B-side "The Moonbeam Song" Format 7" single Genre Calypso | Released 1972 (1972) Recorded 1971 (1971) Length 3:52 | |
"Coconut" is a song written and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released as the third single from his 1971 album, Nilsson Schmilsson. It was on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks, reaching #8, and was ranked by Billboard as the #66 song for 1972.
Contents
In 1998, a cover version was released by Australian singer Dannii Minogue as a single, peaking at #62 on the ARIA singles chart.
Lyrics
The lyrics feature four characters (the narrator, the brother, the sister, and the doctor), three of whom (narrator, sister, and doctor) are sung in different voices by Nilsson. The song describes a story in which a girl has a stomachache and calls her doctor who prescribes her a drink. With the help of her brother, they concoct a beverage consisting of lime and coconut. When the sister calls the doctor late at night, the doctor (annoyed at being awakened by such a complaint) laughs her off and recommends that she "put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both together"—then call him in the morning. It has been noted on more than one occasion that the song is symbolic of pregnancy and morning sickness.
Music
There are no chord changes in the song: an arpeggiated C7th accompanies the song.
Personnel
According to the 1971 LP credits:
Dannii Minogue version
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 November 16, 1998 as the fourth and final single from that album, peaking at #62 on the ARIA singles chart upon its debut, on the chart dated week commencing 23 November 1998.
In 2009, the original version of "Coconut" was made available on the compilation The 1995 Sessions.
CD single
- "Coconut" (Harry Nilsson) – 4:50
Production: DNA, Flexifinger - "Everybody Changes Underwater" (Dannii Minogue, David Green, Ian Masterson) – 6:36
Production: Flexifinger - "Heaven Can Wait" (7" Version) (Brian Higgins, Matt Gray, Stuart McLennan, Tim Powell) – 4:06
Production: Brian Higgins, Matt Gray
Additional production: Metro - "Someone New" (David Green, Ian Masterson) – 9:22
Production: Flexifinger - "Heaven Can Wait" (Trouser Enthusiasts' Cloud Nine Mix) (Higgins, Gray, McLennan, Powell) – 12:13
Production: Brian Higgins, Matt Gray
Remix: Trouser Enthusiasts - "Heaven Can Wait" (D-Bop's Heavenly Girl Mix) (Higgins, Gray, McLennan, Powell) – 7:47
Production: Brian Higgins, Matt Gray
Remix and additional production: D-Bop
Mislabelled on both sleeve and disc as "D-Bop's Melt & Sparkle Mix".
Music video
Minogue was unable to film a music video for the single as she was touring the UK on her Unleashed '98 Tour, so a montage video featuring images from "All I Wanna Do", "Everything I Wanted", and "Disremembrance" was made.
The video was not released commercially until 2007, when it appeared on The Video Collection DVD as one of the bonus videos.