You’re Breakin’ My Heart, So F U

This is an obscenely funny song. Literally.

And Harry Nilsson was a very funny fellow.

When I first heard it as a teenager, I thought “You’re Breaking My Heart” was possibly the greatest composition ever created.

In my senior will (remember that from high school?) I wanted to leave a copy to Anne Spaulding, who had unceremoniously dumped me at the top of a mountain on the senior ski trip. I learned about broken hearts – and how to ski – over the next hour on my first trip down a slope.

Though the message of the song matched exactly how I felt, I decided that the title just wouldn’t convey my feelings to most people. So I left her a copy of “You’re Such A Stupid Girl” by Neil Young instead.

Harry Nilsson’s name may not ring a bell but I guarantee you’ve heard his music. He sang “Everbody’s Talkin'” (the theme song to Midnight Cowboy), wrote and sang “(I Can’t Live If Living Is) Without You,” “My Best Friend” (the theme to the TV show “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father“), “One Is The Loneliest Number” (covered with huge success by Three Dog Night), “Jump Into The Fire” (used in Goodfellas during the helicopter sequence) and, perhaps most famously, “Lime In The Coconut.”

If you’re interested in hearing some more from Nilsson, you can purchase his album Nilsson Schmilsson from Amazon.com by clicking on this link, or by clicking on the album art above. I will probably post another song or two from him – not big hits but great (and funny) songs you’ve probably never heard.

By the way, this song nearly killed Harry’s career. When you think about it, it’s hard to believe that a record company would release an album containing this song in the early ’70s. Today, you can’t find a rap album that doesn’t drop the F bomb.

Because of the explicit lyrics, I’ve decided not to post the audio of this song on my home page. You can hear it by clicking on the “Keep reading” link below.