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)
Good for God
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who art in Heaven
Eh
The other day a friend of mine
Said, he said, that god?s not even with us
He said that God is really dead
You can't believe that magic act
I said I don't, and that was that
I said
Good for God
Good for God
He goes and makes the planet blue
And all the thanks he gets from you
Is look at all the poo-poo in the yard
Good for God
That fella's life is very hard
He knows each time a sparrow falls
Believing Man's the always cause
Good for God
Good for God
I bet he's got a very hard job
I'm awfully glad I'm here to say
He made it possible for me to be here to say
Good for God
Good for God
Good Lord!
Good God Almighty!
He got no mama
He got no papa
Good for God
The other day another friend of mine said
He said the sun is going yellow
Pretty soon we'll all be dead
I said my friend what do you mean?
You must be living in a museum
And things are never what they seem
Good for God
Good for God
Now if truth is truth
It's easy to know the truth
Now that's the truth
Help me God
Good for God
Good for God
Good for God
He's got a hard job
And before they put me in the hole
I pray to God I'll find a big loophole
Good for God
The man drove the little girls wild
You know it's all right
He's on our side
It looking pretty good for us, ya know?
The lyrics to Harry Nilsson's song "Good for God" are an intriguing mix of humor and thought-provoking commentary on the existence and role of God. The song opens with a line from The Lord's Prayer, "Our Father who art in Heaven," but takes a sharp turn from there. The singer describes a conversation with a friend who claims that God is dead, prompting the singer to defend his belief in God by saying "Good for God." The singer respects God's ability to create and sustain life on earth but points out that humans often neglect to take care of the planet, leaving it covered in "poo-poo." He acknowledges the difficult job that God has and expresses gratitude for his own life while admitting that it can be challenging to find the truth about God.
Nilsson seems to be making a statement about the conflicting and unpredictable nature of humanity's faith in God. The singer of the song clearly believes in God, but he seems unsure about how to defend his belief, acknowledging that "things are never what they seem." He presents a humorous picture of God struggling to maintain order in the world despite the carelessness of human beings. The song's playful tone belies a deeper questioning of the meaning and purpose of faith in God, and the singer's irreverent attitude toward traditional religious language and ideas highlights the complexities of religious belief in modern times.
Line by Line Meaning
Our Father
Addressing God as our father
Who art in Heaven
Acknowledging the presence of God in heaven
Eh
Expressing an indifferent tone and casual attitude towards addressing God
The other day a friend of mine
Referring to a conversation with a friend
Said, he said, that god?s not even with us
Recounting a friend's comment about the belief that God is not present in our world
He said that God is really dead
Quoting a friend's assertion about the non-existence of God
He said, Oh pal, a fact?s a fact
Continuing to quote the friend's argument and stating that it is factual
You can't believe that magic act
Rejecting the notion that belief in God can be equated to believing in magic
I said I don't, and that was that
Affirming the artist's own disbelief in magic
I said
Switching the conversation back to the artist's own thoughts
Good for God
Acknowledging and praising God's hard work and perseverance despite a lack of appreciation from humans
Good for God
Repeating the affirmation of God's goodness and hard work
He goes and makes the planet blue
Acknowledging God's creation of the Earth's oceans and sky
And all the thanks he gets from you
Pointing out the lack of gratitude that humans show towards God's creation and hard work
Is look at all the poo-poo in the yard
Referencing the negativity in the world as a reflection of our own shortcomings and failures
Good for God
Reaffirming the appreciation for God's work
That fella's life is very hard
Expressing sympathy for God and the challenges he faces in creating and sustaining the world
He knows each time a sparrow falls
Describing God's vast knowledge and awareness of the world, even in small matters
Believing Man's the always cause
Acknowledging that human behavior is the primary source of the world's problems
Good for God
Repeating the appreciation for God's efforts
Good for God
Continuing to praise God's work
Good Lord!
Emphasizing God's greatness and power with an exclamation
Good God Almighty!
Using another exclamation to emphasize God's power and greatness
He got no mama
Referencing the belief that God has no parents, emphasizing his omnipotence
He got no papa
Repeating the point about God's eternal power
Good for God
Reiterating the appreciation for God's hard work
The other day another friend of mine said
Referencing a different conversation with another friend
He said the sun is going yellow
Quoting the friend's incorrect assertion that the sun is turning yellow
Pretty soon we'll all be dead
Referencing the friend's mistaken belief that the change in the sun's color is a sign of impending disaster
I said my friend what do you mean?
Expressing confusion and disbelief at the friend's argument
You must be living in a museum
Suggesting that the friend is out of touch with reality
And things are never what they seem
Pointing out that appearances can be deceiving
Good for God
Returning to the refrain that acknowledges God's hard work
Good for God
Repeating the refrain
Now if truth is truth
Starting a new thought about the nature of truth
It's easy to know the truth
Stating that truth is not difficult to recognize
Now that's the truth
Emphasizing the statement about the simplicity of truth
Help me God
Asking for God's assistance or guidance
Good for God
Returning to the refrain stating appreciation for God's hard work
Good for God
Continuing to repeat the refrain
He's got a hard job
Acknowledging again the difficulty of God's role
And before they put me in the hole
Referring to the singer's eventual death
I pray to God I'll find a big loophole
Expressing the hope for a way to avoid judgment after death
Good for God
Repeating one final time the refrain to acknowledge God's hard work
The man drove the little girls wild
Referring to a musician named Harry Nilsson who was known for being popular with women
You know it's all right
Stating that there's no harm in enjoying oneself
He's on our side
Emphasizing the support of the musician for his fans
It looking pretty good for us, ya know?
Suggesting that fans of the musician have things going well for them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind