Born in Brooklyn, Nilsson moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to escape his family's poor financial situation. While working as a computer programmer at a bank, he grew interested in musical composition and close-harmony singing and was successful in having some of his songs recorded by various artists, such as the Monkees. In 1967, he debuted on RCA Victor with the LP Pandemonium Shadow Show, followed by a variety of releases that included a collaboration with Randy Newman (Nilsson Sings Newman, 1970) and the original children's story The Point! (1971).
He created the first remix album, Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, in 1971, and recorded the first mashup song ("You Can't Do That") in 1967. His most commercially successful album, Nilsson Schmilsson (1971), produced the international top 10 singles "Without You" and "Coconut". His other top 10 hit, "Everybody's Talkin'" (1968), was featured prominently in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy. A version of Nilsson's "One," released by Three Dog Night in 1969, also reached the U.S. top 10.
During a 1968 press conference, The Beatles were asked what their favorite American group was and answered "Nilsson." Sometimes called "the American Beatle," he soon formed close friendships with John Lennon and Ringo Starr, joining them in the Hollywood Vampires drinking club. He and Lennon produced one collaborative album, Pussy Cats (1974). After 1977, Nilsson left RCA, and his record output diminished. In response to Lennon's 1980 murder, he took a hiatus from the music industry to campaign for gun control. For the rest of his life, he recorded only sporadically. In 1994, Nilsson died of a heart attack while in the midst of recording what became his last album, Losst and Founnd (2019).
The craft of Nilsson's songs and the defiant attitude he projected remain touchstones for later generations of indie rock musicians. Nilsson was voted No. 62 in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time," where he was described as "a pioneer of the Los Angeles studio sound" and "a crucial bridge" between 1960s psychedelia and the 1970s singer-songwriter era. The RIAA certified Nilsson Schmilsson and Son of Schmilsson (1972) as gold records, indicating over 500,000 units sold each. He earned two Grammy Awards (for "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Without You").
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Nilsson
Discography
Spotlight on Nilsson (1966)
Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967)
Aerial Ballet (1968)
Skidoo (1968) (soundtrack)
Harry (1969)
Nilsson Sings Newman (1970)
The Point! (1970) (studio album and soundtrack)
Nilsson Schmilsson (1971)
Son of Schmilsson (1972)
A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (1973)
Son of Dracula (1974) (soundtrack)
Pussy Cats (1974)
Duit on Mon Dei (1975)
Sandman (1976)
...That's the Way It Is (1976)
Knnillssonn (1977)
Flash Harry (1980)
Popeye (1980) (soundtrack)
Losst and Founnd (2019)
Cuddly Toy
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You're not the only choo choo train
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
That was left in the night
Who gave up without a fight, yeah
You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You're not the kind of girl to tell your mother
The kind of company you keep
I never told you that I'd love no other
You must have dreamed it in your sleep, bop bop
You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You're not the only choo choo train
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
Laa, la, la, la, la la la, la la la la, wan wan wan wan
La la la, la la la, la la la la
You're not the kind of girl to tell your mother
The kind of company you keep
I never told you that I'd love no other
You must have dreamed it in your sleep, zop zop
You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You're not the only choo choo train
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
Laa, la, la, la, la la la, la la la la, wan wan wan wan
La la la, la la la, la la la la
In Harry Nilsson's song "Cuddly Toy," the lyrics appear to address a breakup or rejection, with the singer telling the addressee that they are not special or unique in the way they have been hurt. The first verse compares the addressee to a cuddly toy and a choo choo train--both things that likely bring people joy and comfort when they are new and loved, but can eventually lose their value or be discarded. The second verse mentions a "charity light" that was "left in the night"--perhaps an object meant to provide hope or happiness, but abandoned by its recipient. The repeated message throughout the song is that the addressee is not the only one to have experienced rejection or loss, despite what they may believe.
The chorus of the song reiterates the message that the addressee is not unique in their hurt, and that others have enjoyed the same things they have. The final verse seems to suggest that the singer and the addressee were in a romantic relationship, with the singer intimating that the addressee's mother would not approve of them, and that the addressee must have dreamed that the singer loved them.
Overall, "Cuddly Toy" is a relatable and somewhat bittersweet song about lost love and the universal experience of heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You are not the only toy that has been loved by a boy. There have been other cuddly toys that have been enjoyed just like you.
You're not the only choo choo train
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
You are not the only toy train that was forgotten outside in the rain after Santa came to town.
You're not the only charity light
That was left in the night
Who gave up without a fight, yeah
You are not the only light that was abandoned in the darkness and gave up without a fight. There have been others who have been through the same thing.
You're not the kind of girl to tell your mother
The kind of company you keep
I never told you that I'd love no other
You must have dreamed it in your sleep, bop bop
You are the sort of girl that would never tell your mother about the kind of people you have around. But, it needs to be known that I never promised to love just you, so it must have been a dream that you had.
You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You are not the only toy that has been loved by a boy. There have been other cuddly toys that have been enjoyed just like you.
You're not the only choo choo train
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
You are not the only toy train that was forgotten outside in the rain after Santa came to town.
Laa, la, la, la, la la la, la la la la, wan wan wan wan
La la la, la la la, la la la la
This is the background music which is just repetition of sounds without any particular meaning.
You're not the kind of girl to tell your mother
The kind of company you keep
I never told you that I'd love no other
You must have dreamed it in your sleep, zop zop
You are the sort of girl that would never tell your mother about the kind of people you have around. But, it needs to be known that I never promised to love just you, so it must have been a dream that you had.
You're not the only cuddly toy
That was ever enjoyed
By any boy
You are not the only toy that has been loved by a boy. There have been other cuddly toys that have been enjoyed just like you.
You're not the only choo choo train
That was left out in the rain
The day after Santa came
You are not the only toy train that was forgotten outside in the rain after Santa came to town.
Laa, la, la, la, la la la, la la la la, wan wan wan wan
La la la, la la la, la la la la
This is the background music which is just repetition of sounds without any particular meaning.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hackmicron
Nilsson is Great 👍
@richiegrey
2021, still here. Anyone else?
@robbie4860
My exellent taste in legendary 60s & 70s music (that will NEVER EVER be topped by today's inspireless "artist" ) brought me here... 😎😘👌
@cameraobscura2379
2022. Nilsson ❤.
@themoviedealers
Harry was the link between the Beatles and The Monkees.
@teledoink
Throw The Beach Boys in there too. There’s a Pet Sounds quality to many of his songs.
@martinkent333
3 chord druggies were what all 13 year olds dreamed of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They grew old and still lust to be losers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh My!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@jetblackrecords5540
Not at all. The Monkees were an invented band, by A&R guys in the record business. Harry is to the Beatles what Tom Waits or VanDyke Parks is to the mainstream.
@estrellaarineziriondo3387
Wonderful music
@martinkent333
More thrilling than hemorrhoids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!