Coconut (song)
Encyclopedia
"Coconut" is a song written and first recorded by Harry Nilsson
.
, it reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
, and it features three distinct characters (the narrator
, the sister, and the doctor), all sung in different voices by Nilsson. The song is perhaps best remembered for its chorus lyric, "She put the lime
in the coconut
, she drank 'em both up." There are no chord changes, and the only chord in the song is C 7th, strummed on an acoustic guitar.
Side two
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 remix
ed by producers Flexifinger
.
The track was originally used as a hidden bonus track on her third album Girl. It was subsequently released on in Australia as the fourth and final single from that album.
In 2009, the original version of Coconut was made available on the compilation The 1995 Sessions
.
", "Everything I Wanted
", and "Disremembrance
" was made.
The video was never released commercially until 2007, when it finally appeared on The Video Collection DVD as one of the bonus videos.
's all male a cappella
group, the Alley Cats
, traditionally sings this song as the closing song of their performances. It has also appeared in many films (including Practical Magic
, in which it is proclaimed "a good song to get drunk to"; Wag the Dog
; and the end credits of Reservoir Dogs
), and in episodes of The Simpsons
, ChalkZone
, and House
(in "Let them Eat Cake
", the tenth episode of the fifth season), which originally aired on 2 December 2008. It was sung by guest star Becky Baeling
, who played Deedee in this episode, an actress that House hired to trick Taub and Kutner. The original version was also heard in the final scene when Deedee and House are alone flirting in his office.
It appeared in more than one episode of Bones
, most recently in the episode "The Hole in The Heart" (5/12/2011); it was said to be the favorite song of a character killed in the episode and is sung by the remaining characters as they load his coffin into a hearse for transport home to England.
Other cover version
s of the song have been recorded by The Baha Men, Jimmy Buffett
, Fred Schneider
(produced by Richard Barone
), Lazlo Bane
, Sprung Monkey
, P.M. Dawn (as part of "Fantasia's Confidential Ghetto" on their Jesus Wept album), and, according to a Nilsson website, the Alice Cooper Band
. It is also covered by the Sugar Beats on their CD How Sweet It Is (Fresh Versions of Retro Pop for Kids). A line from "Coconut" is included in the Tyga
song "Coconut Juice".
The song was also used in a 2005 ad campaign for Coca-Cola
, debuting their Coke with Lime product, changing the signature verse at the very end to "put the lime in the coke, you nut".
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
.
Original version
The third single from his 1971 album, Nilsson SchmilssonNilsson Schmilsson
-Personnel:* Harry Nilsson – piano on 1 5 8 10, vocals, Mellotrons on 2 4, organ on 3, harmonica on 8, electric piano on 9* Jim Gordon – drums on 1 2 5 8 9, percussion on 7 9* Klaus Voormann – bass on 1 5 6 8, rhythm guitar on 2 9, acoustic guitar on 4...
, it reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and it features three distinct characters (the narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, the sister, and the doctor), all sung in different voices by Nilsson. The song is perhaps best remembered for its chorus lyric, "She put the lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
in the coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, she drank 'em both up." There are no chord changes, and the only chord in the song is C 7th, strummed on an acoustic guitar.
7" single: RCA 447-0940 (US, reissue)
Side one- "Coconut"
Side two
- "Jump into the Fire"
Dannii Minogue version
Dannii MinogueDannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
recorded the song in 1994 with UK dance producers DNA. When Minogue parted ways with Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
in 1995 and signed to Eternal Records
Eternal Records
Eternal Records is a subsidiary label of Warner Bros. Records....
in 1996, she had the track remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed by producers Flexifinger
Trouser Enthusiasts
Trouser Enthusiasts was an electronic dance music production group, active during the 1990s, formed by Belfast-born Ian Masterson and David Green. The group was best known as producers of pop and dance remixes, having worked for, most prominently, Pet Shop Boys, Dannii Minogue, and Saint Etienne...
.
The track was originally used as a hidden bonus track on her third album Girl. It was subsequently released on in Australia as the fourth and final single from that album.
In 2009, the original version of Coconut was made available on the compilation The 1995 Sessions
The 1995 Sessions
The 1995 Sessions is a 2009 compilation album consisting of previously unreleased demo tracks previously recorded by Australian singer Dannii Minogue fourteen years earlier. It has been be released by Palare on 7 December 2009...
.
CD single
- "Coconut" (Harry Nilsson) – 4:50
Production: DNAThe DNA DisciplesDNA was the pseudonym taken by two British dance music producers Nick Batt and Neal Slateford, best known for issuing a remix of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" in 1990....
, FlexifingerTrouser EnthusiastsTrouser Enthusiasts was an electronic dance music production group, active during the 1990s, formed by Belfast-born Ian Masterson and David Green. The group was best known as producers of pop and dance remixes, having worked for, most prominently, Pet Shop Boys, Dannii Minogue, and Saint Etienne... - "Everybody Changes Underwater" (Dannii Minogue, David Green, Ian Masterson) – 6:36
Production: Flexifinger - "Heaven Can Wait" (7" Version) (Brian HigginsBrian Higgins (producer)Brian Thomas Higgins is a British music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud, through his Xenomania production group...
, 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 EnthusiastsTrouser EnthusiastsTrouser Enthusiasts was an electronic dance music production group, active during the 1990s, formed by Belfast-born Ian Masterson and David Green. The group was best known as producers of pop and dance remixes, having worked for, most prominently, Pet Shop Boys, Dannii Minogue, and Saint Etienne... - "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 wasn't able 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 DoAll I Wanna Do (Dannii Minogue song)
"All I Wanna Do" is a dance-pop song written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennan, Tim Powell and Matt Gray for Dannii Minogue's third studio album Girl .The song was produced by Higgins and Gray....
", "Everything I Wanted
Everything I Wanted
"Everything I Wanted" is a pop–dance song written by Dannii Minogue, Mark Taylor and Steve Torch for Minogue's third studio album Girl . The song was produced by Metro and received a positive reception from music critics. It was released as the second single in the fourth quarter of 1997...
", and "Disremembrance
Disremembrance
"Disremembrance" is a pop–dance song written by David Green and Ian Masterson for Dannii Minogue's third studio album Girl . The song was produced by Flexifinger and received a positive reception from music critics....
" was made.
The video was never released commercially until 2007, when it finally appeared on The Video Collection DVD as one of the bonus videos.
Other cover versions
YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
's all male a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, the Alley Cats
The Yale Alley Cats
The Yale Alley Cats are an all male, undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University. The Alley Cats were founded in 1943, making them the third oldest underclassman a cappella group at Yale. The group’s early repertoire was based in jazz, but its current arrangements cover Motown, pop...
, traditionally sings this song as the closing song of their performances. It has also appeared in many films (including Practical Magic
Practical Magic
Practical Magic is a 1998 American fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witches who carry on a family legacy of witchcraft and tragedy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Alice Hoffman...
, in which it is proclaimed "a good song to get drunk to"; Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog is a 1997 black comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, co-starring Anne Heche, Denis Leary and William H. Macy about a Washington spin doctor who, merely days before a presidential election, distracts the electorate from a sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood film producer...
; and the end credits of Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is an American crime film marking debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist, but not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast: Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and...
), and in episodes of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, ChalkZone
ChalkZone
ChalkZone is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon. It was created by Bill Burnett and Larry Huber, and produced by Frederator Studios for the Nickelodeon TV channel...
, and House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
(in "Let them Eat Cake
Let Them Eat Cake (House)
"Let Them Eat Cake" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of House and the ninety-sixth episode overall. It originally aired on December 2, 2008.-Plot:...
", the tenth episode of the fifth season), which originally aired on 2 December 2008. It was sung by guest star Becky Baeling
Becky Baeling
Becky Baeling is an American singer/recording artist, actress, producer and television host.- Early life :Baeling was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as Rebecca Diane Bahling, the daughter of Wanda and Garry Bahling, a Brigadier General F-16 fighter pilot in the Air National Guard and an...
, who played Deedee in this episode, an actress that House hired to trick Taub and Kutner. The original version was also heard in the final scene when Deedee and House are alone flirting in his office.
It appeared in more than one episode of Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, most recently in the episode "The Hole in The Heart" (5/12/2011); it was said to be the favorite song of a character killed in the episode and is sung by the remaining characters as they load his coffin into a hearse for transport home to England.
Other cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of the song have been recorded by The Baha Men, Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
, Fred Schneider
Fred Schneider
Frederick William "Fred" Schneider III is an American rock singer, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well-known for his sprechgesang which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.-Early life:Schneider was born in Newark,...
(produced by Richard Barone
Richard Barone
Richard Barone is a rock musician born in Tampa, Florida who gained attention as frontman for The Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created major concert events at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl and New York's...
), Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane is an alternative rock band hailing from Santa Monica, California, United States. They are well known for collaborating with former Men at Work member Colin Hay, and providing the song "Superman" as the theme for the television show Scrubs...
, Sprung Monkey
Sprung Monkey
Sprung Monkey is an American band that originated in San Diego, California, USA, initially active from 1991 to 2002, and again since 2005. Sprung Monkey consists of five members, Steve Summers for the vocals, Mike Summers and William Riley for the guitars, Ernie Longoria for the drums, and Tony...
, P.M. Dawn (as part of "Fantasia's Confidential Ghetto" on their Jesus Wept album), and, according to a Nilsson website, the Alice Cooper Band
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
. It is also covered by the Sugar Beats on their CD How Sweet It Is (Fresh Versions of Retro Pop for Kids). A line from "Coconut" is included in the Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
song "Coconut Juice".
The song was also used in a 2005 ad campaign for Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, debuting their Coke with Lime product, changing the signature verse at the very end to "put the lime in the coke, you nut".
External links
- "Coconut" lyrics — lyrics of the song at Dannii Minogue site.
- Coconut on Muppet Wiki