Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes cred… Read Full Bio ↴Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, a return to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists to achieve significant commercial success without performing major public concerts or touring regularly.

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)

Don't Leave Me
Harry Nilsson Lyrics

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The willow weeps
And having wept
Can weep no more
But still it cries for me
It cries in sympathy
It knows that you are gone
Don't leave me baby!

There was a time
When you were mine
An' not so long ago
I used to say
You'd never go away
You'd never leave me lonely
Don't leave me baby!

Think about the happy times
The groovy times
Don't tell me they are gone
I just can't carry on an'
And know that you're not here
You're not near
Anymore

Don't leave me baby
Things are gonna work out fine
Don't leave me baby
Think I'm goin' outta my mind
Don't leave me baby
Don't leave me behind!

(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!
Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah! )
(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!
Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah! )

The willow weeps
And having wept
Can weep no more
But still it cries for me
It cries in sympathy
It knows that you are gone

It cries for me,
(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!

Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!)
The willow weeps!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Harry Nilsson's "Don't Leave Me" are sorrowful and desperate as the singer tries to hold on to a love that is slipping away from him. The singer repeats the phrase "Don't leave me, baby" several times throughout the song, expressing his fear and loneliness as he faces the impending loss of his significant other. The first verse describes the willow tree weeping, having already shed all its tears, yet still crying in sympathy for the singer's pain. The chorus picks up with the singer trying to hold on to a past where things were better with his lover, pleading with them not to leave him behind.

In the second verse, the singer reflects on better times and happy memories but acknowledges that they are gone and that he cannot move forward without his significant other. He is stuck in a cycle of pain and loneliness, unable to break free. The chorus repeats, solidifying the desperation in the singer's tone as he tries to keep his love from leaving.

Overall, the song expresses the sadness and desperation that comes with the end of a relationship. The willow tree serves as a metaphor for the singer's grief, having wept all of its tears and yet still mourning for him. The repetition of the phrase "Don't leave me, baby" expresses the singer's fear of being left alone and unable to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

The willow weeps
The tree known as the willow is shedding tears like a person in mourning.

And having wept
After shedding tears, the willow now lacks the ability to cry anymore.

Can weep no more
The willow has cried all its tears and cannot shed anymore.

But still it cries for me
Although the willow can no longer cry, it continues to exhibit emotions of sadness over the absence of a loved one.

It cries in sympathy
The willow experiences an emotion identical to the sorrow of the author.

It knows that you are gone
The author of this song has been left alone by someone who is no longer with them.

Don't leave me baby!
Please do not go, my love.

There was a time
At one time in the absence of the loved one.

When you were mine
When you and I were a couple.

An' not so long ago
Recently, but not too long ago.

I used to say
The author expresses that he was a major influence to the memories shared between him and his love.

You'd never go away
The author believed that his partner would never leave him.

You'd never leave me lonely
His love would never abandon him and he wouldn't have to yearn for their company.

Think about the happy times
The artist reminisces over good times spent with his love.

The groovy times
Perhaps the artist and his love shared passionate or musical moments.

Don't tell me they are gone
The author pleads for the memories not to be ruined by the separation and to keep them alive.

I just can't carry on an'
The song's writer confesses that he cannot cope with the loss of his loved one.

And know that you're not here
The artist is aware of their lover's absence due to their departure.

You're not near
Their lover is not close, but far away.

Anymore
They are not here like they used to be.

Things are gonna work out fine
Despite being separated from his love, the author desires to believe deep down that they will eventually be reunited.

Think I'm goin' outta my mind
The artist feels like he might be losing his sanity because of the loss of his partner.

Don't leave me behind!
Please, my love, don't leave me behind to suffer alone.

(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah! Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!)
Background vocalization conveying the feeling of inadequacy and urgency for the return of his love.

The willow weeps!
The sorrowful tone established at the beginning persists throughout the song and is captured in the repeated cry of the willow tree.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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