The Puppy Song/ Harry Nilsson

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We write so often about the musicians who influenced DC. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Buffalo Springfield, rock and blues atists. But actions speaks more than words, and it seems that Harry Nilsson was probably the artist who influenced the most David Cassidy and his music in the 70s.

Today we remember Harry Nilsson. Me at least. He died on January 15, 1994. I think that a lot of people have forgotten him, but in the 60s, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney regarded him as their fav American artist. I love 'Everybody's Talking'. Wrote in 1966 by Fred Neil, and recorded by Harry Nilsson in 1968. The song got Grammy after it was featured in the film 'Midnight Cowboy'. Of course I didn't see that film in the 70s, much later, one of the saddest I've ever seen in my life. I love the song and Harry's voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kznTMxOsxo

John Lennon and Paul McCartney invited Harry to London and Paul asked Harry Nilsson to write a song for Mary Hopkin. The demo was ready the next day. The Puppy Song. Both, Mary and Harry recorded it, but it was David who had his number one single with that song. The double A-single (with Daydreamer) was Nr 1 in the UK for 3 weeks in November 1973, and it was also among ten biggest sellers of that amazing (in the music history) year.

David  Cassidy performed The Puppy Song while on the World Tour in 1974

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdj54_laZaY

David chose himself Rick Jarrad as the producer of his first own (without Wes) solo album. The title of it was the opening line of The Puppy Song, 'Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes'. DC regarded two Harry Nilsson's album produced by Rick Jarrad as masterpieces.

DC: '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' (David Cassidy : Could It Be Forever?, 2007)

This is just amazing what David did with 'This Could Be the Night', a Harry Nilsson's song (with Phil Spector's help) wrote in the 60s. Let's listen to the original, The Modern Folk Quarter (with Henry Diltz, who btw. recorded that song himself too, in the 80s)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrgCkAHfE94

And a cover, but so completely different, amazing, one in a kind, the DC's version, so exciting, sensual..you know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sgero04Twc

It's not everything, because on 'Gettin' It In The Street' we have another DC's masterpiece, I love and adore his version of Nilsson's 'The Story of Rock and Roll'. 

Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 - January 15, 1994)

Comments

  1. Valerie1/15/23, 9:50 PM

    I love to read your blogs. Thank you for sharing this. I happen to agree with your assessment. In all honesty, I would never have been able to tell this was the same song. The way the song was sung and arranged is absolutely wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Weronika1/15/23, 10:12 PM

      Thank you Valerie. I know that DC wanted to be an actor, like his father, and he became a recording artist by accident, it wasn't planned, but in my opinion he was a very good actor and one in a kind singer. He should have recorded more, nearly everything what he recorded is truly outstanding.

      Delete

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