Tune of the Week: Nilsson on Fire

I can’t find any evidence of Harry Nilsson’s mental health history other than in his musical works. Part of the uniqueness of his style lay in his treading the line between an ordinary mentality and one that is either depressed or agitated. Certainly, his history of substance abuse supports a narrative of mental illness. The above tune is about as manic as you can get. It was used to powerful effect in the film “Good Fellas” to help express the paranoia felt in the overuse of cocaine. Maybe he was manic-depressive, bu tone thing is for sure: no one could write an off-kilter song with as much intensity as the great Nilsson!