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)
Early in the Morning
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Had a little fight with my baby last night and it's early in the morning
Don'chu know it's early in the morning
Early in the morning
I ain't got nothing, no nothing but the blues
I went to your girlfriend's house
But she was out
But he began to shout and he said
It's early in the morning
Don'chu know it's early in the morning
Early in the morning
I ain't got nothing, no nothing but the blues
I went to Dooky Chase to get somethin' to eat
Waitress looked at me said, "Harry, you sure look beat"
And I said, It's early in the morning
Don'chu know it's early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Early in the morning
Ain't got nothing, but the
Ain't got nothing, but the
Ain't got nothing, but the
Ain't got nothing, but the
Ain't got nothing, but the
Ain't got nothing, but the
Blues
The song "Early in the Morning" by Harry Nilsson is a blues-inspired track that tells the story of a man who wakes up feeling down and defeated after having a fight with his lover the night before. The lyrics suggest that he is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the argument, and that everything he tries to do to cheer himself up fails. The repetition of the phrase "early in the morning" throughout the song emphasizes the sense of loneliness and despair the singer feels.
The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer wakes up feeling unable to do anything right, and it becomes clear that he is suffering from the emotional toll of the fight with his partner. The stanza "Don'chu know it's early in the morning / Early in the morning / I ain't got nothing, no nothing but the blues" emphasizes his state of mind, suggesting that he has no motivation or willpower to carry on. The second stanza sees him trying to seek solace in his partner's girlfriend, but she's not available. He then goes to his partner's father's house, but he is met with hostility. The fact that he can find no respite even from his own family members exacerbates his sense of isolation.
The final stanza sees the singer, still struggling to shake off his depression, seeking comfort in food, but even this attempt is thwarted. The waitresses comment that he looks worn out further highlights his distress, and the song ends with the refrain, "Ain't got nothing, but the Blues," emphasizing the singer's continued sense of despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Early in the morning and I can't do right
It's the early hours of the morning and I'm feeling troubled and unsure of what to do next.
Had a little fight with my baby last night and it's early in the morning
My partner and I had an argument last night, and now that it's the early morning, I'm still feeling the effects and unsure of how to make things right.
Don'chu know it's early in the morning
I'm trying to remind others that it's still early in the morning and that things may not be fully resolved yet.
I ain't got nothing, no nothing but the blues
I'm feeling down and blue, with nothing good to think about or look forward to.
I went to your girlfriend's house
I tried to seek comfort from your girlfriend.
But she was out
Unfortunately, she was not there, and I'm left feeling alone and unsupported.
I knocked on your daddy's door
I also tried to seek help from your father.
But he began to shout and he said
Instead, he reacted negatively, shouting at me.
I went to Dooky Chase to get somethin' to eat
I went to a local eatery to try and distract myself from my troubles.
Waitress looked at me said, "Harry, you sure look beat"
The waitress noticed my appearance and demeanor, seeing the physical signs of my emotional distress.
Ain't got nothing, but the
I have nothing, except for the
Blues
overwhelming feelings of sadness and despair.
Lyrics © KOBALT MUSIC PUBLISHING LIMITED
Written by: Leo Hickman, Louis Jordan, Dallas Bartley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind