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)
I'll Take a Tango
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't like the way that them drummers beat on them drums
They always hum along, out of tune
But I can see Valentino and me when I hear a tango.
Electric guitars have gone about as far as electric guitars can go
If you're talking 'bout loud man, it's more than I can stand
You can go down the hole with your sweet rock and roll
I can see me dancing
Oh, I'll glide across the floor.
You know, down in my soul I hate rock and roll
And I don't like the way that them drummers beat on them drums
They always hum along, out of tune
But I can see Valentino and me when I hear a tango
Yeah, I can see Valentino and me when I hear a tango
Yeah, I can see Marlon Brando and me when I hear a tango
In Harry Nilsson's song "I'll Take a Tango," he expresses his dislike for rock and roll and his preference for tango. The lyrics indicate that he finds the beat of rock and roll to be too loud and aggressive, whereas tango is more refined and elegant. He contrasts the electric guitars that have reached their maximum limit in producing sound with the harmonious melody in tango.
Nilsson mentions that the drummers of rock and roll often hum along and play out of tune, but in tango, he can hear himself dancing gracefully across the dance floor. His love for tango is so immense that he envisions himself dancing with famous actors like Marlon Brando and Valentino.
These lyrics may suggest Nilsson's preference for a more sophisticated and slower-paced dance form than rock and roll. The song exemplifies his versatility as an artist.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep down in my soul I hate rock and roll
At the core of my being, I detest rock and roll music.
And I don't like the way that them drummers beat on them drums
I find the drumming in rock and roll to be unappealing and unpleasant to the ear.
They always hum along, out of tune
The musicians in rock and roll often sing or play their instruments off-key or out of tune.
But I can see Valentino and me when I hear a tango.
When I listen to a tango, I picture myself dancing with Valentino, as if I were transported to a different time and place.
Electric guitars have gone about as far as electric guitars can go
I believe that the potential of electric guitars has been fully realized and that there is little left to explore or improve upon.
If you're talking 'bout loud man, it's more than I can stand
The excessive volume of rock and roll music is intolerable to me.
You can go down the hole with your sweet rock and roll
I have no interest in rock and roll and would prefer not to be associated with it.
I'll take a tango
I prefer to dance to the more elegant and refined style of music that is the tango.
I can see me dancing
In my mind's eye, I can envision myself gracefully gliding across the dance floor while performing a tango.
Yeah, I can see Valentino and me when I hear a tango
The sensuality and romance of the tango inspires me to imagine myself dancing with Valentino, embodying the passion and allure of the music.
Yeah, I can see Marlon Brando and me when I hear a tango
The seductive quality of tango music conjures an image of myself dancing with Marlon Brando, indulging in the allure and sensuality of the dance.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: ALEX HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind