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 Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have loved lots of girls in the sweet long-ago
And each has meant heaven to you
You have vowed your affection to each one in turn
And have sworn to them all you'd be true
You have kissed 'neath the moon while the world seemed in tune,
Then you've left her to hunt a new game.
If you want to feel wretched and lonely and blue,
Just imagine the girl you love best
In the arms of some fellow who's stealing a kiss
From the lips that you once fondly pressed
But the world moves apace and the loves of today
Flit away with a smile and a tear,
So you can never tell who's kissing her now
Or just whom you'll be kissing next year.
I wonder who's kissing her now, I wonder who's teaching her how,
I wonder who's looking into her eyes, breathing sighs, telling lies.
I wonder who's buying the wine for lips that I used to call mine.
I wonder if she ever tells him of me, I wonder who's kissing her now.
The lyrics to Harry Nilsson's song "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" reflect the feelings of heartbreak and betrayal that can come from a failed relationship. The verses describe the singer's past love affairs and how he has moved on to new women and left the old ones behind. However, the chorus reveals the pain and jealousy that still lingers as he wonders who his ex-lover is now with and if she is happy. The lyrics are contemplative and melancholic, capturing the universal experience of lost love and the yearning to know what could have been.
The phrase "I wonder who's kissing her now" is repeated throughout the chorus, emphasizing the obsessive and haunting nature of the singer's thoughts. The lyrics build on the emotions of the previous lines, culminating in the singer questioning if his ex-lover thinks of him and their past relationship. The lyrics suggest that even though time has passed, the hurt and jealousy linger on.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" showcase Harry Nilsson's ability to capture the complexities of human emotions through song. The lyrics are timeless and offer a relatable insight into the struggles of lost love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
You have loved lots of girls in the sweet long-ago
You have had many past relationships
And each has meant heaven to you
Each relationship felt like paradise
You have vowed your affection to each one in turn
You promised to love each one of them
And have sworn to them all you'd be true
You told each one that you would be faithful
You have kissed 'neath the moon while the world seemed in tune,
You have kissed under the romantic moonlight
Then you've left her to hunt a new game.
Then you moved on to someone else
Does it ever occur to you later my boy, that she's prob'ly doing the same?
Did you ever think that these women also moved on?
If you want to feel wretched and lonely and blue,
If you want to feel sad and miserable
Just imagine the girl you love best
Think of the girl you love most
In the arms of some fellow who's stealing a kiss
With a man who is not you, taking your place
From the lips that you once fondly pressed
Kissing the same lips you once kissed
But the world moves apace and the loves of today
But time goes on and love changes
Flit away with a smile and a tear,
Love comes and goes, happy and sad
So you can never tell who's kissing her now
You can't know who she is with now
Or just whom you'll be kissing next year.
Or who you will be with in the future
I wonder who's kissing her now, I wonder who's teaching her how,
I wonder who is with her now and guiding her
I wonder who's looking into her eyes, breathing sighs, telling lies.
I wonder who is looking into her eyes, feeling emotions, and maybe being dishonest
I wonder who's buying the wine for lips that I used to call mine.
I wonder who is sharing wine with her, like I once did
I wonder if she ever tells him of me, I wonder who's kissing her now.
I wonder if she ever talks about me to the person she's with now, and who that person is
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.