Harry was a singer from another parallel universe where they grow singers. There was no one like him. I may be a little biased, but the only two people I can think of right off-hand, who were around when he was singing, who could touch him, were Paul McCartney and Glen [Campbell] -- and Glen was a much more orderly, traditional kind of a singer. Both Paul and Harry had these kind of athletic, gymnastic-like voices, elastic voices, and could do all kinds [of things] with their voices that ordinary people can’t.

-- Jimmy Webb [1]

 

David Geffen introduced Jimmy Webb to Harry Nilsson by inviting the two to play basketball at Geffen's home. The meeting didn't go well. Nilsson was upset about something Webb had written in the liner notes for Richard Harris’ album The Yard Went on Forever. Webb had noted that had penned the line "skipping like a stone through the garden" before Harry sang the similar line "skipping over the ocean like a stone" in "Everybody’s Talkin'."

 

He took it as possibly the opening shot in a game of one-upmanship. He said, "Why’d you put that thing on the album?" And really came on kind of tough with me. He said, "I think you ought to think about your motivations? It seemed like a cheap shot to me." He just came right off the blocks and was in my face. It turned out, as the years passed [we became great friends]. I ended up giving the eulogy at the guy’s funeral, but it wasn’t love at first sight.

-- Jimmy Webb [2]