I didn’t mention this in the earlier riff [02/14/2006, 1:48 PM] about John Scheinfeld‘s Who is Harry Nilsson? doc, but I was reminded of it this morning. Not only did Nilsson not write “Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me”, but he also didn’t write “Without You”. A BBC site says the song was actually the work of British band Badfinger, specifically Pete Ham and Tom Evans. A desperate plea to a departing lover, ‘Without You’ is lent added poignancy by the knowledge that its writers eventually committed suicide, ground down by dodgy business dealings and the pressures of the music biz. Nilsson’s version appeared on his 1971 album Nilsson Schmilson, and was a huge hit around the world although Ham and Evans hardly saw a penny of the proceeds.”
