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)
Everything's Got 'Em
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is the town where the people all stay
This is the town and these are the people
That's the way they wanted it
That's the way it's going to stay
Everything's got 'em
Everything needs one
Everything has one
This is the town and these are the people
This is the town where the people all stay
That's the way they wanted it
That's the way it's going to stay
Harry Nilsson's Everything's Got 'Em is a song that speaks about the inevitability of certain things in life. The song talks about a town where the people are content and have found their place in life. The lyrics, "This is the town and these are the people, This is the town where the people all stay" emphasize the idea that the people are settled and have no intention of leaving the town.
The main theme of the song is the idea that everything in life has an inherent need or want, and that people are no different. The recurring phrase, "Everything's got 'em, Everything needs one, Wouldn't be without one, Everything has one" emphasizes this. The 'em refers to something that people desire, want or need. This could be anything from a material possession to an emotional need.
The last two lines of the song, "That's the way they wanted it, That's the way it's going to stay" suggest that this town is content with what they have, they have found their happiness and will not change it. This embodies the idea of humans' desire for a sense of belonging and finding contentment in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the town and these are the people
The town is made up of its residents and this is who makes up its identity
This is the town where the people all stay
The people choose to stay in the town, despite its flaws
That's the way they wanted it
The people have intentionally created this environment for themselves
That's the way it's going to stay
It's unlikely that things will change in this town
Everything's got 'em
Every person or thing has its own problems or issues to deal with
Everything needs one
Each person or thing requires a solution to their particular problems
Wouldn't be without one
We can't exist without having some sort of challenge or issue to deal with
Everything has one
There is no one or thing that is immune to challenges or problems in life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LTAD-xi6sw
Okay, so I’m currently 19 years old. When I was maybe around 12, me and my grandpa were clearing out some stuff around his house. Just old stuff that we didn’t use. And we found the cassettes of this album. Now I’d heard of all the artists from my grandpa’s time because he used to talk about all of them (and still does!), but I’d never heard of Harry Nilsson before. So I asked if we could keep that one because I wanted to listen to it out of curiosity. We have a radio with a built-in tape player, which I used to play this on. And I just couldn’t help but listen to the whole album. It’s a story at the end of the day, you’ve got to get to the end! I still have the album, and I listen to it every now and again, and somehow there’s nostalgia for a time when I didn’t exist. Anyways, hope everyone’s having a good day, and thanks for reading if you read till the end 😊
@mariehelena2364
This is so nice to hear! Have you seen the program? You really must if you haven't yet, if you enjoy the album... 🙂 you are in for a treat!
@foreverealm
I loved this album when I was ten… it has an illustrated map, to follow the story.
My favorite songs Harry Nilsson sang are Without You, Theme Song to The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (starring Bill Bixby of The Incredible Hulk. I really miss these people. They were both brilliant, unique, and extremely talented. And they both died in their 50’s.)
@f.frederickskitty2910
OMG! I saw this movie on TV as a kid in 1974! The music just popped into my head (I'm 57) and found it on YouTube. I love your story friend. ❤
@Voltra98
Happy 80th Birthday Nilsson!
@sam78315
The Point will always be my favorite movie!
@joelgonzales8342
This soundtrack is one of my most cherished childhood memories. It reminds me of my grandmother.
@benwatson6729
"To be or not to be, that is the point."
@donnoel7506
I do LOVE The Point!!!
@philhaskett-smith7913
I went to the opening night at the Mermaid Theatre. Awesome!