The Puppy Song / Harry Nilsson

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 This is just amazing what I've learnt and I'm learning every day because of David Cassidy and this blog. In the 70s I knew Harry Nilsson as a performer of a song..which I really hated , a hot favourite at every school ball or home party, I even heard it once at a scout camp, singing a capella..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZDKirjQgM

That was a great hit, everywhere, but at the time I loved ...something more exciting..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_jdiU47bFA

 Great music, whatever we call it, such fun....RIP Brian, Steve and Mick..Anyway, in the 70s I had no idea about Harry Nilsson and his songs, I think  I was too young to appreciate his fabulous voice and his talent as a song writer, and how important artist he was.. His music wasn't played much on our radio.  I knew 'Everybody's Talkin', but of course I wasn't allowed to watch 'Midnight Cowboy' (the song was featured in that film) and I had no idea who the singer was, even if I always loved that song..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55xQu9eIPIA

I actually started reading about Harry Nilsson and listening to his music while I was writing my book on DC, in 2018. Because David Cassidy knew Harry Nilsson very well and was his fan. It was a main reason why he chose Rick Jarrad as a producer for his first ( real) solo album, and the title of it is a fragment of Harry's  song - 'Dreams are nothin' more than wishes.. '

David Cassidy: 'So I personally called Rick Jarrad. Rick had produced two or three of my fav albums of all time : Jefferson Airplane's first album and Harry Nilsson's 'Aerial Ballet' and 'Harry', which were two masterpieces. I was a huge Nilsson fan and got to know him very well, eventually singing and writing with him a few years later. I had all Harry's demos because I was such a fan. The Puppy Song, which I recorded for 'Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes' was his song' (David Cassidy, Could It Be Forever ? , 2007)

'The Puppy Song' was written at Paul McCartney's request for 18 year old Mary Hopkin. But let's listen to Harry's version ( and watch that great video, with fragments from 'Big Red' .I'm sure David watched that film when he was a kid)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiRr_CY9ZKo

Nice..but it was David Cassidy who made a great  hit out of it. His double A-side single 'Daydreamer/The Puppy Song was number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. 

This is 'The Puppy Song' when it was debuted at no 8 on Top Of The Pops, of course in 1973 David couldn't appear there live for obvious reason..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBsZVQO4YzU

What can I say..like always he made a song he covered, his own. A great reading of someone's else writing, if I can put it this way. Perfection. Joy and happiness.  His voice..smooth and rich..like velvet, and I don't know how he did it but I feel he is singing just for me..





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