – "I Love to See You Smile" – Parenthood
  • 1982: Nominee – Best Original Song – "One More Hour" – Ragtime

• Grammy
  • 2011: Winner – Best Score Soundtrack Album – Toy Story 3
  • 2011: Nominee – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – "Down in New Orleans" – The Princess and the Frog
  • 2007: Winner – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – "Our Town" – Cars
  • 2004: Nominee – Best Score Soundtrack Album – Seabiscuit
  • 2003: Winner – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – "If I Didn't Have You" – Monsters, Inc.
  • 2003: Nominee – Best Score Soundtrack Album – Monsters, Inc.
  • 2001: Winner – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – "When She Loved Me" – Toy Story 2
  • 2001: Nominee – Best Score Soundtrack Album – Toy Story 2
  • 2000: Winner – Best Instrumental Composition – A Bug's Life
  • 2000: Nominee – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – "The Time of Your Life" – A Bug's Life
  • 1992: Nominee – Best Instrumental Composition – Avalon
  • 1992: Nominee – Best Instrumental Composition – Awakenings
  • 1990: Nominee – Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Parenthood
  • 1985: Winner – Best Instrumental Composition – The Natural (tied with John Williams' Olympic Fanfare)
  • 1983: Nominee – Best Album of Original Score – Ragtime

• Emmy
  • 2010: Winner – Original Music and Lyrics ("When I'm Gone") – Monk
  • 2004: Winner – Main Title Theme Music ("It's a Jungle Out There") – Monk
  • 1991: Winner – Achievement in Music and Lyrics – Cop Rock

• Annie Award
  • 2007: Winner – Music in an Animated Feature Production – Cars
  • 2003: Nominee – Music in an Animated Feature Production – Monsters, Inc.
  • 2000: Winner – Music in an Animated Feature Production – Toy Story 2
  • 1997: Winner – Music in an Animated Feature Production – Cats Don't Dance
  • 1996: Winner – Music in an Animated Feature Production – Toy Story

• BAFTA Award
  • 1983: Nominee – Original Song – "One More Hour" – Ragtime

• Chicago Film Critics Association Award
  • 1999: Nominee – Original Score – A Bug's Life
  • 1996: Winner – Original Score – Toy Story

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award
  • 1981: Winner – Music – Ragtime

• Online Film Critics Society Award
  • 1999: Winner – Original Score – Pleasantville

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Randy Newman at the Internet Movie Database
• Randy Newman at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Randy Newman: American Dreams, Kevin Courrier (2005) ISBN 1-55022-690-8
• Interview with Randy Newman on the Art of Songwriting
• Randy Newman in NPR's All Songs Considered
• Randy Newman at Movieguide
• Randy Newman at NNDB

Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994^[1]) was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson. He is known for the hit singles "Everybody's Talkin'" (1969), "Without You" (1971), and "Coconut" (1972). Nilsson's career is also notable for the fact that he was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists of his era to achieve significant commercial success without ever performing major public concerts or undertaking regular tours.

He was awarded Grammys for two of his recordings; best male contemporary vocal in 1969 for "Everybody's Talkin'", the theme song to the Academy Award-winning movie Midnight Cowboy, and best male pop vocal in 1972 for "Without You."

Life and career[link]

Early years[link]

Nilsson was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1941. His paternal grandparents were Swedish circus performers and dancers, especially known for their "aerial ballet" (which is the title of one of Nilsson's albums). His father, Harry Edward Nilsson, Jr., abandoned the family when young Harry was three. An autobiographical reference to this is found in the opening to Nilsson's song "1941":

Well, in 1941, the happy father had a son

And in 1944, the father walked right out the door

Nilsson's "Daddy's Song" also refers to this period in Nilsson's childhood.^[2]

Nilsson grew up with his mother Bette and his younger half-sister. His younger half-brother Drake was left with family or friends during their moves between California and New York, sometimes living with a succession of relatives and stepfathers. His Uncle John, a mechanic in San Bernardino, California, helped Nilsson improve his vocal and musical abilities.^[3]

He had a half-brother and a half-sister through their mother. He also had three half-sisters and one half-brother through his father.^[2]

Because of the poor financial situation of his family, Nilsson worked from an early age, including a job at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. When the Paramount closed in 1960, Nilsson applied for a job at a bank, falsely stating he was a high school graduate on his application (he only completed ninth grade).^[3] He had an aptitude for computers, which were beginning to be employed by banks at the time. He performed so well that the bank retained him after discovering the lie about his education. He worked on bank computers at night, and in the daytime pursued his songwriting and singing career.^[3]

Musical beginnings[link]

As early as 1958, Nilsson was intrigued by emerging forms of popular music, especially rhythm and blues artists like Ray Charles. He had made early attempts at performing while he was working at the Paramount, forming a vocal duo with his friend Jerry Smith and singing close harmonies in the style of the Everly Brothers. The manager at a favorite hangout gave Nilsson a plastic ukulele, which he learned to play, and he later learned to play the guitar and piano. In the 2010 documentary Who is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him), Nilsson recalled that when he could not remember lyrics or parts of the melodies to popular songs, he created his own, which led to writing original songs.

Uncle John's singing lessons, along with Nilsson's natural talent, helped when he got a job singing demos for songwriter Scott Turner in 1960. Turner paid Nilsson five dollars for each track they recorded. (When Nilsson became famous, Turner decided to release these early recordings, and contacted Nilsson to work out a fair payment. Nilsson replied that he had already been paid — five dollars a track.).^[2]

In 1963, Nilsson began to have some early success as a songwriter, working with John Marascalco on a song for Little Richard. Upon hearing Nilsson sing, Little Richard reportedly remarked: "My! You sing good for a white boy!"^[3] Marascalco also financed some independent singles by Nilsson. One, "Baa Baa Blacksheep", was released under the pseudonym "Bo Pete" to some small local airplay. Another recording, "Donna, I Understand", convinced Mercury Records to offer Nilsson a contract, and release recordings by him under the name "Johnny Niles."^[3]

In 1964, Nilsson worked with Phil Spector, writing three songs with him. He also established a relationship with songwriter and publisher Perry Botkin, Jr., who began to find a market for Nilsson's songs. Botkin also gave Nilsson a key to his office, providing another place to write after hours.^[2] Through his association with Botkin, Nilsson met and became friends with musician, composer and arranger George Tipton, who was at the time working for Botkin as a music copyist. During 1964 Tipton invested his life savings - $2500 - to finance the recording of four Nilsson songs, which he arranged; they were able to sell the completed recordings to the Tower label, a recently-established subsidiary of Capitol Records, and the tracks were subsequently included on Nilsson's debut album. The fruitful association between Nilsson and Tipton continued after Nilsson signed with RCA Records - Tipton went on to create the arrangements for nearly all of Nilsson's RCA recordings between 1967 and 1971 but their association ended in the 1970s when the two fell out for unknown reasons. Whatever the cause, it was evidently a source of lingering resentment for Tipton, who was one of the few significant collaborators who refused to participate in the 2010 documentary on Nilsson's life and career.

Nilsson's recording contract was picked up by Tower Records, which in 1966 released the first singles actually credited to him by name, as well as the debut album Spotlight on Nilsson. None of Nilsson's Tower releases charted or gained much critical attention, although his songs were being recorded by Glen Campbell, Fred Astaire, The Shangri-Las, The Yardbirds, and others. Despite his growing success, Nilsson remained on the night shift at the bank.^[2]

Signing with RCA Victor[link]

Nilsson signed with RCA Victor in 1966 and released an album the following year, Pandemonium Shadow Show, which was a critical (if not commercial) success. Music industry insiders were impressed both with the songwriting and with Nilsson's pure-toned, multi-octave vocals. One such insider was Beatles press officer Derek Taylor, who bought an entire box of copies of the album to share this new sound with others. With a major-label release, and continued songwriting success (most notably with The Monkees, who had a hit with Nilsson's "Cuddly Toy"^[4] after meeting him through their producer Chip Douglas), Nilsson finally felt secure enough in the music business to quit his job with the bank. Monkees member Micky Dolenz maintained a close friendship until Nilsson's death in 1994.

Some of the albums from Derek Taylor's box eventually ended up with the Beatles themselves,^[5] who quickly became Nilsson fans. This may have been helped by the track "You Can't Do That", in which Nilsson covered one Beatles song but added 22 others in the multi-tracked background vocals. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference in 1968 to announce the formation of Apple Corps, John was asked to name his favorite American artist. He replied, "Nilsson". Paul was then asked to name his favorite American group. He replied, "Nilsson".^[2]

Aided by the Beatles' praise, "You Can't Do That" became a minor hit in the US, and a top 10 hit in Canada.^[2]

When RCA had asked if there was anything special he wanted as a signing premium, Nilsson asked for his own office at RCA, being used to working out of one. In the weeks after the Apple press conference, Nilsson's office phone began ringing constantly, with offers and requests for interviews and inquiries about his performing schedule. Nilsson usually answered the calls himself, surprising the callers, and answered questions candidly. (He recalled years later the flow of a typical conversation: "When did you play last?" "I didn't." "Where have you played before?" "I haven't." "When will you be playing next?" "I don't.") Nilsson acquired a manager, who steered him into a handful of TV guest appearances, and a brief run of stage performances in Europe set up by RCA. He disliked the experiences he had, though, and decided to stick to the recording studio. He later admitted this was a huge mistake on his part.^[2]

Once John Lennon called and praised Pandemonium Shadow Show, which he had listened to in a 36-hour marathon.^[3] Paul McCartney called the following day, also expressing his admiration. Eventually a message came, inviting him to London to meet the Beatles, watch them at work, and possibly sign with Apple Corps.

Pandemonium Shadow Show was followed in 1968 by Aerial Ballet, an album that included Nilsson's rendition of Fred Neil's song "Everybody's Talkin'". A minor US hit at the time of release (and a top 40 hit in Canada), the song would become extremely popular a year later when it was featured in the film Midnight Cowboy, and it would earn Nilsson his first Grammy Award.^[4] The song would also become Nilsson's first US top 10 hit, reaching #6, and his first Canadian #1.

Aerial Ballet also contained Nilsson's version of his own composition, "One", which was later taken to the top 5 of the US charts by Three Dog Night and also successfully covered in Australia by John Farnham. Nilsson was also commissioned at this time to write and perform the theme song for the ABC television series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. The result, "Best Friend", was very popular, but Nilsson never released the song on record; the original version of the song (entitled "Girlfriend") was recorded during the making of Aerial Ballet but not included on that LP, and it eventually appeared on the 1995 Personal Best anthology. Late in 1968, The Monkees' notorious experimental film Head premiered, featuring a memorable song-and-dance sequence with Davy Jones and Toni Basil performing Nilsson's composition "Daddy's Song." (This is followed by Frank Zappa's cameo as "The Critic," who dismisses the 1920s-style tune as "pretty white.")^[2]

With the success of Nilsson's RCA recordings, Tower re-issued or re-packaged many of their early Nilsson recordings in various formats. All of these re-issues failed to chart, including a 1969 single "Good Times".^[2]

Chart success[link]

Nilsson's next album, Harry (1969), was his first to hit the charts, and also provided a Top 40 single with "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" (written as a contender for the theme to Midnight Cowboy), used in the Sophia Loren movie La Mortadella (1971) (US title: Lady Liberty). While the album still presented Nilsson as primarily a songwriter, his astute choice of cover material included, this time, a song by a then-little-known composer named Randy Newman, "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear." Nilsson was so impressed with Newman's talent that he devoted his entire next album to Newman compositions, with Newman himself playing piano behind Nilsson's multi-tracked vocals.^[3] The result, Nilsson Sings Newman (1970), was commercially disappointing but was named Record of the Year by Stereo Review magazine and provided momentum to Newman's career.^[3] The self-produced Nilsson Sings Newman also marked the end of his collaboration with RCA staff producer Rick Jarrard, who recounted in the Nilsson documentary that the partnership was terminated by a phone call from Nilsson, who abruptly informed Jarrard that he wanted to work with other producers, and the two never met or spoke again.^[2]

Nilsson's next project was an animated film, The Point!, created with animation director Fred Wolf, and broadcast on ABC television on February 2, 1971, as an "ABC Movie of the Week". Nilsson's self-produced album of songs from The Point! was well received, and it spawned a hit single, "Me and My Arrow".^[2]

Later that year, Nilsson went to England with producer Richard Perry to record what became the most successful album of his career. Nilsson Schmilsson yielded three very stylistically different hit singles. The first was a cover of Badfinger's song "Without You" (by Pete Ham and Tom Evans), featuring a highly emotional arrangement and soaring vocals to match - recorded, according to Perry, in a single take.^[2] His superb performance was rewarded with Nilsson's second Grammy Award.^[4]

The second single was "Coconut", a novelty calypso number featuring three characters (the narrator, the sister, and the doctor) all sung (at Perry's suggestion^[2]) in different voices by Nilsson. The song is best remembered for its chorus lyric, "Put de lime in de coconut, and drink 'em both up." Also notable is that the entire song is played using one chord, C 7th.

The third single, "Jump into the Fire", was raucous, screaming rock and roll, including a drum solo by Derek and the Dominos' Jim Gordon and a bass detuning by Herbie Flowers.

Nilsson followed quickly with Son of Schmilsson (1972), released while its predecessor was still in the charts. Besides the problem of competing with himself, Nilsson was by then ignoring most of Perry's production advice^[2] and his decision to give free rein to his bawdiness and bluntness on this release alienated some of his earlier, more conservative fan base. With lyrics like "I sang my balls off for you, baby", "Roll the world over / And give her a kiss and a feel", and the notorious "You're breaking my heart / You're tearing it apart / So fuck you"- a reference to his ongoing divorce, Nilsson had traveled far afield from his earlier work. Still, the album reached 12 in the US Hot 100 and the single "Spaceman" was a Top 40 hit. However, the follow-up single "Remember (Christmas)" stalled at #53. A third single, the tongue-in-cheek C&W send up "Joy", was issued on RCA's country imprint Green and credited to Buck Earle, but it failed to chart.^[2]

Maverick[link]

Nilsson's disregard for commercialism in favor of artistic satisfaction showed itself in his next release, A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (1973). Performing a selection of pop standards by the likes of Berlin, Kalmar and Ruby, Nilsson sang in front of an orchestra arranged and conducted by veteran Gordon Jenkins in sessions produced by Derek Taylor. This musical endeavor did not do well commercially. The session was filmed, and broadcast as a television special by the BBC in the UK.^[2]

1973 found Nilsson back in California, and when John Lennon moved there during his separation from Yoko Ono, the two musicians rekindled their earlier friendship. Lennon was intent upon producing Nilsson's next album, much to Nilsson's delight. However, their time together in California became known much more for heavy drinking and drug use than it did for musical collaboration. In a widely publicized incident, they were ejected from the Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood for drunken heckling of the Smothers Brothers.^[6] Both men also caused property damage during binges, with Lennon trashing a bedroom in Lou Adler's house, and Nilsson throwing a bottle through a 30-foot-high hotel window.

To make matters worse, Nilsson ruptured a vocal cord during the sessions for this album, but he hid the injury for fear that Lennon would call a halt to the production. The resulting album was Pussy Cats. In an effort to clean up,^[2] Lennon, Nilsson and Ringo Starr first rented a house together, then Lennon and Nilsson left for New York.^[2]

After the relative failure of his latest two albums, RCA Records considered dropping Nilsson's contract. In a show of friendship, Lennon accompanied Nilsson to negotiations, and both intimated to RCA that Lennon and Starr might want to sign with them, once their Apple Records contracts with EMI expired in 1975, but would not be interested if Nilsson were no longer with the label.^[3] RCA took the hint and re-signed Nilsson (adding a bonus clause, to apply to each new album completed), but neither Lennon nor Starr signed with RCA.

Nilsson's voice had mostly recovered by his next release, Duit on Mon Dei (1975), but neither it nor its follow-ups, Sandman and ...That's the Way It Is (both 1976) met with chart success. Finally, Nilsson recorded what he later considered to be his favorite album, 1977's Knnillssonn. With his voice strong again, and his songs exploring musical territory reminiscent of Harry or The Point!, Nilsson anticipated Knnillssonn to be a comeback album. RCA seemed to agree, and promised Nilsson a substantial marketing campaign for the album. However, the death of Elvis Presley caused RCA to ignore everything except meeting demand for Presley's back catalog, and the promised marketing push never happened^{[citation needed]}. This, combined with RCA releasing a Nilsson Greatest Hits collection without consulting him, prompted Nilsson to leave the label.^[2]

London flat[link]

Nilsson's 1970s London flat, at Flat #12, 9 Curzon Street on the edge of Mayfair, was a two-bedroom apartment decorated by the design company that Starr and Robin Cruikshank owned at that time. Nilsson cumulatively spent several years at the flat, which was located near Apple Records, the Playboy Club, Tramps disco and the homes of friends and business associates. Nilsson's work and interests took him to the US for extended periods, and while he was away he lent his place to numerous musician friends. During one of his absences, ex-Mamas and Papas singer Cass Elliot and a few members of her tour group stayed at the flat while she performed solo at the London Palladium, headlining with her Torch Songs and "Don't Call Me Mama Anymore." Following a strenuous performance with encores, Elliot returned to the flat to relax and sleep and was discovered in one of the bedrooms, dead of heart failure at 32, on July 29, 1974.^[3]

On September 7, 1978, The Who's drummer Keith Moon returned to the same room in the flat after a night out, and died at 32 from an overdose of Clomethiazole, a prescribed anti-alcohol drug.^[3] Nilsson, distraught over another friend's death in his flat, and having little need for the property, sold it to Moon's bandmate Pete Townshend and consolidated his life in Los Angeles.

Winding down[link]

Nilsson's musical work after leaving RCA Victor was sporadic. He wrote a musical, Zapata, with Perry Botkin, Jr., libretto by Allan Katz, which was produced and directed by longtime friend Bert Convy. The show was mounted at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, but never had another production. He wrote all the songs for Robert Altman's movie-musical Popeye (1980),^[3] the score of which met with unfavorable reviews. Nilsson's Popeye compositions included several songs that were representative of Nilsson's acclaimed "Point" era, such as "Everything is Food" and "Sweethaven". The song "He Needs Me" featured years later in the film Punch-Drunk Love. Nilsson recorded one more album, Flash Harry, co-produced by Bruce Robb and Steve Cropper, which was released in the UK but not in the US. From this point onward, Nilsson increasingly began referring to himself as a "retired musician".

Nilsson was profoundly affected by the death of John Lennon on December 8, 1980. He joined the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and overcame his preference for privacy to make appearances for gun control fundraising. He began to appear at Beatlefest conventions and he would get on stage with the Beatlefest house band "Liverpool" to either sing some of his own songs or "Give Peace a Chance."^[2]

After a long hiatus from the studio, Nilsson started recording sporadically once again in the mid to late 1980s. Most of these recordings were commissioned songs for movies or television shows. One notable exception was his work on a Yoko Ono Lennon tribute album, Every Man Has A Woman (1984) (Polydor); another was a cover of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" recorded for Hal Willner's 1988 tribute album Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films. Nilsson donated his performance royalties from the song to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.^[2]

In 1985 Nilsson set up a production company, Hawkeye, to oversee various film, TV and multimedia projects he was involved in. He appointed his friend, satirist and screenwriter Terry Southern, as one of the principals. They collaborated on a number of screenplays including Obits (a Citizen Kane-style story about a journalist investigating an obituary notice) and The Telephone, a comedy about an unhinged unemployed actor.^[2]

The Telephone was virtually the only Hawkeye project that made it to the screen. It had been written with Robin Williams in mind but he turned it down; comedian-actress Whoopi Goldberg then signed on, with Southern's friend Rip Torn directing, but the project was troubled. Torn battled with Goldberg, who interfered in the production and constantly digressed from the script during shooting, and Torn was forced to plead with her to perform takes that stuck to the screenplay. Torn, Southern and Nilsson put together their own version of the film, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in early 1988, but it was overtaken by the "official" version from the studio, and this version premiered to poor reviews in late January 1988. The project reportedly had some later success when adapted as a theatre piece in Germany.^[7]

In 1990, Hawkeye floundered and Nilsson found himself in a dire financial situation after it was discovered that his financial adviser Cindy Sims had embezzled all the funds he had earned as a recording artist. The Nilssons were left with $300 in the bank and a mountain of debt, while Sims served less than two years and was released from prison in 1994 without making restitution.^[8]

In 1991, the Disney CD For Our Children, a compilation of children's music performed by celebrities to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, included Nilsson's original composition "Blanket for a Sail," recorded at the Shandaliza Recording Studio in Los Angeles.^[2]

Nilsson made his last concert appearance September 1, 1992, when he joined Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band on stage at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada to sing "Without You" with Todd Rundgren handling the high notes. Afterwards, an emotional Ringo Starr embraced Nilsson on stage.^[2]

Death[link]

Nilsson suffered a massive heart attack in 1993. After surviving that, he began pressing his old label, RCA, to release a boxed-set retrospective of his career, and resumed recording, attempting to complete one final album. He finished the vocal tracks for the album with producer Mark Hudson, who still retains the tapes of that session.

Nilsson died of heart failure on January 15, 1994 in his Agoura Hills, California, home.

In 1995, the 2-CD anthology he worked on with RCA, Personal Best, was released.^[2]

Legacy[link]

Nilsson is the subject of a 2006 documentary, Who is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him) produced by David Leaf and John Schienfeld. The film was screened in 2006 at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Santa Barbara Film Festival. In August 2006, the film received its Los Angeles premiere when it was screened at the 7th Annual Mods & Rockers Film Festival followed by a panel discussion about Nilsson featuring the filmmakers and two friends of Nilsson, producer Richard Perry and attorney/executive producer Lee Blackman.^[2]

The filmmakers re-edited the film with found rare footage of Nilsson, further interviews, and family photographs, and finally released it on September 17, 2010 at selected theaters in the United States. A DVD, including additional footage not in the theatrical release, was released on October 26, 2010.^[2]

As of July 2010^[update], Nilsson's final album, tentatively titled Papa's Got a Brown New Robe (produced by Mark Hudson) has not been released, though several demos from the album are available on promotional CDs and online.^[2]

The musical Everyday Rapture features three songs by Nilsson.

Nilsson was survived by his third wife, Una (née O'Keeffe), and their six children (Annie, Beau, Ben, Kief, Olivia, Oscar), his son Zachary Nine Nilsson from his marriage to Diane Clatworthy, and one grandson (Caleb). He was married to Sandy Maganiello (1964 to 1966), Diane Clatworthy (1969 to 1974) and Una O'Keeffe (1976 to his passing in 1994).

Awards and nominations[link]

Nilsson won two Grammy Awards. He received several more Grammy nominations for the album Nilsson Schmilsson.^[9]

The New York Post rated Nilsson's cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talking" #51 on their list of the 100 Best Cover Songs of All Time.^[10]

Discography[link]

Tribute albums[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

• Nilsson by Tipton (1970, Warner Bros. Records), Although it may not be considered a tribute, it featured George Tipton conducting instrumental versions of 11 Nilsson songs.

• For The Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson^[11] (1995, MusicMasters/BMG), featured Nilsson's songs performed by Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Richard Barone, Brian Wilson, Aimee Mann, Fred Schneider, and others, with proceeds benefitting the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

• "Pussy Cats" Starring The Walkmen. The whole of the Pussy Cats album covered by The Walkmen.

• I'll Never Leave You: A Tribute to Harry Nilsson (2005 Wood Records). A percentage of profits from sales of the CD went to benefit Amnesty International.

Filmography[link]

Note: this section is for songs Nilsson recorded specifically for film and television projects, as well as his few acting roles. Later use of Nilsson recordings are listed in the next section.

• Skidoo (1968) songs written and performed, soundtrack music composer, actor (bit role)
• The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1969 TV Series) acted and sang—He appeared in the episode "The Music Maker", and his character name was Tim Seagirt. He sang "Without Her" and "If Only I Could Touch Your Hand."
• The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series, 1969–1972) theme song written and performed, incidental music
• Midnight Cowboy (1969) new version of "Everybody's Talkin'" performed
• Jenny (1970) song "Waiting" written and performed
• The Point! (1971) story, all songs written and performed
• Son of Dracula (1974) actor (lead role), all songs performed
• The World's Greatest Lover (1978) song "Ain't It Kinda Wonderful" performed
• In God We Tru$t (1980) new version of "Good For God" performed
• Popeye (1980) all songs written, except "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man"
• Handgun (1983) song "Lay Down Your Arms" written and performed
• First Impressions, (TV series, 1988) theme song co-written, performed
• Camp Candy (TV series, animated, 1989–1991) theme song written, and performed with John Candy
• The Fisher King (1991) song "How About You" performed
• Me, Myself, and I (1992) song "Me, Myself and I" written and performed

In film and television[link]

• The Monkees (1967, 2nd season) - "Cuddly Toy" (cover version by The Monkees)
• Head (1968) - "Daddy's Song" (cover version by The Monkees)
• The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV series) 1969 - "Without Her" and fragments of other songs
• Midnight Cowboy (1969) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971) - "Don't Leave Me"
• La Mortadella (1971) - "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City"
• The Muppet Show (1979, episode 410) - "Coconut"
• All That Jazz (1979) - "Perfect Day"
• Real Life (1979) - "Jump Into the Fire"
• Porridge (film version, 1979) - "Without You"
• Popeye (1980) - Soundtrack—all songs
• Ziggy's Gift (1982) - "Ziggy's Gift"
• Only Fools And Horses The Jolly Boys' Outing (1989) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Private School for Girls (1983) - "You're Breakin' My Heart"
• Goodfellas (1990) - "Jump Into the Fire"
• Reservoir Dogs (1992) - "Coconut"
• Caroline (animated short, 1993) - "Caroline"
• Forrest Gump (1994) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Duckman (1994 episode) - "Best Friend"
• Casino (1995) - "Without You"
• Seinfeld (1995 episode) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Beverly Hills, 90210 (1995 episode) - "Remember"
• The Craft (1996) - "Jump Into The Fire"(covered by Tripping Daisy)
• Angel on My Shoulder (1997)
• Contact (1997) - "Spaceman"
• Ellen Foster (1997) - "Remember"
• The Ice Storm (1997) - "Coconut"
• Practical Magic (1998) - "Coconut"
• You've Got Mail (1998) - "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", "Remember", "The Puppy Song", "Over The Rainbow"
• Dick (1999) - "Coconut"
• Futurama - Brannigan Begin Again (1999) - "Everybody's Talkin"
• Magnolia (1999) - "One" (Aimee Mann's cover version opens with a sample from Cuddly Toy)
• High Fidelity (2000) - "The Moonbeam Song"
• Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) - "Without You"
• Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) - "Everything's Got 'Em", "Me And My Arrow"
• Black Books - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - "He Needs Me" (Shelley Duvall's version from Popeye)
• The Rules of Attraction (2002) - "Without You"
• Shanghai Knights (2003) - "One"
• Good Boy! (2003) - "The Puppy Song"
• Daddy Day Care (2003) - Jeff Garlin entertains the kids with "Coconut"
• That '70s Show (2004) - "Best Friend"
• Around the Bend (2004) - "Daddy's Song"
• The Girl Next Door (2004) - "Jump Into the Fire"
• House (2004) - "One"
• Max & Paddy's Road To Nowhere (UK) (2004, Series 1, episode 2) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Coke with Lime Ad (2005) - altered version of "Coconut"
• Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - "Me And My Arrow", "You're Breakin' My Heart", "The Moonbeam Song"
• Beyond Our Control (1967–1986) - "Remember" Closing theme for the series
• Little Man (2006) - "Best Friend"
• Crank (2006) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• Rob & Big (2006) - "Best Friend"
• American Dad (2006 episode 2.08) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• A Good Year (2007) - "How Can I Be Sure Of You" "Jump Into The Fire", "Gotta Get Up"
• Unison TV Advert (2007) - "One"
• DigitalUK TV Advert (2007) - "Everybody's Talkin'"
• My Name is Earl (2008 episode) - "Me And My Arrow"
• Life on Mars (2008 episode) - "Spaceman"
• Confessions Of A Shopaholic (2009) - "Don't Forget Me" (covered by Macy Gray)
• 44 Inch Chest (2009) - "Without You"
• You Don't Know Jack (film) (2010) - "Early in the Morning"
• Bones (TV series), 2011) - "Coconut"
• Red Dog (film), 2011) - "Jump Into The Fire"

References[link]

External links[link]

• For The Love Of Harry (rare recordings, articles, videos, photos)
• The Harry Nilsson Web Pages: A Little Touch of Schmilsson on the Net
• RareHarry: Email discussion group covering rare Harry Nilsson audio and video recordings
• Harry Nilsson Discography/Bibliography
• Harry Nilsson at the Internet Movie Database
• Podcast featuring Harry Nilsson
• "One Last Touch of Nilsson" by Dawn Eden (Goldmine magazine, April 29, 1994)
• Bruce Robb (producer)