He was an amazing talent. He did hard rock songs in the top ten of all time, he did movie scores like Urban Cowboy, and he was one of the greatest writers of music for other artists ever. You'd be surprised at some of the songs he wrote for famous artists that became huge hits. Harry died a couple of years ago. Heis missed.
Hey there: Actually my brother Harry did not write "Without You" It was written by a group called Badfinger. Tommy Evans & Pete Ham. It was on their No Dice lp and they did nothing with it. Harry heard it one night listening to records with John Lennon and decided to record it. He did make it a big hit a won a Grammy for "Without You" in 1972.
Aww...Hi brother Gary. This man was such an amazing vocalist (ofttimes musical talent runs in the family...???) He sang all the instruments with his voice, which I loved. I do the exact same thing and have always done so and wonder if growing up listening to Harry in the 70's is why I do it. I was only 8 years old when this song came out, but come from a musical family and have listened to this song my whole life. It's on my car "mix-tape, cd, jump-drive, phone," so my son also grew up listening to it. It's actually difficult for me to listen to this song for I am deeply emotional and Harry seemed to capture all his emotion in this one song. It was as though his soul was bleeding out onto the airwaves. It is always my compulsion at the chorus of this song to drop to my knees and cry. It's kinda hard when you're drivin'. Production was excellent on this song. I did not know that Badfinger wrote this song, I'll have to look for a copy. Thank you for sharing that. They were a great band. Also, there was a comment that one of his songs was played in "Urban Cowboy" and I don't know that it wasn't, but I believe it originally came from the soundtrack from the movie, "Midnight Cowboy."
My opinion, Badfinger couldn't make this a hit because it was so poorly done. Their original version just sucked, sadly they never got any royalties (the two of them committed suicide) for this song that THEY wrote. Nilsson made this a hit and people always think he wrote it because of the way he sang it with such feeling. Harry Nilsson died in the late 90's heart attack, he just drank himself to death.
I have that album but it was sold as a cut-out, so it probably wasn't a great success in the first place. Anyway, the history of Badfinger is not exactly a very beautiful story.
Listening to the Badfinger version, there's nothing actually wrong with it but it's not memorable. The amazing thing to me is that Nilsson heard *that* and made the mental leap from there to his version. What a talent. Gone too soon.
Something not mentioned, that his producer on the album Nilsson Schmilsson noted, this song was done in one take!!!😳 That’s right, he laid this track down in ONE take. Apparently he and the producer had been arguing, so he went in the sound booth blast this out in one take.🤯
Well, technically it would be two takes, since he's singing harmony with himself. ;) Obviously he had two sing two passes of the song, but if each layered track was a single take, that is still amazing. Helps that it is a short song. Later he would sing while the musicians were playing as he did with his orchestral standards tribute, but here the vocals were recorded AFTER the instrumental track. So on more than one level one could argue against this being a single take.
He didn't do it in one take, for sure... First, because the arrangement is so perfect... Second, because his voice is re-recorded, with a slightly different pitch & just a split second behind... giving the original vocals, great as they are, an even richer texture...
+XChiro A music critic had chastised Harry for not crediting his backing singers on one of his early albums, not realizing that Nilsson did all of his backing vocals. (And some of the arranging and production.) There is some great stuff before Nilsson even recorded "Without You."
That's true... But I get the feeling that when Harry started hanging out with John & emulating his life-style (not that Harry was ever a teatotaler)... his beautiful voice was ruined... his heart wound up severely damaged also... and eventually gave out...
As has been reported many times, during a altered states binge....Lennon and Ñillson engaged in a contest of yelling, screaming, shrieking and otherwise punishing their vocal chords. Harry's vocals were never the same, while John's vocals were never as finely tuned as Harry's. John had Paul to provide the crooning..
It really was an amazing time for music. I love a lot of 60s music, but the recording technology really went to a new level in the 70s. Things got really crisp, full, and clear and they hadn't started over producing things like they did in the '80s. Match that with a ton of incredible artists over a spectrum of genres and it really was a golden age.
"He even has the high part and everything happening!" hahaha. I loved watching your reaction. My laughter is not making fun of you, but a result of the pure joy you brought me this morning at 5:18 AM EST. I love Harry Nilsson. Your reaction about not knowing Mariah's version was a cover cracks me up, because so many songs I heard as a kid, I later learned were covers. Thanks for a huge bit of nostalgia ane making my day brighter.
this song went to #1 in 1972, he won the Grammy for Male vocal performance. this is one of my favorites of all time. i'm so glad you noticed the production, the producer is Richard Perry, other amazing songs he produced around the same time as Nilsson are You're So Vain by Carly Simon 1973 and Photograph by Ringo Starr 1973. the production holds up just as well on these :)
He is amazing in every way other than of not living long enough. Explore his songs. The guy was so talented by like many in his time people passed away too soon.
You are not alone because I'm 25 years old and when I first heard the song myself I too thought Mariah Carey did it first and that's the version of the song that I always knew cuz I used to hear it all the time however it wasn't until my dad played Harry's version when I figured out that Mariah's version was the cover and I was just as blown away as you are
Hr's th story First recorded by the rock group Badfinger, the song was composed by two of its members. Pete Ham wrote a song originally titled "If It's Love", but it had lacked a strong chorus. At the time of writing, the band shared residence with the Mojos at 7 Park Avenue in Golders Green. One evening, in the midst of the parties, songwriting, touring, in Golders Green, Ham and his girlfriend Beverly Tucker were about to go out for the evening. But just as they were leaving Tom Evans said he had an idea for a song - Ham said, "Not tonight, I've promised Bev." But she thought he would be wondering if he had done the right thing later, if he went out. She told him, "Go into the studio, I'm fine about it..." He replied, "Your mouth is smiling, but your eyes are sad." The song Ham wrote that night was called "If it's Love" and has the verse "Well I can't forget tomorrow, when I think of all my sorrow, I had you there but then I let you go, and now it's only fair that I should let you know ... if it's love". But Ham wasn't happy with the chorus. Evans' relationship with his future wife Marianne influenced his lyrics: One evening Evans]went to Marianne's friend Karen and told Karen, "She's left me. I need her back. I can't live without her." He flew to Bonn to find her - he wrote a song called "I Can't Live". Its chorus included "I can't live, if living is without you, I can't live, I can't give any more." And so the merging of the two songs,[ Ham and Evans created the hit [with] Ham's verse, "warm, sweet, sentimental" and Evans' chorus, "intense, dramatic, heartbreaking." From Wikipedia
@lewismaddox4132 Check out the credits on the album cover. It says written by (Ham-Evans) From Badfinger. Off the "No Dice" album 1970. Harry released it in 1971.
This was top 40 in 1972!!! I was 16 when this appeared on radio, and this was (as amazing as it is) common fare amongst Giants in those pioneer days of Rock and the birth of FM Stereo Radio !!
Here's another surprise: Harry Nilsson didn't write Without You either. It was originally written and recorded by members of the group Badfinger, and released in 1970.
The piano session recorded for this in the studio was played by Gary Wright. Gary Wright went on to record "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive" for the The Dream Weaver record.
I remember when we emigrated from the UK to Australia by ship in 1972 and me and a bunch of other teens sat in a cabin and sang this at the top of our lungs, and Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Awesome songs.
I just stumbled across this reaction. Another commenter told you that this is one of the few songs that Nilsson did not write. There's another very powerful song about love lost that he wrote, but the group Three Dog Night had a hit with, called "One". Three Dog Night was a vocal group fronted by three extraordinary vocalists, and backed by a killer band. They had a string of hits in the late 60s through the 70s. They are all worth a listen, but ONE is a signature song, and after hearing Without You, you can see Nilsson's fingerprints all over it.
Your riggt, the band badfinger or something like that originally wrote the song and Harry did a cover of it and made it popular. Kind of sad cause members of the bad ended up committing suicide or something like that
Sorry for the pain Harry caused you. I've never bothered to listened to Badfinger's or Maria's versions, because Harry owns this song. But I must say, a great reaction.
Your expression on your face tells it all. Your so funny. This was one of my favorite songs to couples skate too while roller-skating back in high school say 1971 and on, so romantic.
😂😂LOL! This is the music of my generation! I grew up in the 70's & 80's with all these wonderful artists that young people of today are enjoying & all the awesome singers are re recording! Love this reaction! Glad you love this song! Anyone else who loves this original artist, go check out the rest of his songs! 😉🎶🎤🎧
and Whitney Houston's greatest hit, "I Will Always Love You" was just a cover of the 1973 Country hit "I Will Always Love You" written and recorded by Dolly Parton!
Yep; Harry did it. I’m not laughing at you. I’m proud of you for expanding your musical horizons. I love how you compared the song to food on a plate; brilliant! He didn’t write this song, but he wrote many others. Funny that you said it’s on point, because he has an album called The Point. There’s a whole musical world out there for you to yet discover from the 60s, 70s and 80s - and that’s not even touching upon classical music. Keep going. ❤️
hey, thank you for your reaction, i was kid when this came out and the radios wouldnt stop playing it and i couldn't stop listening to it, His voice driving the song makes it epic.
This was the very first Single Record I ever bought waaay back in 1972 when it was Number One for five weeks in Britain! It was a very difficult Record to get hold of at the time; it was constantly sold out in the town where I lived. You should see Pans People dancing to this on Top Of The Pops.
I agree with what others have said, your vids are definitely a bright spot in my day. I loved your revelation that this wasn't a Mariah song. I had one too! I thought this was the original but learned in the comments below it isn't. Sheesh! We're gettin dupped! LOL! Love Ya!
Jump into the Fire is another great song by him. It used to be on a special CD that Bose would include in the box to show off the sound the speaker was capable of!
i´m sure you know bassey´s version of without you, but just in case, here´s the link (she eats today´s divas for breakfast): ua-cam.com/video/xHvCB7JDGhk/v-deo.html
Gerald Herrmann I bet she does! Thanks, haven’t heard it before...still trying to find time for your channel! So tired from working & walking dogs I haven’t had a chance yet. 😢
@@lynnhoffmann247 we have a problem. our label went into legal battle with the distributor and so we´re down. we´ll be back on all channels in a couple of weeks through another distributor (aggregator).
My older brother had an album called "The Point." It came from a cool children's animated musical of the same name done by Harry Nilsson. After that, I was hooked. I bought the rest of his albums myself.
Actually released in 1971.Even though Harry only covered it,it was his musical intuition upon hearing it that he he both liked it & could improve it.He undoubtedly picked a winner!
Im old and I remember when this song came out back in the early 70s. It's serious tear jerker. When I saw the video of Mariah doing it, it made me happy, that such a superstar would bring it back to the younger generations.
Was interesting to watch the moment the penny dropped. When she realised Mariah Carey's version is a direct imitation (adjusted to her range) and everything she thought she knew isn't what it seemed. Harry is wonderful, so hopefully the distress was short lived.
C'mon, Mariah hit this one out of the park! Yeah, Harry took Badfinger's song and made it far greater than it ever was, and made Mariah cry as a little girl, but Mariah brought it back to life and gave it new meaning.
She didn't sing like she did (which was out of this world amazing) to honor Badfinger, she sang Harry's version to honor him, the one who she loved listening to as a child. She copied him. That's an honor, because Mariah copies no one, except him. Singers copy her. She could have been vain and made it her own, but in his honor, she copied Harry. My personal choice is to hear her sing it. But what she did is commendable, at the least.
About the production: Nilsson worked with the infamous Phil Spector in the 60s. So he certainly knew about the Wall of Sound and Spector's approach to producing music, which is clearly evident in this track.
IIRC some radio station played Without You, when Harry Nilsson had just died. Mariah Carey heard the radio station when she was in some store and was reminded of how much she loved the song, so she decided to record it.
Harry was an absolutely great singer, He could cover something like 4 octaves. Just a natural great. PLUS he could write songs that were instant classics. Do yourself a favor, Faith, and listen to all his albums. There aren't that many, sadly. But you'll feel better for it, guaranteed.
Nope, it’s not Mariah. She did a great job with it though! It’s not even Harry Nilsson’s song, although he had a huge hit with it first. It was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger. Wait until you find out that Mariah’s “Fantasy” is Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”, “I Still Believe” was originally sung by Brenda K Starr (although not a big hit then), “Open Arms” was written and sung by Journey, “I Want To Know What Love Is” was written and sung by Foreigner, “Against All Odds” was written and sung by Phil Collins, “Joy To The World” was originally written and sung by Three Dog Night.... Dare we ask you to review Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’”, Gary Wright’s “Love Is Alive”, Herbie Mann’s “Hijack”, and Herb Alpert’s “Rise”?
This song was written and recorded by the English rock band "Bad Finger" on an album called "No Dice". That song went #1 across the world when Harry Nelson covered it. It established them as emerging talent. When the record company called them to collect on their investment from putting them on an American tour and recording their songs. They were stunned to find out that their manager wasn't paying any bills and not returning phone calls to anyone. Record company pulled back all funding and the band took their manager to court. The band lost twice in the American courts. End of story is: the two song writers were overcome with despair and hanged themselves.
As I have it, Mariah is a Nilsson fan and recorded and released her version after Harry had just passed!!! Very good for Mariah and she got people, such as yourself, to listen to Harry!!!
Hi, Thank you for postng this. I know you said you thought Mariah originated this song. No disrespect to Mariah, she was also fantastic! I was born in 1967 and I remember as a little girl hearing the Harry Nilsson Version. It was written by Bad finger as previously posted. Harry Nilsson won best male vocal for this song back in the day. and peaked for Mariah as well. Thanks again for posting. Peace and much respect.
Lol!! You just aren't old enough to have experienced this for real 😂 Thank goodness there are a few new singer/songwriters who are beginning to create this kind of amazing music again.
Greatest voice in early 70's. "Without You" and "Everybody's Talkin" were covers and great. "Coconut" original where he sang all vocals. Kids song from kids animated TV special "Me and My Arrow" and the song that never got radio airtime "You're breakin' my heart" about when he was going through a divorce and will never be played on the airwaves.
Never thought about the production value until you mentioned it. You are dead on... On another my note, my granddaughter keeps hearing oh no, oh no on some instagrams. I pulled up Leader of the Pack by the Shang-ri-Las. She was so surprised that is from 1964.
He was an amazing talent. He did hard rock songs in the top ten of all time, he did movie scores like Urban Cowboy, and he was one of the greatest writers of music for other artists ever. You'd be surprised at some of the songs he wrote for famous artists that became huge hits. Harry died a couple of years ago. Heis missed.
Wow Dusty super informative tnx for the knowledge drop!! Much love!!☺️❤️
COUPLE years ago? Try 29. LOL Yeah he was amazing.
He didn't write this song
@@iandavies6575 It isn't who wrote it. It's who made it their own. Lots of those stories in music.
@@the_original_public_newsense Of course, but let's not forget the genius who wrote it
Hey there: Actually my brother Harry did not write "Without You" It was written by a group called Badfinger. Tommy Evans & Pete Ham. It was on their No Dice lp and they did nothing with it. Harry heard it one night listening to records with John Lennon and decided to record it. He did make it a big hit a won a Grammy for "Without You" in 1972.
Tell me more about Harry's musical brilliance. Please
Harry was the best. Yes, there was music before you were born. I remember this when I was 10.
Nilsson made it wayyy better.
Mic drop
Aww...Hi brother Gary. This man was such an amazing vocalist (ofttimes musical talent runs in the family...???) He sang all the instruments with his voice, which I loved. I do the exact same thing and have always done so and wonder if growing up listening to Harry in the 70's is why I do it. I was only 8 years old when this song came out, but come from a musical family and have listened to this song my whole life. It's on my car "mix-tape, cd, jump-drive, phone," so my son also grew up listening to it. It's actually difficult for me to listen to this song for I am deeply emotional and Harry seemed to capture all his emotion in this one song. It was as though his soul was bleeding out onto the airwaves. It is always my compulsion at the chorus of this song to drop to my knees and cry. It's kinda hard when you're drivin'. Production was excellent on this song. I did not know that Badfinger wrote this song, I'll have to look for a copy. Thank you for sharing that. They were a great band. Also, there was a comment that one of his songs was played in "Urban Cowboy" and I don't know that it wasn't, but I believe it originally came from the soundtrack from the movie, "Midnight Cowboy."
Another talented group who got bamboozooled
Nilsson recorded this 23 years before Maria Carey, it was originally released by Badfinger....but this is the classic version
Damn
My opinion, Badfinger couldn't make this a hit because it was so poorly done. Their original version just sucked, sadly they never got any royalties (the two of them committed suicide) for this song that THEY wrote. Nilsson made this a hit and people always think he wrote it because of the way he sang it with such feeling. Harry Nilsson died in the late 90's heart attack, he just drank himself to death.
@@adam.4487 Wait what?!
Other versions of this song are just good. HARRYS version is hauntingly great !
Yes!
This is THEE version others are just duplicates
I'd say that Harry's version is iconic! The other versions are just okay.
Which means they “aren’t as good”
Harry Nilsson owns this song.
The wonderful Mr. Harry Nilsson, a magnificent talent who left us far too soon.
I grew up on his music but I find so much joy in watching other people discover his voice and incredible song writing for the first time!
I met Harry once,we argued about gun control......silly.
@@TheAndersox he didn't write the song.The song was written by members of a Welsh band bad finger.
Originally written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and first released on their 1970 album No Dice.
I didn't know that! Thank you, thought this was the original.
I have that album but it was sold as a cut-out, so it probably wasn't a great success in the first place. Anyway, the history of Badfinger is not exactly a very beautiful story.
I think Badfinger would acknowledge that this was is a simply unmatched version. Nilsson's voice was made for this song...
Eero Kinos The album did quite well at the time, it was in the Top 30 charts
Listening to the Badfinger version, there's nothing actually wrong with it but it's not memorable. The amazing thing to me is that Nilsson heard *that* and made the mental leap from there to his version. What a talent. Gone too soon.
Only Nilsson put the heart and soul into this song no one else.
This was a huge # 1 hit and received the song of the year award at the Grammys in 1972 - it would actually be the most well known version.
Best version - hands down.
I shall never forget listening to Harry Nilsson singing this amazing song of his. Just beautiful. xx
No one sings it better than Harry Nilsson. We sure miss him.
IT IS ALSO A GREAT SONG THAT HARRY SHOULD BE REMEMBERED FOR IT. NO ONE SING IT BETTER AND WITH AS MUCH PASSION PERIOD
I first heard this song at the age of 14. I am now 63. This song is the wail of the hurt. It always has been. It always will be.
Something not mentioned, that his producer on the album Nilsson Schmilsson noted, this song was done in one take!!!😳 That’s right, he laid this track down in ONE take. Apparently he and the producer had been arguing, so he went in the sound booth blast this out in one take.🤯
Hey Christopher wow tnx for the back info that is awesome I love it!! Much love!!,😊❤️
Didn't they just come back from a pub trying to clear a small production dispute.
Nilsson is Legend. Every album is rememberable.
Well, technically it would be two takes, since he's singing harmony with himself. ;) Obviously he had two sing two passes of the song, but if each layered track was a single take, that is still amazing. Helps that it is a short song. Later he would sing while the musicians were playing as he did with his orchestral standards tribute, but here the vocals were recorded AFTER the instrumental track. So on more than one level one could argue against this being a single take.
@@jamescastelli What is meant is that it was done in one session,and both tracks were done only once.
He didn't do it in one take, for sure... First, because the arrangement is so perfect... Second, because his voice is re-recorded, with a slightly different pitch & just a split second behind... giving the original vocals, great as they are, an even richer texture...
Most people are surprised when they find out he is the only singer in that song. Harmonizes with himself.
@davidleatherneck Wow. I know Kate Bush does a lot of that too. But she produces, so she can do what she likes.
Not just the 'high part': Harry also did the high harmony on this. He had incredible range.
+XChiro A music critic had chastised Harry for not crediting his backing singers on one of his early albums, not realizing that Nilsson did all of his backing vocals. (And some of the arranging and production.) There is some great stuff before Nilsson even recorded "Without You."
Truly
Everyone was listening to the Beatles...
The Beatles listened to Nilsson.
That's true... But I get the feeling that when Harry started hanging out with John & emulating his life-style (not that Harry was ever a teatotaler)... his beautiful voice was ruined... his heart wound up severely damaged also... and eventually gave out...
As has been reported many times, during a altered states binge....Lennon and Ñillson engaged in a contest of yelling, screaming, shrieking and otherwise punishing their vocal chords. Harry's vocals were never the same, while John's vocals were never as finely tuned as Harry's. John had Paul to provide the crooning..
@darkprose Well, as far as this track goes, Harry was listening to Badfinger.
Mariah had yet to be born when Harry Nilsson recorded this and even his was a cover of an original by Badfinger
The way Harry produced and sung this song is the work of a musical genius.
Richard Perry production.
Nothing sounds better than the 1970s. It was the golden decade of music. Unparalleled.
It really was an amazing time for music. I love a lot of 60s music, but the recording technology really went to a new level in the 70s. Things got really crisp, full, and clear and they hadn't started over producing things like they did in the '80s. Match that with a ton of incredible artists over a spectrum of genres and it really was a golden age.
For me it's 70s first, then 80s and that's it, unfortunately. And I was born in '85.
Agreed 70s were THE best!🙌
This guy was one of the best singer songwriters of our time and this time
not so much in terms of songwriting....but definitely singer....
He didn't write it.
❤Harry poured his heart out. Thanks for the memories, Harry. RIP🌹
"He even has the high part and everything happening!" hahaha. I loved watching your reaction. My laughter is not making fun of you, but a result of the pure joy you brought me this morning at 5:18 AM EST. I love Harry Nilsson. Your reaction about not knowing Mariah's version was a cover cracks me up, because so many songs I heard as a kid, I later learned were covers. Thanks for a huge bit of nostalgia ane making my day brighter.
And that was before the next time around when Harry came in with the higher Harmony on top of the high stuff! Harry was amazing.
I've always loved this song. RIP Mr Nilsson
this song went to #1 in 1972, he won the Grammy for Male vocal performance. this is one of my favorites of all time. i'm so glad you noticed the production, the producer is Richard Perry, other amazing songs he produced around the same time as Nilsson are You're So Vain by Carly Simon 1973 and Photograph by Ringo Starr 1973. the production holds up just as well on these :)
I am always here for people discovering Harry Nilsson. 💜
He is amazing in every way other than of not living long enough. Explore his songs. The guy was so talented by like many in his time people passed away too soon.
You will never hear a better more beautiful version of this song than Harry Nilsson’s !! He did this song when Mariah was in her baby carriage
Mariah was only 12 months old when Pete Ham and Tom Evans from Badfinger wrote it.
You are not alone because I'm 25 years old and when I first heard the song myself I too thought Mariah Carey did it first and that's the version of the song that I always knew cuz I used to hear it all the time however it wasn't until my dad played Harry's version when I figured out that Mariah's version was the cover and I was just as blown away as you are
Hr's th story
First recorded by the rock group Badfinger, the song was composed by two of its members. Pete Ham wrote a song originally titled "If It's Love", but it had lacked a strong chorus.
At the time of writing, the band shared residence with the Mojos at 7 Park Avenue in Golders Green. One evening, in the midst of the parties, songwriting, touring, in Golders Green, Ham and his girlfriend Beverly Tucker were about to go out for the evening. But just as they were leaving Tom Evans said he had an idea for a song - Ham said, "Not tonight, I've promised Bev." But she thought he would be wondering if he had done the right thing later, if he went out.
She told him, "Go into the studio, I'm fine about it..." He replied, "Your mouth is smiling, but your eyes are sad." The song Ham wrote that night was called "If it's Love" and has the verse "Well I can't forget tomorrow, when I think of all my sorrow, I had you there but then I let you go, and now it's only fair that I should let you know ... if it's love". But Ham wasn't happy with the chorus.
Evans' relationship with his future wife Marianne influenced his lyrics:
One evening Evans]went to Marianne's friend Karen and told Karen, "She's left me. I need her back. I can't live without her." He flew to Bonn to find her - he wrote a song called "I Can't Live". Its chorus included "I can't live, if living is without you, I can't live, I can't give any more." And so the merging of the two songs,[ Ham and Evans created the hit [with] Ham's verse, "warm, sweet, sentimental" and Evans' chorus, "intense, dramatic, heartbreaking."
From Wikipedia
Pete Hamm of Badfinger wrote and performed the song in 1970 in rock ballad style. Harry performed this in 1972 more in the style of a lullaby.
even the beatles loved him
I was a little girl living in Italy in 1972 when this hit the charts. I loved it then, still love it now!
There's an amazing youtube documentary on his life. Really amazing, tragic and emotional.
This is the best version imo.
No, it's not just that you didn't know that Harry did this first. The heartbreak is that you and so many others didn't know about Harry Nilsson!
@lewismaddox4132 Check out the credits on the album cover. It says written by (Ham-Evans) From Badfinger. Off the "No Dice" album 1970. Harry released it in 1971.
No auto tune all talent!
Yes!
This was top 40 in 1972!!! I was 16 when this appeared on radio, and this was (as amazing as it is) common fare amongst Giants in those pioneer days of Rock and the birth of FM Stereo Radio !!
Lady, 1972 was just the perfect time for good music. My year of birth, could listen to this song for ever...
Harry Nilson is the MAN! Paul McCartney said this is his favorite love song.
Also in more shocking news... Roberta Flack did the original Killing me Softly
Nope she covered it it was first recorded by Lori Lieberman who co wrote it with Charles Fox
@@richardfox1605 yes she wrote it about Don Maclean
Here's another surprise: Harry Nilsson didn't write Without You either. It was originally written and recorded by members of the group Badfinger, and released in 1970.
Nilsson changed the song quite a bit.
God Bless you for recognizing the contributions of those who came from previous generations and realities... You are richer for it!
I love this reaction. Harry was the best!
The piano session recorded for this in the studio was played by Gary Wright. Gary Wright went on to record "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive" for the The Dream Weaver record.
You and Mariah weren't even born when Harry and I were living the dream.
Nilsson was a creative genius. Without peer.
I remember when we emigrated from the UK to Australia by ship in 1972 and me and a bunch of other teens sat in a cabin and sang this at the top of our lungs, and Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Awesome songs.
I just stumbled across this reaction. Another commenter told you that this is one of the few songs that Nilsson did not write. There's another very powerful song about love lost that he wrote, but the group Three Dog Night had a hit with, called "One". Three Dog Night was a vocal group fronted by three extraordinary vocalists, and backed by a killer band. They had a string of hits in the late 60s through the 70s. They are all worth a listen, but ONE is a signature song, and after hearing Without You, you can see Nilsson's fingerprints all over it.
Hey thanks for the knowledge drop appreciate the share!! Much love to you!😊❤️
Your riggt, the band badfinger or something like that originally wrote the song and Harry did a cover of it and made it popular. Kind of sad cause members of the bad ended up committing suicide or something like that
@@BFBMTb Yes, Badfinger's tale is a very sad one, as they were quite talented.
@@hurricane1951 yeah, I heard Harry's cover of it first. Now whenever I hear badfingers version, I can't help but hear the sadness In their voice.
The Mariah Carey version doesn't do this masterpiece justice the way Nilsson does it.
Nothing beats the real thing just like Coke lol😊❤️
Sorry for the pain Harry caused you. I've never bothered to listened to Badfinger's or Maria's versions, because Harry owns this song. But I must say, a great reaction.
Great reaction and really enjoyed your shock!
He’s one of the greatest songwriters that we’ve ever produced. All the harmonies are his voice. It’s great that it’s been covered by other artists.
Yes WE had REAL instruments too in 1972.
Thank you for being happy for everyone.
Your expression on your face tells it all. Your so funny. This was one of my favorite
songs to couples skate too while roller-skating back in high school say 1971 and
on, so romantic.
Hey Nancy tnx for the kudos and sharing your special memory much love!!☺️❤️
Nilsson Schmilsson album also did jump into the fire that was in the movie Goodfellas. He was John Lennon's favorite singer.
Santa is not REAL???? OMG!!!!
Now try "Everybody's talking" from the film "Easy Rider" another awesome song from this artist!
That was "Midnight Cowboy"
@@cspringer333 my oops! Memory fade!
Everybody's Talkin is from Midnight Cowboy with John Voight and Dustin Hoffman
@@richardfox1605 Classic Film & Great a Song.
Try and do your homework lol, but everybodys talking is a great tune.
😂😂LOL! This is the music of my generation! I grew up in the 70's & 80's with all these wonderful artists that young people of today are enjoying & all the awesome singers are re recording! Love this reaction! Glad you love this song! Anyone else who loves this original artist, go check out the rest of his songs! 😉🎶🎤🎧
Hey Noka thanks for chiming in and sharing your thoughts!! Glad you enjoyed the reaction lots of love to you!! ☺️❤️
Mariah was still in diapers when we fell in love with this song.
and Whitney Houston's greatest hit, "I Will Always Love You" was just a cover of the 1973 Country hit "I Will Always Love You" written and recorded by Dolly Parton!
...Dolly's version hit #1 twice, once in 1974 and again in 1982.
Yep; Harry did it. I’m not laughing at you. I’m proud of you for expanding your musical horizons.
I love how you compared the song to food on a plate; brilliant!
He didn’t write this song, but he wrote many others.
Funny that you said it’s on point, because he has an album called The Point.
There’s a whole musical world out there for you to yet discover from the 60s, 70s and 80s - and that’s not even touching upon classical music. Keep going. ❤️
He won a Grammy (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) for this song in 1970. On Januay 15, 1994, he passed away from a heart attack.
hey, thank you for your reaction, i was kid when this came out and the radios wouldnt stop playing it and i couldn't stop listening to it, His voice driving the song makes it epic.
You're adorable. This is the best. It's always so delightful when people discover the greats.
"Without You" is a song written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and first released on their 1970 album No Dice.
This was the very first Single Record I ever bought waaay back in 1972 when it was Number One for five weeks in Britain! It was a very difficult Record to get hold of at the time; it was constantly sold out in the town where I lived. You should see Pans People dancing to this on Top Of The Pops.
try "Your Breaking My Heart" by Harry Nilsson You will love it!
You just found out harry Nilsson sings it and I just found out maria Carey sings it.
I agree with what others have said, your vids are definitely a bright spot in my day. I loved your revelation that this wasn't a Mariah song. I had one too! I thought this was the original but learned in the comments below it isn't. Sheesh! We're gettin dupped! LOL! Love Ya!
Jump into the Fire is another great song by him. It used to be on a special CD that Bose would include in the box to show off the sound the speaker was capable of!
i´m sure you know bassey´s version of without you, but just in case, here´s the link (she eats today´s divas for breakfast): ua-cam.com/video/xHvCB7JDGhk/v-deo.html
Gerald Herrmann I bet she does! Thanks, haven’t heard it before...still trying to find time for your channel! So tired from working & walking dogs I haven’t had a chance yet. 😢
@@lynnhoffmann247 we have a problem. our label went into legal battle with the distributor and so we´re down. we´ll be back on all channels in a couple of weeks through another distributor (aggregator).
Gerald Herrmann Well, that sucks! Sorry to hear that 😢 That’s what I get for putting it off!
Song makes me want to do coke
This is what you get when someone feels the song as opposed to performing it.
I'm 54 years old and I used to sing along to this song when it came on the radio as a kid.
My older brother had an album called "The Point." It came from a cool children's animated musical of the same name done by Harry Nilsson. After that, I was hooked. I bought the rest of his albums myself.
The "wall of sound" goes way back to the 60s.
Nilsson Schmillson (sp?) was a great album!
Lynn Hoffman came out my senior year in high school...everyone had this album❤️
Son of Schmillson was my fave. The songs were far quirkier., but Nilsson Schimllson is a close second.
Actually released in 1971.Even though Harry only covered it,it was his musical intuition upon hearing it that he he both liked it & could improve it.He undoubtedly picked a winner!
He didn't write it - Pete Ham and Tom Evans wrote it - but I think Harry sang it best.
"this guy" has so much good music for you to explore! I love HARRY NILSSON ❤ 💕 😍 💖 ♥
Im old and I remember when this song came out back in the early 70s. It's serious tear jerker. When I saw the video of Mariah doing it, it made me happy, that such a superstar would bring it back to the younger generations.
The whole Nilsson Schmilsson album was/is epic. One of my all-time favorite albums.
I can't even listen to the Carey version. Love this song. Sorry you got a bit traumatised by this 😁😁 great reaction as always x
Was interesting to watch the moment the penny dropped. When she realised Mariah Carey's version is a direct imitation (adjusted to her range) and everything she thought she knew isn't what it seemed. Harry is wonderful, so hopefully the distress was short lived.
I only like Harry's version, too!
C'mon, Mariah hit this one out of the park! Yeah, Harry took Badfinger's song and made it far greater than it ever was, and made Mariah cry as a little girl, but Mariah brought it back to life and gave it new meaning.
@@dakotaneon1519 No. Her version was way too forced and lacked the finesse of this version!
She didn't sing like she did (which was out of this world amazing) to honor Badfinger, she sang Harry's version to honor him, the one who she loved listening to as a child. She copied him. That's an honor, because Mariah copies no one, except him. Singers copy her. She could have been vain and made it her own, but in his honor, she copied Harry. My personal choice is to hear her sing it. But what she did is commendable, at the least.
About the production: Nilsson worked with the infamous Phil Spector in the 60s. So he certainly knew about the Wall of Sound and Spector's approach to producing music, which is clearly evident in this track.
IIRC some radio station played Without You, when Harry Nilsson had just died. Mariah Carey heard the radio station when she was in some store and was reminded of how much she loved the song, so she decided to record it.
No question Harry Nilsson's version is peerless. Though he didn't write it, this is the perfect cover.
Amen brother
Harry was an absolutely great singer, He could cover something like 4 octaves. Just a natural great. PLUS he could write songs that were instant classics. Do yourself a favor, Faith, and listen to all his albums. There aren't that many, sadly. But you'll feel better for it, guaranteed.
Such a wonderful and unique artist.
Definitely Greg Happy New Year!!!😊❤️
@@OffTapLife Happy New Year!!
Nope, it’s not Mariah. She did a great job with it though! It’s not even Harry Nilsson’s song, although he had a huge hit with it first. It was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger. Wait until you find out that Mariah’s “Fantasy” is Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”, “I Still Believe” was originally sung by Brenda K Starr (although not a big hit then), “Open Arms” was written and sung by Journey, “I Want To Know What Love Is” was written and sung by Foreigner, “Against All Odds” was written and sung by Phil Collins, “Joy To The World” was originally written and sung by Three Dog Night.... Dare we ask you to review Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’”, Gary Wright’s “Love Is Alive”, Herbie Mann’s “Hijack”, and Herb Alpert’s “Rise”?
This song was written and recorded by the English rock band "Bad Finger" on an album called "No Dice". That song went #1 across the world when Harry Nelson covered it. It established them as emerging talent. When the record company called them to collect on their investment from putting them on an American tour and recording their songs. They were stunned to find out that their manager wasn't paying any bills and not returning phone calls to anyone. Record company pulled back all funding and the band took their manager to court. The band lost twice in the American courts.
End of story is: the two song writers were overcome with despair and hanged themselves.
As I have it, Mariah is a Nilsson fan and recorded and released her version after Harry had just passed!!!
Very good for Mariah and she got people, such as yourself, to listen to Harry!!!
The best version .....
Hi, Thank you for postng this. I know you said you thought Mariah originated this song. No disrespect to Mariah, she was also fantastic! I was born in 1967 and I remember as a little girl hearing the Harry Nilsson Version. It was written by Bad finger as previously posted. Harry Nilsson won best male vocal for this song back in the day. and peaked for Mariah as well. Thanks again for posting. Peace and much respect.
Lol!! You just aren't old enough to have experienced this for real 😂 Thank goodness there are a few new singer/songwriters who are beginning to create this kind of amazing music again.
Examples?
Greatest voice in early 70's. "Without You" and "Everybody's Talkin" were covers and great. "Coconut" original where he sang all vocals. Kids song from kids animated TV special "Me and My Arrow" and the song that never got radio airtime "You're breakin' my heart" about when he was going through a divorce and will never be played on the airwaves.
Never thought about the production value until you mentioned it. You are dead on... On another my note, my granddaughter keeps hearing oh no, oh no on some instagrams. I pulled up Leader of the Pack by the Shang-ri-Las. She was so surprised that is from 1964.
Cheezily, this song was playing as I was breaking up with my teenage sweetheart. This song still takes me back there. 💜💜💜
Reminds me of my School Days
Carey was little more than two years old when Nilsson released this song which was written by Tom Evans and Peter Ham of Bad Finger.
I like mariahs version , she did it justice , but this one is the one I grew up with , and will always be the best version ,!