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)
Gotta Get Up
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gotta get home before the mornin' comes
What if I'm late, got a big day
Gotta get home before the sun comes up
Up and away, got a big day
Sorry, can't stay, I gotta run, run, yeah
Gotta get home, pick up the phone
There was a time when we could dance until a quarter to ten
We never thought it would end then
We never thought it would end
We used to carry on and drink and do the rock and roll
We never thought we'd get older
We never thought it'd grow cold, but now
Gotta get up, gotta get out
Gotta get home before the mornin' comes
What if I'm late? Got a big day
Gotta get home before the sun comes up
Up and away, got a big day
Sorry can't stay, I gotta run, run, yeah
Gotta get home, pick up the phone
Gotta let the people know I'm gonna be late
Down by the sea, she knew a sailor who had been to war
She never even knew a sailor before
She never even knew his name
He'd come to town and he would pound her for a couple of days
And then he'd sail across the bubbling waves
And those were happier days, but now
Gotta get up, gotta get out
Gotta get home before the mornin' comes
What if I'm late? Got a big day
Gotta get home before the sun comes up
Up and away, got a big day
Sorry can't stay, I gotta run, run yeah
Gotta get home, pick up the phone
Gotta let the people know I'm gonna be late
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song "Gotta Get Up" are an expression of human life and time. The song speaks of the urgency of departing from a good time, carrying out responsibilities and making it back home before it's too late. The song has two clear parts where the first half is about the responsibilities of life while the second half reminisces about happier days.
The first verse sets the tone of the song by highlighting the need to be responsible and punctual. The singer is concerned about time and missing out on an important event. The second verse describes the past where the singer could dance and have fun until late, but now the singer faces the possibility of growing old and missing out on the same experiences.
The chorus highlights the urgency of leaving and the need to inform those left behind of their late arrival. The second verse, however, takes a darker turn as the lyrics describe a woman who had fleeting love with a sailor, but never knew his name. The contrast between this and the upbeat chorus heightens the tension in the song.
Nilsson's song speaks to anyone who has felt the weight of adult responsibilities but longs for the carefree days of youth. The music video for "Gotta Get Up" was directed by John Lennon's secret art project, "Bag One," giving the song a sense of authenticity and appeal.
Line by Line Meaning
Gotta get up, gotta get out
I need to leave and head home
Gotta get home before the mornin' comes
I have to be home before the morning starts
What if I'm late, got a big day
I have a lot to do; can't afford to be late
Gotta get home before the sun comes up
I can't be out when the sun rises
Up and away, got a big day
It's time for me to leave, I have an important day ahead
Sorry, can't stay, I gotta run, run, yeah
I can't stay; I have to go quickly
Gotta get home, pick up the phone
I need to be home and inform people that I'll be late
Gotta let the people know I'm gonna be late
I need to inform others that I'll be late
There was a time when we could dance until a quarter to ten
We used to enjoy spending time together until late evening
We never thought it would end then
We were naive to think that the good times would never end
We used to carry on and drink and do the rock and roll
We used to party and drink and listen to music
We never thought we'd get older
We never anticipated growing old
We never thought it'd grow cold, but now
We didn't expect things to be so different now
Down by the sea, she knew a sailor who had been to war
She used to know a soldier who had fought in a war
She never even knew a sailor before
It was the first time she had met a soldier-turned-sailor
She never even knew his name
She didn't know the name of the soldier-turned-sailor
He'd come to town and he would pound her for a couple of days
He would visit her and they would spend a couple of days together
And then he'd sail across the bubbling waves
He would leave after a few days
And those were happier days, but now
Those days were happier, but things have changed now
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Nilsson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind