''Harry'' is the fourth studio album by Harry Nilsson, released August 1969 on RCA. It was his first album to get onto

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

's ''Billboard'' 200 chart, remaining there for 15 weeks and reaching #120.
''Harry'' features jazz saxophonist Tom Scott, pianist

Mike Melvoin Mike Melvoin (May 10, 1937February 22, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He served as chairman and president of The Recording Academy and worked as a prolific studio musician, recording with Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, ...

, flutist

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for f ...

, session drummer Jim Gordon, Larry Knechtel on bass, and David Cohen and Howard Roberts on guitars. The album does not have a distinctive style but ranges over ballads, show tunes, nostalgic Americana, and tin pan alley-like soft shoe numbers.

William E. Martin William E. Martin (October 8, 1945 – January 27, 2016) was an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, and voice actor. Life and career A friend of Monkee Michael Nesmith, Martin wrote the first song (" All of Your Toys") to be recor ...

, who wrote the songs "Fairfax Rag" and "City Life" that Harry covered on ''Harry'', and who collaborated with Nilsson on the song "Rainmaker," appears in a picture inside the

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...

version of the album wearing a bear suit that was made of an actual bear.

Songs

The Puppy Song

Nilsson wrote this song at

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's request for Mary Hopkin, an 18-year-old singer that McCartney had signed to Apple records and whose first album, ''Post Card'', would feature her version of Nilsson's song. Nora Ephron would use Harry's own version for the opening credits of her 1998 film, ''

You've Got Mail ''You've Got Mail'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Inspired by the 1937 Hungarian play '' Parfumerie'' by Miklós László (which had earlier been adapted in 1940 as ''The Shop ...

''. Kenny Loggins covered it on his 2009 album ''

All Join In ''All Join In'' is the fourteenth studio and third children's (and most recent) album by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was also his only album on Walt Disney Records, released on July 21, 2009. It was Loggins' first children's album ...

''. Others have covered "The Puppy Song" as well: David Cassidy sang a cover of it and took it to a UK #1 as a double A-side single with the song "Daydreamer"; Victoria Williams covered it on ''For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson'' – a tribute album released in 1995;

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbert ...

performed a bossa nova lounge version on 2001's ''The Girl from Ipanema''; and 70's Australian pop group

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

released their cover on their ''Best of...'' album in 2002.

Open Your Window

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

covered this song on her album ''

Ella Ella may refer to: * Ella (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Places United States * Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincorporate ...

'', released in 1969, the same year as ''Harry''. She also performed it live on '' Ella in Budapest'', recorded in May 1970. Louis Bellson recorded a cover for his 1975 album, ''The Louis Bellson Explosion''. In 1973,

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

recorded the song for their album ''Living Together, Growing Together''.

Mother Nature's Son

The Beatles once referred to this recording as their favorite Beatles cover song.

Mournin' Glory Story

This song, about a homeless woman's confusion and misery, has been covered by Melanie Safka, Bobby Graham,

Jennifer Trynin Jennifer Trynin (born 1963), is an American singer-songwriter and author from Boston, Massachusetts. Career She recorded her debut album '' Cockamamie'' in 1994 while running her own desktop publishing business. The track "Better Than Nothi ...

, Jiffipop, and Al Kooper.

Maybe

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

covered this song on her 1971 album '' Stoney End''.

Karen Akers Karen Akers (born October 13, 1945) is an American actress and singer, who has appeared on Broadway theatre, Broadway, and in cabaret and film. Early life Akers was born Karen Orth-Pallavicini in New York City on October 13, 1945. Her immigrant ...

recorded a medley of "Maybe" and "Nevertheless, I'm in Love With You" on her 1990 album, ''In a Very Unusual Way''. Richard Barnes recorded a cover for his only album, ''Richard Barnes'', released in 1970.

Marchin' Down Broadway

This song is based on a song written by Bette Nilsson, Harry's mother.

I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City

Nilsson wrote this song for the film ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama (film and television), drama film, based on the 1965 Midnight Cowboy (novel), novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars ...

''. Director John Schlesinger had been using Nilsson's cover of Fred Neil's "

Everybody's Talkin' "Everybody's Talkin (Echoes)" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Fred Neil in 1966 and released two years later. A version of the song performed by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson became a hit in 1969, reachin ...

" as an example of the kind of song he wanted on the final soundtrack but then decided not to replace it. If "I Guess the Lord ..." had been included, it would have been eligible for an Oscar, as it was an original song. Harry Nilsson did win a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Everybody's Talkin'", however. "I Guess the Lord ..." was used in a film – 1971's ''

La Mortadella ''Lady Liberty'' (Italian: ''La mortadella'') is a 1971 Italian-French comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Sophia Loren, William Devane, Gigi Proietti, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Edward Herrmann in his film debut. It was sh ...

'' (US title: ''Lady Liberty''), starring

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. In 1969 a popular cover version of the song was released in UK by

Eternal Triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

on the Decca Label.

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...

recorded a cover of the song for the film ''

'', but director Nora Ephron decided to use Nilsson's original. O'Connor's version appears on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

album.

Mac DeMarco MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco (born Vernor Winfield MacBriare Smith IV; April 30, 1990) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. DeMarco has released six full-length studio albums, his debut ''Rock and Roll Night C ...

also recorded a cover of this song for the debut Makeout Videotape EP 'Heat Wave!'.

Rainmaker

Co-written with William "Bill" Martin in 1968, this song has been covered by

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(non-album, 1969),

Tom Northcott Tom Northcott (born August 29, 1943 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian folk-rock singer with hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Musical career He became known to a Canadian audience by his regular appearances on CBC Televi ...

(#38 Canada 1970), Bobbie Gentry (''

Fancy Fancy may refer to: Places * Fancy, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a settlement * Fancy River, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Music Albums * ''Fancy'' (Bobbie Gentry album), 1970 * ''Fancy'' (Idiot Flesh album), 1997 * ''Fancy'' (video ...

'', 1970), Michael Nesmith (''

Nevada Fighter ''Nevada Fighter'' is the third solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith during his post-Monkees career. The album is also the third and final album with Nesmith backed by the First National Band. Released by RCA Records in 1971, ...

'', 1971) and

(''

Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes ''Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes'' is the sixth album by American pop group The 5th Dimension, released in 1971. The title song had been recorded originally by Diana Ross the previous year. It reached #17 on ''Billboards Top 200 Album Char ...

'', 1971). Country group the

Wright Brothers Band The Wright Brothers Band, formerly known as the Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company, formed in 1972, is an Indiana-based music group. They perform songs from the 1920s to the present day, and can cover bluegrass, pop standards, country, gospe ...

did a medley of this song together with "Dawson", in both studio and live versions, on the albums ''Cornfield Cowboys'' and ''Memorabila Box''. The song charted for folk/rock singer

in Canada in 1970. It also appeared on

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's debut album ''Country Man'' in 1972. The song is also notable for its opening

drum beat A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes o ...

, which has been sampled by over thirty artists, including

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, and

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Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear

This is a cover of a song written by

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

and popularized by the

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. The song also appeared on an episode of ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a ser ...

'', performed by Fozzie Bear and Scooter. Nilsson was impressed by Newman's talents and his next album was ''

Nilsson Sings Newman ''Nilsson Sings Newman'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in February 1970 on RCA Victor. It features songs written by Randy Newman. Recorded over six weeks in late 1969, the album showcases Nilsson ...

'', ten covers of songs by Newman, with Newman on piano and Nilsson doing vocals. In 2000, BMG released a combined CD of ''Harry'' and ''Nilsson Sings Newman''.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Harry Nilsson, except where noted. All tracks arranged and conducted by George Tipton (* = produced by Rick Jarrard) #" The Puppy Song" – 2:43 #"Nobody Cares About the Railroads Anymore" – 2:47 #"Open Your Window" – 2:08 * #" Mother Nature's Son" (

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

) – 2:42 #"Fairfax Rag" ( Bill Martin) – 2:14 #"City Life" (Bill Martin) – 2:31 #"Mournin' Glory Story" – 2:13 * #"Maybe" – 3:10 #"Marchin' Down Broadway" – 1:05 * #"

I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Nilsson in 1969. A track from his fourth studio album, ''Harry'', it became his second charting single. Background The song was written for, but not ...

" – 2:44 #"Rainmaker" (Nilsson, Bill Martin) – 2:47 #" Mr. Bojangles" ( Jerry Jeff Walker) – 3:53 #"

Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" is a song written by Randy Newman, about a sincere young man of modest means named Simon Smith who entertains affluent ("well-fed") diners with his dancing bear. A recording by the Alan Price Set reached ...

" (

) – 2:47 BMG's 1997 re-issue bonus tracks #

"I Will Take You There" – 2:35 #"Waiting" (non-LP single) – 2:18 #"Rainmaker" (alternate single mix) – 2:25

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harry (Album) Harry Nilsson albums 1969 albums RCA Victor albums Albums produced by Rick Jarrard Albums produced by Harry Nilsson Albums conducted by George Tipton Albums arranged by George Tipton