Coconut (song)

1971 novelty song by Harry Nilsson

Not to be confused with Coconuts (song) or Da Coconut Nut.

For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation).

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"Coconut"

Side A of the US single

Single by Nilsson
from the album  Nilsson Schmilsson
B-side| "The Moonbeam Song"
Released| June 1972
Recorded| 1971 (1971)
Genre|

* Novelty
* calypso[1]
* exotica[2]

Length| 3:52
Label| RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)| Harry Nilsson
Producer(s)| Richard Perry
Nilsson singles chronology
| "Jump into the Fire"
(1972)  | "Coconut"
(1972)  | "You're Breakin' My Heart"
(1972)

|
|

Official audio
"Coconut" by Harry Nilsson on YouTube

"Coconut" is a novelty song written[3] and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released as the third single from his 1971 album, Nilsson Schmilsson. It was on the U.S. Billboard charts for 14 weeks, reaching #8,[4] and was ranked by Billboard as the #66 song for 1972. It charted in a minor way in the UK, reaching #42.[5] "Coconut" did best in Canada, where it peaked at #5.[6]

## Lyrics

[edit]

The lyrics feature Nilsson singing two characters (a narrator and a woman), each in a different voice.[7] The woman drinks a mixture of lime juice and coconut milk, becomes sick, and calls the doctor. The doctor, annoyed at being woken up, tells her to drink the same thing again and call in the morning.

## Music

[edit]

An arpeggiated C7 chord accompanies the song throughout.

## Personnel

[edit]

According to the 1971 LP credits:[8]

* Harry Nilsson – vocals
* Caleb Quaye – guitar
* Ian Duck – acoustic guitar
* Herbie Flowers – bass
* Jim Gordon – drums, percussion
* Roger Pope – drums

## Chart history

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1972)  | Peak
position

|

Canada RPM Top Singles[9] | 5
UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 42
US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 8
US Cash Box Top 100[12] | 12

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1972)  | Rank

|

Canada (RPM)[13] | 52
US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 66
US Cash Box[15] | 87

## Dannii Minogue version

[edit]

"Coconut"

Single by Dannii Minogue
from the album  Girl
B-side|

* "Everybody Changes Underwater"
* "Heaven Can Wait"
* "Someone New"

Released| 16 November 1998 (1998-11-16)
Recorded| 1994–1995
Genre|

* Dance-pop
* techno-pop

Length| 4:50
Label| WEA
Songwriter(s)| Harry Nilsson
Producer(s)| Flexifinger
(Original vocal production: DNA)
Dannii Minogue singles chronology
| "Disremembrance"
(1998)  | "Coconut"
(1998)  | "Everlasting Night"
(1999)

|
|

Music video
"Coconut" by Dannii Minogue on YouTube
Audio
"Coconut" (from The 1995 Sessions) by Dannii Minogue on YouTube

Dannii Minogue recorded the song in 1994 with UK dance producers DNA. When Minogue parted ways with Mushroom Records in 1995 and signed to Eternal Records in 1996, she had the track remixed by producers Flexifinger.

The track was originally used as a hidden bonus track on her third album Girl. It was subsequently released in Australia on 16 November 1998 as the fourth and final single from that album, peaking at number 62 on the ARIA singles chart upon its debut, on the chart dated week commencing 23 November 1998.[16]

In 2009, the original version of "Coconut" was made available on the compilation The 1995 Sessions.

### Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for "Coconut" by Dannii Minogue  Chart (1998)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[16] | 62

## In popular culture

[edit]

The Muppets performed a version in The Muppet Show episode 4x10 with Kenny Rogers. In this version, Kermit the Frog portrays the patient, so the lyric about a “belly ache” is changed to a “flipper ache.”

The song is used during the end credits of Quentin Tarantino's 1992 crime film Reservoir Dogs,[17] and it also featured in the soundtrack of the 1997 film The Ice Storm.

The famous "Midnight Margaritas" moment from the cult-classic, 1998 fantasy film, Practical Magic featured the song.

A patient sang this song in an episode of House.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Taylor, Kate (2005). "Harry Nilsson - Nillson Schmilsson". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 251.
2. ^ Moon, Tom (28 August 2008). "Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson". 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company. p. 551\. ISBN 9-780761-139638.
3. ^ Jones, Dylan (22 October 2010). "You may remember Harry Nilsson as the man who led John Lennon astray during a lost LA weekend". The Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Billboard Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 458\. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
5. ^ UK Official Charts, 27 September 1969
6. ^ RPM Top Singles, 9 September 1972
7. ^ Alyn Shipton (2013). Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter. Oxford University Press. 9780199330690
8. ^ Nilsson Schmilsson (CD booklet: reproduced 1971 LP sleeve). Harry Nilsson. BMG Entertainment. 2000.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. ^ "RPM 100 Singles - Volume 18, No. 3". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
11. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 \- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
12. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 2, 1972". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
13. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of '72". RPM. 13 January 1973. p. 20.
14. ^ "Musicoutfitters.com". Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
15. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
16. ^ a b "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart: Week Commencing 23 Nov 1998". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
17. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (26 February 2019). "A Guide to Harry Nilsson, Who You've Loved Forever Without Knowing It". VICE. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Harry Nilsson

Studio albums|

* Spotlight on Nilsson
* Pandemonium Shadow Show
* Aerial Ballet
* Harry
* Nilsson Sings Newman
* The Point!
* Nilsson Schmilsson
* Son of Schmilsson
* A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night
* Pussy Cats
* Duit on Mon Dei
* Sandman
* ...That's the Way It Is
* Knnillssonn
* Flash Harry
* Losst and Founnd

Soundtracks|

* Skidoo
* The Point!
* Son of Dracula
* Popeye

Remixes|

* Aerial Pandemonium Ballet

Compilations|

* Early Tymes
* Nilsson The RCA Albums Collection

Singles|

* "All for the Beatles"
* "Sixteen Tons"
* "Without Her"
* "You Can't Do That"
* "River Deep – Mountain High"
* "One"
* "Everybody's Talkin'"
* "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City"
* "Me and My Arrow"
* "Without You"
* "Jump into the Fire"
* "Coconut"
* "Spaceman"
* "As Time Goes By"
* "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
* "Save the Last Dance for Me"
* "Many Rivers to Cross"
* "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)"
* "Sail Away"
* "Just One Look/Baby I'm Yours (medley)"

Other songs|

* "Gotta Get Up"
* "Old Dirt Road"
* "The Puppy Song"
* "Ten Little Indians"
* "This Could Be the Night"
* "You're Breakin' My Heart"

Collaborations|

* Pussy Cats
* Every Man Has a Woman
* Ringo
* Son of Dracula
* Walls and Bridges
* Goodnight Vienna
* Ringo's Rotogravure
* Stop and Smell the Roses
* Two Sides of the Moon
* Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films

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* The Hollywood Vampires
* The Telephone
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Filmography|

* My Father the Hero
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People|

* Rik Carey
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Dannii Minogue

* Discography

Studio albums|

* Dannii
* Love and Kisses
* Get into You
* Girl
* Neon Nights
* Club Disco

Compilations|

* The Singles
* The Remixes
* The Hits & Beyond
* Unleashed
* The 1995 Sessions
* This Is It: The Very Best Of

Video albums|

* Love and Kisses: Video Collection
* Get into You: Video Collection
* The Videos
* Dannii Minogue: The Video Collection

Singles|

* "Love and Kisses"
* "Success"
* "Jump to the Beat"
* "Baby Love"
* "I Don't Wanna Take This Pain"
* "Show You the Way to Go"
* "Love's on Every Corner"
* "This Is It"
* "This is the Way"
* "Get into You"
* "Rescue Me"
* "Boogie Woogie"
* "All I Wanna Do"
* "Everything I Wanted"
* "Disremembrance"
* "Coconut"
* "Everlasting Night"
* "Who Do You Love Now?"
* "Put the Needle on It"
* "I Begin to Wonder"
* "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling"
* "You Won't Forget About Me"
* "Perfection"
* "So Under Pressure"
* "I Can't Sleep at Night"
* "He's the Greatest Dancer"
* "Touch Me Like That"
* "Summer of Love"
* "100 Degrees"
* "Holding On"
* "Galaxy"
* "All I Wanna Do 2020"
* "We Could Be the One"
* "Thinking 'Bout Us"

Books|

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