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)
Intro
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do you mean?
Drink this, it'll be for the last time, from then on you will no longer be able to sustain yourself as a vampire. I've drawn your fangs.
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song "Intro" are a conversation between two characters, one of whom is a vampire. The first line "Oh, do trust me" suggests that the singer is trying to reassure the vampire that they have made the right decision in choosing to give up their vampiric ways. The second line "count down, you've chosen the best" implies that the vampire has perhaps voluntarily sought out someone to help them become human again, and that this decision is final - "there's no turning back."
The third line "What do you mean?" is the voice of the confused vampire, asking for clarity about what is going to happen. The answer from the other character is blunt and to-the-point - "Drink this, it'll be for the last time" - implying that the final act of vampirism is to drink this elixir, which will essentially rid them of the ability to subsist on blood. The last line "I've drawn your fangs" is the final step in this transformation - the character who has been helping the vampire has physically removed their fangs, the last literal connection to their vampiric past, and sealed their transformation into a human being.
Overall, these lyrics tell a powerful and evocative story of transformation, of choices made and commitments sealed. The characters in these lyrics confront an emotional decision, one that necessitates a certain amount of sacrifice of one's past identity and associations, in order to move towards a new, perhaps more hopeful future.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, do trust me, count down, you've chosen the best, and there's no turning back.
I am reassuring you to have faith in me, as you count down to your transition, knowing that you have made the best choice and cannot change your mind.
What do you mean?
The listener is asking for clarification on the previous statement.
Drink this, it'll be for the last time, from then on you will no longer be able to sustain yourself as a vampire. I've drawn your fangs.
Consume this substance, as it will be the final time you can sustain yourself as a vampire. I have taken away your ability to feed by removing your fangs.
Contributed by Sydney C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.