Coconut (song)

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

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.

Music

There are no chord changes in the song: an arpeggiated C7th accompanies the song.

Personnel

According to the 1971 LP credits:^[2]

• Harry Nilsson – vocals
• Caleb Quaye – guitar
• Ian Duck – acoustic guitar
• Herbie Flowers – bass
• Jim Gordon – drums, percussion
• Roger Pope – drums

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 (1998-11-16)
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994-1995
Genre	Dance
Length	4:50
Label	WEA
Songwriter(s)	Harry Nilsson
Producer(s)	Flexifinger (Original vocal production: DNA)
Dannii Minogue singles chronology
"Disremembrance" (1998) "Coconut" (1998) "Everlasting Night" (1999)
"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.^[3]

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

Other versions

• Other cover versions of the song have been recorded by the Baha Men, Fred Schneider (on the "Everybody Sings Nilsson" tribute album), 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 on The Muppet Show (as part of episode 4.10, with guest Kenny Rogers). The scene showed Kermit in a hospital bed, having hurt his flipper after slipping on some oil on the floor in the theater, joining hospital staff singing the song as the room developed a jungle theme.^[4]
• The song was also used in commercials for Coca-Cola with Lime. These ads are set in a Coke factory and a corporate boardroom and feature various people incorrectly singing the line as "you put the lime in the Coke, you nut!"
• Fred Schneider performed the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien after the release of the 1995 "Everybody Sings Nilsson" tribute album, for which the song was the lead single. He was joined on the show by the track's producer Richard Barone of The Bongos on lead guitar.

References

External links

• Metrolyrics.com