Coconut (song)

"Coconut"
Single by Harry Nilsson
from the album Nilsson Schmilsson
B-side	"The Moonbeam Song"
Released	1972
Format	7" single
Recorded	1971
Genre	Calypso
Length	3:52
Label	RCA Victor
Writer(s)	Harry Nilsson
Producer(s)	Richard Perry
Harry Nilsson singles chronology
"Jump into the Fire" (1972) "Coconut" (1972) "Spaceman " (1972)

"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 ranked by Billboard as the #66 song for 1972.^[1]

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 boy and his sister concoct a beverage consisting of lime and coconut and drink it, causing the girl to suffer a severe stomachache. 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 together"— the same concoction that caused the stomachache—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

• Harry Nilsson - vocals
• Caleb Quaye - guitar
• Ian Duck - acoustic guitar
• Herbie Flowers - bass
• Roger Pope - drums
• Jim Gordon - percussion
• Paul McCartney - background vocals and words

Dannii Minogue version

"Coconut"
Single by Dannii Minogue
from the album Girl
B-side	"Everybody Changes Underwater" "Heaven Can Wait" "Someone New"
Released	November 16, 1998
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994-1995
Genre	Dance
Length	4:50
Label	WEA
Writer(s)	Harry Nilsson
Producer(s)	Flexifinger (Original vocal production: DNA)
Dannii Minogue singles chronology
"Disremembrance" (1998) "Coconut" (1998) "Everlasting Night" (1999)

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.^[2]

In 2009, the original version of "Coconut" was made available on the compilation The 1995 Sessions.

Track listing

CD single

1. "Coconut" (Harry Nilsson) – 4:50
   Production: DNA, Flexifinger
2. "Everybody Changes Underwater" (Dannii Minogue, David Green, Ian Masterson) – 6:36
   Production: Flexifinger
3. "Heaven Can Wait" (7" Version) (Brian Higgins, Matt Gray, Stuart McLennan, Tim Powell) – 4:06
   Production: Brian Higgins, Matt Gray
   Additional production: Metro
4. "Someone New" (David Green, Ian Masterson) – 9:22
   Production: Flexifinger
5. "Heaven Can Wait" (Trouser Enthusiasts' Cloud Nine Mix) (Higgins, Gray, McLennan, Powell) – 12:13
   Production: Brian Higgins, Matt Gray
   Remix: Trouser Enthusiasts
6. "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.

Other versions

• Other cover versions of the song have been recorded by the Baha Men, Jimmy Buffett, Fred Schneider, Lazlo Bane, Sprung Monkey, P.M. Dawn, and, according to a Nilsson website, the Alice Cooper Band.
• Kermit the Frog and other Muppet characters covered the song in a video. The scene showed Kermit in a hospital bed, joining hospital staff singing the song as the room developed a jungle theme.^[3]

In popular culture

• Coca-Cola used the song in its commercial for Coca-Cola with Lime, changing the lyrics to the mondegreen "You put the lime in the Coke, you nut."
• The song was featured in the closing credits of Quentin Tarantino movie Reservoir Dogs.
• An alternate parody version "Beer In The Coconut" was sung briefly by Homer Simpson in The Simpsons episode Mom and Pop Art.
• The song was featured several times on the FOX procedural Bones.
• The song was included in the soundtrack of The Wedding Ringer^[4]
• The song was included in the movie Practical Magic and the soundtrack for it.
• Baha Men's version of the song was featured in the ChalkZone episode "Smooch."^[5]

References

1. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
2. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart: Week Commencing 23 Nov 1998". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on 2015-10-11. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
3. Coates, Tyler (January 7, 2015). "10 Essential Musical Moments From 'The Muppet Show'". Decider. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
4. IMDB soundtrack page for The Wedding Ringer Retrieved January 16, 2016.
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVL7x2L_YSk

External links

• Metrolyrics.com