How Harry Nilsson found a secret chord that tied The Beatles’ discography together
Although the mashup boom of the 1990s onwards seems to have been sparked entirely by chance, players like Harry Nilsson paved the way for this. Before musicians and producers discovered the appeal of cutting apart songs and sticking them together, the only thing that seemed remotely similar was the medley.
Even now, the mashup is usually an amalgamation of two songs which follow similar patterns and chord progressions, making their fusion seamless and hard-hitting. Nilsson, however, one day set out to achieve a seemingly impossible feat: he would mash together as many works by The Beatles as possible. Of course, this was sparked by an earlier revelation that linked most pieces in their discography.
While playing around with a set of chords one day, he discovered something that naturally lent itself “to a million different songs”. He tested his theory by running to the nearest music store to buy a copy of The Beatles songbook. The ease with which many of their tracks naturally fit together meant that Nilsson was able to finish the piece the same night.
The resulting ‘You Can’t Do That’ ended up becoming a mix of 17 songs by the Liverpool foursome, including ‘Rain’, ‘Day Tripper’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, among many others. Nilsson’s mashup arrived in 1967, three years after the original track was released, and is widely considered the first mashup in history.
Nilsson’s version appeared much slower than the original, fusing together various references to Beatles songs in the ultimate musical ode to the Fab Four. Although the track didn’t exactly perform well, it likely caught the attention of The Beatles themselves, especially considering the fact that Paul McCartney and John Lennon both admitted a year later, in 1968, that Nilsson was their favourite artist.
The Beatles’ interesting musicology cannot be understated despite the various elements of simplicity they incorporated into their work. Many of their songs were filled with immensely simplified chord progressions, which naturally lent themselves to accompanying melodic vocals. However, the seemingly straightforward structure of their musical framework was often blended with innovative pop and classical music qualities.
Nilsson’s ‘You Can’t Do That’ may exist as an exceptionally condensed version of The Beatles’ legacy, but their discography is filled with more strands than you could imagine within the confines of introspection. Moreover, if seemingly simple elements are incorporated over and over, is a composition still simple, or is it a more complicated piece made up of a web of simple elements?
The Beatles’ evolution toyed with this concept, demonstrating the fact that simplicity can be just as innovative as complexity. Nilsson’s mashup showcased one side to their approach, which replicated the band’s obvious appeal, but the various patterns that they utilised to craft a distinctive sound speak louder about their collective musical intuition.
Listen to ‘You Can’t Do That’ by Harry Nilsson below.