In 1967, singer Harry Nilsson was looking for a song that could become his next hit, and soon enough, he heard a recording of the track “Everybody’s Talkin’,” written and originally recorded by Fred Neil. Nilsson decided to take a shot and recorded his own version, which came out the next year on the album Aerial Ballet.
Originally, Nilsson’s song did okay, but not great, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart. Like some songs that go on to become hits, it needed a spark to really get the interest going, and thankfully, Nilsson found that in the movie Midnight Cowboy.
While working on the film, which stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, director John Schlesinger was introduced to Nilsson’s song and fell in love with it, choosing “Everybody’s Talkin'” as the theme song for Midnight Cowboy. Nilsson recorded a new version of the song to fit well with the film, and the rest is history.
Midnight Cowboy ended up being a movie loved by critics and audiences, and as expected, interest in Nilsson’s song also grew. He re-released the track as a single in 1969, and this time around, “Everybody’s Talkin'” was a certified hit.
It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and went on to receive a Grammy for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male.
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All of Nilsson’s success with “Everybody’s Talkin'” is thanks to Neil writing the song in the first place, and according to reports, the singer-songwriter took only five minutes to put the track together, doing it in the bathroom of a recording studio in Los Angeles, Calif.
Nilsson changed some things up with his version, featuring a string arrangement played by six violinists that works well with his subdued vocals. Clearly, it was the right choice, as he ended up taking home a prestigious reward a few years after its release.
The song is still beloved decades after its release, and Paste magazine even ranked “Everybody’s Talkin'” at No. 56 on its list of “The 100 greatest songs of the 1960s.”
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