Nilsson's Cant Live Without You - Chord needed

[frybaby]

I am working on Can't Live without you by Nilsson.
The tab I am workling from, may not be the most accurate,, but it works fine for me, except for one chord.

In Verse 1: the D7 just does not sound right to me the melody ( at least to my ear, and as I remember it) seems to be different some how.

I know is subjective, but is there a chord or chord extension that I could play here that would make it sound more like Nilsson verson.
Not that it matters but I play it with capo on 4 fret..



C Em
Well I can't can't forget this evening or your face as you were leaving.

Dm E7
But I guess that's just the way the story goes

Am D7 C G7
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows, yes it shows.

[daryl]

Try this video. They are playing it in D. You are playing it in E (capo 4th fret C is really an E). Let us know if the video doesn't help.

[neverfoundthetime]

This is what I'm using and it sounds right and plays well when I follow the original.
The sheet you have with C to Em just sounds all wrong.
Try this and let me know if it sounds better... I think so.
At, You always smile... I'm puting in a G bass note to get from Am to F.

@Daryl: Sorry Daryl, but that Badfinger version is appalling! :ohmy:

Chris

Without You – Harry Nilsson

Capo at 1 or 2 (Original is up 4)

C Am
No, I can't forget this evening or your face as you were leaving
F E
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
Am F
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
C G
Yes, it shows

C Am
No, I can't forget tomorrow when I think of all my sorrows
F E
When I had you there but then I let you go
Am F
And now it's only fair that I should let you know
C G
What you should know

C Am
I can't live if living is without you
F G
I can't live, I can't give any more
C Am
Can't live if living is without you
F G
I can't give, I can't give any more

C Am
No, I can't forget this evening or your face as you were leaving
F E
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
Am F
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
C G
Yes, it shows

C Am
I can't live if living is without you
F G
I can't live, I can't give any more
C Am
Can't live if living is without you
F G
I can't give, I can't give any more

(If living is without you) ……

[reiver]

Frybaby

I just watched Neil's Fly-on-the-wall lesson on this and the chords he uses for the opening lines in the key of G are;

G Bm Am B
Em C Am G

This would transpose to;

C Em Dm E
Am F Dm C

The Am should be held until the change to F on "shows". This seems to sound ok.

If you want to watch Neil play it for the timing - fast forward to about 23 minutes on the lesson and he'll strum through the chords.

Chris - Sorry, but I don't think C - Am is correct!

Hope this helps

Stuart

[neverfoundthetime]

Sorry if my post was not helpful!

Stuart is right the Am I use should really be an Em and the F a Dm as a look at Neil's lesson will show!

So I'm off to research my confusion and why my version sounded right when it's not , which goes something like...

- Without You (to me)= Harry Nilsson
- I never knew it was a Badfinger song, duh!
- Which is why I missed the lesson (thought it was another song so didn't look)
- C / Am / F / Am / F / C / G always sounded good to me when playing my camp-fire version only focussing on the vocals
- Something about the Am and the F makes it sound better to me than the Em and Dm, what is it?
- I need to get anchored in some chord theory instead of relying on my unreliable ears (about time too)
- So it's convenient that Neil's lesson focusses on the different chords use by Badfinger and Nilsson and chord theory
- Its clear to me why the Badfinger version sounds so wrong (I used the word appalling) now: I was lost in HN version and in my ignorance of the original. I suspect this can now never be rectified in my ears though.

Not that I answered this thread without checking what I thought was right (better), I did but I did not know what I did not know...you live and learn! Thanks to Stuart for putting me on the right track.

I don't think Frybaby can view the lesson though....

[frybaby]

Thanks’ gentlemen, both replies were very helpful.
I very much appreciate the input.
Right about not being able to view the lesson, so again thank you sharing some of he info from the lesson, Hopefully there was no TARGET member violations.
Frybaby

[reiver]

Apologies, Frybaby, I didn't realise these fly-on-the-walls were Target only. Hopefully this was enough to get you on track. I wouldn't worry about any violations - I'm sure the information is freely available elsewhere and the site administrators are keen to encourage people to make TG their first port of call with any questions.

Chris - I'm not sure if my post added to or subtracted from your confusion, but I hope that it was the latter. It does seem counterintuitive to change from C to Em, especially when the dominant melody note seems to be an A. It would be interesting to hear what the theory is behind this.

Stuart

[neverfoundthetime]

Chris - I'm not sure if my post added to or subtracted from your confusion, but I hope that it was the latter. It does seem counterintuitive to change from C to Em, especially when the dominant melody note seems to be an A. It would be interesting to hear what the theory is behind this.
Stuart

No, your post made sense and I'm comfortable with transposing in my head (just give me enough time ). Some 7s seemed to get lost in translation though when it moves between versions and keys. On Neil's sheet its written in D (Capoed up 4 frets to effectively F#) and it goes D / F#m7 / Em7 / F# /... so that should translate to C / Em7 /Dm7 / E. But it sounds better when the 7s are not used in the version we are both talking about.

[TGNeil]

neverfoundthetime wrote:

Chris - I'm not sure if my post added to or subtracted from your confusion, but I hope that it was the latter. It does seem counterintuitive to change from C to Em, especially when the dominant melody note seems to be an A. It would be interesting to hear what the theory is behind this.
Stuart

No, your post made sense and I'm comfortable with transposing in my head (just give me enough time ). Some 7s seemed to get lost in translation though when it moves between versions and keys. On Neil's sheet its written in D (Capoed up 4 frets to effectively F#) and it goes D / F#m7 / Em7 / F# /... so that should translate to C / Em7 /Dm7 / E. But it sounds better when the 7s are not used in the version we are both talking about.

You guys are definitely on the right track here. I believe I mentioned in the lesson that the 7ths on the 2 minor chords are pretty subtle and in the background, following the Badfinger version. Nilsson's was, of course primarily piano with an opening possibly 'borrowed' from Burt Bacharach's Close To You, as done by the Carpenters in 1970.

In the key of C, the D7 chord is accurate as far as Nilsson's version goes, although it would be done with F# in the bass at first, following a descending line from Am, then with G in the bass.

Maybe I'll address this on today's News...

Neil

[neverfoundthetime]

Thanks Neil. This has been an interesting look at one of the great songs of the 70's coming from very different angles with the (to me previously unknown) original Badfinger version and then the Nilsson verson played on piano and then slightly different chords and transposing. I hear that Bacharch/Carpenters intro and I usually pluck that on the C and Em just to add that feel to the beginning. It's fun looking into the lesson.