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)
It's Been so Long
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been so long since I kissed you
Oh, Lord knows how I missed you
Gee, you're looking gee but you're looking so fine
It's been so long since I held ya
Oh yeah, I've been just to tell ya
Gee, you're looking gee but you're looking so fine
It's been so long, it's been so long
It's been so long since I kissed you
Oh, Lord knows how I missed you
Gee, you're looking gee but you're looking fine
It's been so long since I held ya
Oh yeah, I've been just to tell ya
Gee you're looking gee but you're looking fine
La, la, la, la, la
It's been so long, it's been so long
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song "It's Been So Long" express the feeling of longing and a yearning to be reunited with someone special after a long time apart. The repetition of the phrase "it's been so long" emphasizes the length of time that has passed since the singer has seen or touched their loved one. They express their longing through the lines "oh, Lord knows how I missed you" and "oh yeah, I've been just to tell ya," indicating that they have been thinking about this person and the chance to see them again.
The singer's admiration for their love interest is evident in the lyrics "gee, you're looking gee but you're looking so fine." The repetition of this phrase emphasizes their desire to communicate their admiration and compliments to their partner. The use of the phrase "gee" is reminiscent of a simpler time or a more traditional style, which adds to the nostalgic feeling of the lyrics. The repetition of the "la, la, la" section helps to emphasize the sense of joy and happiness that the singer feels at the prospect of seeing their loved one again.
Overall, the lyrics of "It's Been So Long" express a strong feeling of longing and nostalgia for someone special who the singer has not seen for a significant amount of time. It highlights the desire to communicate admiration and affections when reunited with them after the long separation.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been so long, it's been so long
The singer expresses how long it has been since they last saw their partner and repeats it to emphasize their longing.
It's been so long since I kissed you
The singer describes how much time has passed since they last shared an intimate moment with their partner.
Oh, Lord knows how I missed you
The singer expresses how much they have missed their partner and emphasizes it with the phrase 'Oh, Lord knows'.
Gee, you're looking gee but you're looking so fine
The artist compliments their partner's appearance by using the slang term 'gee'.
It's been so long since I held ya
The artist describes how much time has passed since they last embraced their partner.
Oh yeah, I've been just to tell ya
The singer expresses how they have been wanting to tell their partner something, possibly related to their feelings or longing for them.
Gee you're looking gee but you're looking fine
The singer once again compliments their partner's appearance using the slang term 'gee'.
La, la, la, la, la
The artist adds a musical element to the song with these nonsensical syllables.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind