THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,168) Harry Nilsson — “Love Story”
A sweet story, told by a man in love pondering a life of happily ever after . . . all the way to the end: “We’ll play checkers all day / ’til we pass away”. WTF? Is this supposed to be tragedy, farce, or simply acceptance? Well, it’s a Randy Newman song, so I guess all three!
In 1970, Harry Nilsson introduced Newman to the world through a stunning album of interpretations of his songs (with Newman himself playing piano!), including this touching but “bizarre chronicle of a couple who have a dull relationship and who morbidly look forward to passing away in an old peoples home”. (Elusive Disc, https://elusivedisc.com/harry-nilsson-nilsson-sings-newman-180g-lp-1/) “Newman’s most challenging songs mix levity and pathos, and Nilsson never gives a false note on songs like Love Story . . . and stays true to the characters and the cycle-of-life theme.” (Angel Aguilar, https://www.noripcord.com/features/overlooked-albums-32-harry-nilsson-nilsson-sings-newman)
Ezra Furman emphasizes the depressing aspects:
[The song] tries to disguise itself as something utterly average, but if you pay attention you are smacked in the face with absurdity, tragedy, dramatic irony—all the good stuff of depressing art. . . . A meaningless and banal slow death disguised as a happy ending.
https://loveletterstorocknroll.com/2016/02/26/to-misters-harry-nilsson-and-randy-newman/
But, as Bill Leebens understands:
Where Newman’s versions of the same songs often seemed throw-away and sardonic to the point of bitterness, Nilsson’s versions were contemplative and tempered the edge of the lyrics with sweetness and restraint. Rather than lessening the effect of Newman’s lyrics and often-mournful melodies, Nilsson’s careful, balanced handling emphasized their inherent humanity, which Newman often seemed determined to deny.
https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/nilsson-sings-newman
As to the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes:
[G]enerally regarded as the album that introduced Randy Newman the songwriter to a wide audience, Nilsson Sings Newman has gained a reputation of being an minor masterwork. . . . It’s deliberately an album of subtle pleasures, crafted, as the liner notes state, line by line in the studio. As such, the preponderance of quiet piano-and-voice tracks . . . means the record can slip away upon the first few listens, especially for anyone expecting an undeniable masterpiece. Yet, a masterpiece is what this is, albeit a subtle, graceful masterpiece where the pleasure is in the grace notes, small gestures, and in-jokes. Not to say that this is devoid of emotion; it’s just that the emotion is subdued, [such as] on . . . a tongue-in-cheek tale like “Love Story.” For an album that introduced a songwriter as idiosyncratic as Newman, it’s only appropriate that Nilsson’s interpretations are every bit as original as the songs. His clear intonation and sweet, high voice are more palatable than Randy’s slurred, bluesy growl . . . . He’s created gentle, intricate arrangements of tuneful yet clever songs, and as such, the album may be as much an acquired taste as Newman. Once you’ve acquired that taste, this is as sweet as honey.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/nilsson-sings-newman-mw0001961763
As to Nilsson’s early years, Richie Unterberger writes:
Although he synthesized disparate elements of both rock and pop traditions, singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson[‘s] . . . allegiance belonged to neither. He’s best-known for his versions of other people’s songs but he was a skilled composer . . . . Nilsson had been struggling to make inroads into the music business for . . . years . . . . He made demos, sang commercial jingles, and shopped songs, all the while keeping his job at a Los Angeles area bank. In the mid-’60s, he wrote a few songs with Phil Spector that were recorded by the Ronettes . . . . The Monkees recorded his “Cuddly Toy,” and the Yardbirds did “Ten Little Indians” . . . . But Nilsson didn’t quit his bank job until after the release of Pandemonium Shadow Show [in ‘67, which] caught the attention of the Beatles. . . . John Lennon and Paul McCartney named him as their favorite American singer at a press conference, an extraordinary accolade for an unknown. . . . Three Dog Night took his “One” into the Top Ten in 1969, and Nilsson’s second LP, Aerial Ballet, continued the ambitious pop/rock direction of his debut, marrying his slightly eccentric, bouncy (if sometimes precious) tunes to Baroque orchestral production. When one of its songs, “Everybody’s Talkin’,” was used as the theme for the Midnight Cowboy film, Nilsson had his first Top Ten hit. . . . It was another cover (of . . . Badfinger . . . ) that gave him . . . the number one smash “Without You.” . . . [H]e never performed in concert . . . preferring to craft his artistry in the studio.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/harry-nilsson-mn0000560208#biography
Here is Randy Newman’s version:
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