THE HIT HAMMER: Nilsson's "Without You"

(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)

Nilsson - "Without You" Hit Number 1: February 19, 1972

Stay at Number 1: 4 Weeks

"Without You" was a combination of two Badfinger songs. Badfinger were an early 1970s rock group who had a few hits, but they faced big problems in the middle part of the decade. (Their highest-charting single, "Day After Day", peaked at #4 in 1972. It's a 6) For a time, the band members lived together in London. Pete Ham, the band's lead singer, had written out a song that was inspired by what was supposed to be a night out with his girlfriend. That song, "If It's Love", came about when Ham and his girlfriend were interrupted by bandmate Tom Evans after he had a new idea for a song. Ham told Evans "Not tonight, I've promised Bev." Bev, Ham's girlfriend, looked at him and reassured him that it was okay if he went into the studio for the night. Ham told Bev "Your mouth is smiling, but your eyes are sad." The lyrics of the verses in "Without You" were inspired from that, but "If It's Love" was never released due to a lack of an exciting chorus.

Evans' own relationship with his future wife inspired what would become the chorus in "Without You". He went to her friend's house and told her how his girlfriend left him and he "needs her back" and that he "can't live without her." He flew to Bonn to find her, and was then inspired to write a song called "I Can't Live". Just like "If It's Love", the members of Badfinger agreed that "I Can't Live" wasn't quite good enough for single release, so it never was. However, they then decided to combine the songs into one, using the verses of "If It's Love" and the chorus of "I Can't Live" to create something of a power ballad. They called it "Without You". Despite the fame the song would later have, the members of Badfinger still weren't satisfied with the song, so it was never released as a single. It was, though, a part of their album No Dice. What makes the backstory of "Without You" particularly sad, however, was that both Ham and Evans would take their own lives years later. Evans' reason was for a dispute over songwriting royalties for "Without You", and disputes over royalties were becoming something too common for Evans. He finally had enough and just ended it all.

Badfinger also had to watch a clown by the name of Harry Nilsson (who usually just went by Nilsson in his career) take their song and make a huge hit with it. Nilsson already had one pretty big hit in 1969 with "Everybody's Talkin'", a song that was featured in the film Midnight Cowboy. ("Everybody's Talkin'" made it to #6 on the Hot 100. It's a 7) He was also responsible for composing Three Dog Night's "One", a #5 hit in 1969. (That one is an 8) So, the guy had some chops, but he also created less serious songs such as "Coconut", a novelty song about putting limes in coconuts and drinking it to cure belly aches. ("Coconut" made it to #8 in 1972, the same year "Without You" hit #1. I'll admit it's a guilty pleasure of mine, so it's a 7 in my opinion) "Without You" seemed to just be a way for Nilsson to show how much of a voice he had. He reaches for the big notes, and he nails them.

"Without You" stands as one of the largest ballads to top the Hot 100. The song is full of regret, and drippy piano chords played by Gary Wright, an artist who would go on to have a nice solo career of his own. (His highest-charting singles are "Dream Weaver" and "Love is Alive", which both peaked at #2 in 1976. The former is a 9, the latter is an 8) At the end of the day, "Without You" is pretty generic though. Nilsson does what he can to propel the song into something memorable, so "Without You" is at least not a forgettable song. But the song gently breezes past me, like most ballads do. I enjoy it while it plays, and the chorus sticks with me. Maybe it would mean a little bit more to me if I was a bigger fan of ballads. For some, "Without You" could be a powerful, sincere song about heartbreak and refusing to live without that special someone. But for me, it's just a decent song.

Nilsson never had another #1 hit, so we won't hear from him again in this blog. But he did continue to make an impact on the music industry. I swear the guy was friends with everyone in the industry, but a cool moment in his career came 20 years after the success of "Without You". In 1992, he performed a live show with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and performed "Without You". This was significant, because Nilsson just didn't do live shows. It was rare that he did. Also, he would die just a couple years later of a heart attack in 1994. Serious props to him for what he was able to accomplish in what is an underappreciated music career. But also, R.I.P to Pete Ham and Tom Evans, who never got the proper credit they deserved for writing "Without You".

GRADE: 7/10

JUST MISSED:

Yet again, here's the Carpenters in other rendition of the just missed section. Their song "Hurting Each Other", a song with another chorus that explodes somewhat, peaked at #2 behind "Without You". It's a 6.

(The Carpenters will eventually break through with another #1, and will appear in this series again. I promise they will.)