Aerial Ballet
Encyclopedia
Aerial Ballet is the third album by Harry Nilsson
released in 1968.
Aerial Ballet was Nilsson's second album
for RCA Victor, and was titled after the highwire
circus act of his grandparents. It consists almost entirely of songs written by him, including "One
", which later became a Number Five hit for Three Dog Night
. (The song's opening line, "One is the loneliest number", is a common phrase to this day, but very few people know who coined it.) The title of the album has been given by Joey Kramer
as the inspiration for Aerosmith's
name and wings motif.
The most familiar track from Aerial Ballet is its one cover song, Fred Neil
's "Everybody's Talkin'". It was released as a single in North America in 1968, and reached the top forty in Canada—but initially flopped in the US. However, the song was subsequently selected for use in the Oscar
-winning film Midnight Cowboy
and became one of Nilsson's biggest hits as a performer, hitting the US top ten in 1969. Another song, "Little Cowboy", later featured in The Courtship of Eddie's Father
, was written by Nilsson's mother.
The original opening number for Aerial Ballet was "Daddy's Song", but this track was removed (apparently without Nilsson's awareness) after the first copies were issued, because The Monkees
had recorded a cover version
to be featured in their film Head, and had paid $35,000 for exclusive rights to the song. The CD reissue restores "Daddy's Song" (with the Monkees' contract long expired) to its rightful place in the lineup.
When Nilsson visited the Beatles
in London during 1968, John Lennon
played Nilsson "Revolution" and selections from the (then-upcoming) 'White Album'
, and Nilsson in turn played to Lennon (who had spent thirty-six hours listening to Nilsson's first album) a demo cut of this record.
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
released in 1968.
Aerial Ballet was Nilsson's second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
for RCA Victor, and was titled after the highwire
Tightrope walking
Tightrope walking is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope, usually at a great height. One or more artists performs in front of an audience or as a publicity stunt...
circus act of his grandparents. It consists almost entirely of songs written by him, including "One
One (Harry Nilsson song)
"One" is a song written by Harry Nilsson and made famous by Three Dog Night whose cover in 1969 reached number 5 on the Billboard chart. The song is known for its opening line "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do." It appeared initially on Aerial Ballet, Nilsson's third album.Nilsson...
", which later became a Number Five hit for Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
. (The song's opening line, "One is the loneliest number", is a common phrase to this day, but very few people know who coined it.) The title of the album has been given by Joey Kramer
Joey Kramer
Joseph Michael "Joey" Kramer is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith....
as the inspiration for Aerosmith's
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
name and wings motif.
The most familiar track from Aerial Ballet is its one cover song, Fred Neil
Fred Neil
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
's "Everybody's Talkin'". It was released as a single in North America in 1968, and reached the top forty in Canada—but initially flopped in the US. However, the song was subsequently selected for use in the Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning film Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
and became one of Nilsson's biggest hits as a performer, hitting the US top ten in 1969. Another song, "Little Cowboy", later featured in The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name, which was based on the book written by Mark Toby...
, was written by Nilsson's mother.
The original opening number for Aerial Ballet was "Daddy's Song", but this track was removed (apparently without Nilsson's awareness) after the first copies were issued, because The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
had recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
to be featured in their film Head, and had paid $35,000 for exclusive rights to the song. The CD reissue restores "Daddy's Song" (with the Monkees' contract long expired) to its rightful place in the lineup.
When Nilsson visited the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in London during 1968, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
played Nilsson "Revolution" and selections from the (then-upcoming) 'White Album'
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
, and Nilsson in turn played to Lennon (who had spent thirty-six hours listening to Nilsson's first album) a demo cut of this record.
Track listing
- "Daddy's Song" (Nilsson) – 2:19
- About Nilsson's own experience, as a child of divorced parents. The MonkeesThe MonkeesThe Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
bought exclusive rights to the song during 1968, which was featured in their movie HeadHead (film)Head is a 1968 psychedelic comedy-adventure major motion picture, starring TV group The Monkees , and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, and was deleted from this album after the first run of copies. It was returned to the lineup for the CD reissue.
- About Nilsson's own experience, as a child of divorced parents. The Monkees
- "Good Old Desk" (Nilsson) – 2:22
- Guest-starring on Playboy After DarkPlayboy After DarkPlayboy After Dark is an American television show hosted by Hugh Hefner. It ran in syndication through Screen Gems from 1969 to 1970 and was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles....
, Nilsson told host Hugh HefnerHugh HefnerHugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
the song was really about its initials... "G-O-D". Even though Nilsson later admitted that he was just joking around, it is still commonly believed that the song actually is about God.
- Guest-starring on Playboy After Dark
- "Don't Leave Me" (Nilsson) – 2:18
- "Mr. Richland's Favorite Song" (Nilsson) – 2:12
- A rags-to-riches to has-been story of a pop singer. Mr. Richland worked in music publishing, and liked this song best of the album selection.
- "Little Cowboy" (Nilsson) – 1:20
- A lullaby by Nilsson's own mother, as he sings in the intro.
- "Together" (Nilsson) – 2:08
- "Everybody's Talkin'Everybody's Talkin'"Everybody's Talkin" is a folk rock song released by Fred Neil in 1966 that became a global success for Harry Nilsson in 1969, reaching #2 and #6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and Pop Singles chart respectively and winning a Grammy after it was featured on the soundtrack for the film...
" (Fred NeilFred NeilFred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
) – 2:41 - "I Said Goodbye to Me" (Nilsson) – 2:13
- A veiled song about suicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
- A veiled song about suicide
- "Little Cowboy" – reprise (Nilsson) – 0:49
- "Mr. Tinker" (Nilsson) – 2:41
- "OneOne (Harry Nilsson song)"One" is a song written by Harry Nilsson and made famous by Three Dog Night whose cover in 1969 reached number 5 on the Billboard chart. The song is known for its opening line "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do." It appeared initially on Aerial Ballet, Nilsson's third album.Nilsson...
" (Nilsson) – 2:50- Possibly the most covered original song of his entire catalogue, "One" is a fairly straightforward song about lonelinessLonelinessLoneliness is an unpleasant feeling in which a person feels a strong sense of emptiness and solitude resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships. However, it is a subjective experience...
and the desperation it brings. Three Dog NightThree Dog NightThree Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
covered it in 1969 with a completely different arrangement, bringing it to #1 on the chart – the arrangement being used for John FarnhamJohn FarnhamJohn Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
's version, also recorded in 1969. Aimee MannAimee MannAimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
and Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
covered it again in 1994 as an homage to Nilsson's original and the Three Dog Night version for the tribute album "Everyone Sings Harry". A further rearranged version was recorded by Richard PatrickRichard PatrickRichard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails....
's Filter in 1998 for the X-Files film soundtrack. Progressive Metal band MastodonMastodon (band)Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
recently recorded a version for the video game Army of TwoArmy of TwoArmy of Two is a third person shooter video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on March 4, 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game is centered upon two mercenaries fighting through war, political turmoil, and a conspiracy from 1993 to 2009...
advertisement campaign. The song and ad can be found on YouTube.The Three Dog Night version is also found in the animated Disney movie Recess: School's OutRecess: School's OutRecess: School's Out is a 2001 animated film based on the Disney television series Recess. This film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001. It was released on video and DVD on August 7, 2001.-Plot:School's out at Third Street School, but...
.
- Possibly the most covered original song of his entire catalogue, "One" is a fairly straightforward song about loneliness
- "The Wailing of the Willow" (Nilsson/Ian Freebairn-Smith) – 1:57
- Nilsson was teamed with a co-writer.
- "Bath" (Nilsson) – 1:44
- An innocent-sounding song, about coming home from an overnight visit to a brothelBrothelBrothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
.
- An innocent-sounding song, about coming home from an overnight visit to a brothel