Monday, June 14, 2010

Media Monday: Harry Nilsson


"The Point" is an animated movie made in the 70s. But it made a small comeback during the late 80s when I was a young impressionable girl. It's a really great story about a boy named Oblio, who is different then everyone else in his village, and gets banned to the Pointless Forest where he looks for the Point of it all. He ends up meeting several interesting characters in the forest who offer him their perspective on life... and what the point might be. Come to think of it, it seems pretty philosophical for a kid's movie. And it was a little psychedelic too. Haha. Maybe it wasn't exactly a kids' movie. But a good movie nonetheless and a great soundtrack.

So it was here, as a 7 or 8 year old girl, that I was introduced to the music of Harry Nilsson. His folksy voice and catchy tunes really got a hold of me. He died in 1994, and shortly after his death, the movie You've Got Mail featured 2 or 3 of his songs in their soundtrack. Watching the movie in my teens, I was reminded of him again, and came to love his music. He had an amazing vocal range, and he often did his own harmonies, which helps keep them really tight. Some of his albums are a little more... hardcore. I think there was a time he was experimenting with some heavy drugs and his music really turned to crap later in life. So... I usually pick and choose which songs I listen too. This is definitely a situation where buying songs separately, rather than albums would be better (in my opinion).

Sample here (The Puppy Song, Everybody's Talkin, Me and My Arrow)

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