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 Need You
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The river's far too deep without you
I can't make it alone
I need you by my side
Some nights I spend alone without you
The river's far too wide without you
Oh, oh, oh, I can't make it alone
I
I'll never leave you alone
I'll never leave just a memory
I'll never leave you alone in the garden where nothing grows
I love you so much, baby
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
In the song "I'll Never Leave You" by Harry Nilsson, the lyrics express a deep longing for companionship and a fear of being alone. The singer acknowledges that some nights he is without his loved one, but he finds himself unable to cope with the loneliness. The river is used as a metaphor for the vast emptiness that consumes him when he is without his partner. The comparison between a wide and deep river emphasizes the magnitude of his need for his loved one's presence. The repeated refrain, "I can't make it alone, I need you by my side," only underscores his desperate dependence on the other person.
However, there is hope in the song as well. The singer vows to never leave his partner alone, promising to always be there for them through thick and thin. The phrase "I'll never leave just a memory" is especially impactful, as it shows the singer's desire to make lasting memories with his loved one. The garden metaphor at the end indicates a willingness to stay through the hard times, even when nothing is growing. Overall, the song is a powerful declaration of love and an admission of vulnerability and need.
Line by Line Meaning
Some nights I go to sleep without you
On certain nights, I find myself sleeping without you.
The river's far too deep without you
Without you, life's obstacles seem too overwhelming and unmanageable.
I can't make it alone
I am incapable of finding success and happiness on my own.
I need you by my side
I require your presence and support to navigate through difficult times in my life.
Some nights I spend alone without you
Occasionally, I am forced to spend time to myself in your absence.
The river's far too wide without you
Dealing with the obstacles of life without your help is a daunting task.
I'll never leave you alone
I will always be with you, and never abandon you.
I'll never leave just a memory
I won't disappear and be reduced to a mere memory.
I'll never leave you alone in the garden where nothing grows
I won't leave you stranded in a place of lifelessness and despair.
I love you so much, baby
I have an immense amount of affection and care for you, my darling.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Sounds of emotional intensity and passion.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Sounds of emotional intensity and passion.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Sounds of emotional intensity and passion.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Sounds of emotional intensity and passion.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind