“Everybody’s Talkin’ ” was written by folk singer-songwriter Fred Neil who recorded the song (sometimes labeled as “Everybody’s Talkin’ (Echoes)”) in 1966 and included it on his second album. But it was Harry Nilsson’s version that became a big international hit in 1969. (Many people mistakenly believe it’s Glen Campbell who had the hit! It does sound like him, but it’s not him…)
Nilsson had recorded the song in 1967 and released it in early 1968 on his Aerial Ballet album. The featuring of Harry’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin’ ” in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy brought global attention to the song and it reached #2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and #6 on the Pop Singles chart. It also won a Grammy in 1969.
Harry Nilsson was a top-notch songwriter in his own right, but his biggest hits were written by others. For example, he had a #1 hit with “Without You” which was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger, who had their own less successful earlier version of the song. On the other hand, Three Dog Night had a big hit with the Nilsson written song “One,” and The Monkees recorded a couple Nilsson tunes; “Cuddly Toy” and “Daddy’s Song.”
Harry Nilsson died of heart failure at his home, January 15, 1994. He was 52 years old.
