Today’s classic song of the day is “Everybody’s Talkin'” by (Harry) Nilsson. Initially released in July of 1968, it became a hit in 1969 when it was included on the soundtrack to the movie Midnight Cowboy. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #2 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
“Everybody’s Talkin'” was written and originally released by Fred Neil in 1966. Mr. Neil was a folk singer/songwriter who gained a lot of respect among his peers but never really broke through to mainstream success. His version, recorded at a slower tempo and with a simpler arrangement than Nilsson’s, failed to crack the Hot 100, though it did creep up to #54 on the Cash Box Top 100.
Harry Nilsson heard Neil’s version of the song and decided to include it on his 1968 album Aerial Ballet. The recording session for the tune (on November 13, 1967) utilized that crack group of West Coast studio musicians called the Wrecking Crew, including Mike Melvoin on piano, Al Casey on guitars, Larry Knectel on bass, and Jim Gordon on drums. Hard to go wrong with that bunch.
As noted, the single was originally released in July of 1968 but failed to crack the Hot 100. After director John Schlesinger decided to feature the tune in Midnight Cowboy, RCA re-released the single and it became a huge hit. Nilsson’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin'” ended up selling more than a million copies and won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male. It was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Everybody’s Talkin'” is about the protagonist’s dissatisfaction with his current life in the city and his desire to get away and back to something simpler and more peaceful. It’s all in the lyrics:
Everybody’s talkin’ at me
I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’
Only the echoes of my mind
People stoppin’, starin’
I can’t see their faces
Only the shadows of their eyes
I’m going where the sun keeps shinin’
Through the pourin’ rain
Going where the weather suits my clothes
Bankin’ off of the northeast winds
Sailin’ on a summer breeze
And skippin’ over the ocean like a stone
By the way, the movie Midnight Cowboy was a rousing success. It won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Actors Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight also earned accolades for their roles.
Harry Nilsson had been kicking around the West Coast music industry since the mid-60s. “Everybody’s Talkin'” was his big breakthrough and led to further success with tunes such as “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City” (#34 in 1969), “Me and My Arrow” (#34, 1970), “Without You” (#1, 1971), “Jump Into the Fire” (#27, 1972), and “Coconut” (#8, 1972). He continued recording and performing into the early ’90s but died of heart failure on January 15, 1994. He was 52 years old.
