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)
Lean On Me
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the wind and I'm the sea
Oh, lean on me, lean on me
Love's the boat out on the ocean
You're the wind that fills the sail
Oh, lean on me, trust in me
You're the wind that moves the branches
You're the earth and love's the tree
Oh, lean on me
Love's an island, love's an ocean
Lean on me
Love's an island of emotion
Lean on me
Oh lean on me, lean on me
I will be there when you need me
Lean on me, lean on me
Love's the boat and you're the wind that fills the sail
In this song, Harry Nilsson is expressing his willingness to be there for someone whenever they need him. He uses the metaphor of love as a boat out on the ocean, with the person he wants to support being the wind that fills the sail. Harry himself is the sea, always present and strong, ready to carry this boat through any storm. He urges this person to lean on him, to trust in him, to let him be their anchor when they need stability.
Furthermore, Harry uses the metaphor of a tree to symbolize the growth and stability that love can bring to someone's life. He compares himself to the earth that provides nutrients for the tree to grow, and this person to the tree itself. By supporting and leaning on Harry, this person can grow and flourish just as a tree does with the support of the earth around it.
Overall, the message of this song is clear: Harry Nilsson wants this person to know that they are not alone and that he is always there for them. He wants to be the wind that fills their sails, the earth that helps them grow, and the anchor that keeps them steady in times of turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Lean on me, Lean on me
Count on me and depend on me
You're the wind and I'm the sea
You are the force pushing me forward, and I am the vastness of the unknown
Oh, lean on me, lean on me
Once again, trust and rely on me
Love's the boat out on the ocean
Love is like a vessel on uncharted waters
You're the wind that fills the sail
And you are the force that propels it forward
Oh, lean on me, trust in me
I'll be here when you need me, and you can believe in me
You're the wind that moves the branches
You have the power to change things in subtle and unexpected ways
Lean on me, lean on me
Once more, depend on me
You're the earth and love's the tree
You are the foundation of everything, and love and its growth is the result
Oh, lean on me
Trust and rely on me
Love's an island, love's an ocean
Love can be both confined and boundless
Lean on me
Once more, depend on me
Love's an island of emotion
Love can be an isolated and highly charged feeling
Oh lean on me, lean on me
Again, trust and rely on me
I will be there when you need me
I'll always be there for you
Lean on me, lean on me
Finally, lean on me once more
Love's the boat and you're the wind that fills the sail
Love may take you places you never thought possible, and you are the driving force behind it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@justiceforall6412
One of the most talented singer songwriters this country ever produced. The Beatles admired and individually played on his records. Nuff said! RIP Harry
@christoph404
I guess you mean the USA...he is from New York, but I had to google it....I'm viewing this from another part of the world so " this country" didn't really mean anything to me. 🤔
@justiceforall6412
@@christoph404 Yes. I'm from the U.S.
@christoph404
@@justiceforall6412 aha...okay...greetings from Scotland! 👍
@justiceforall6412
@@christoph404 Back a ya mate! Cheers to you and yours!
@garytwitchett9359
Knnillsson remains my fave Harry LP 🎶👍🙎♂️👍🎶
@longerino
So sweet.
@giorgiomadde3010
Beautiful record divinely sung beautiful compositions people do not understand anything
@altheagraham783
harry-
-the best---sweet