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)
Let the Good Times Roll
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'mon baby, let me thrill your soul
C'mon baby you're the best there is,
Roll all night long.
C'mon baby, let's close the door,
C'mon baby, let's ride some more,
C'mon baby, let the good times roll,
I feel so good when you're home.
Come on baby, let's ride some more
C'mon baby, rock me all night long!
C'mon baby, let's close the door
C'mon baby, let's ride some more
C'mon baby, let the good times roll,
Roll all night long.
C'mon baby, let the good times roll
C'mon baby, let me thrill your soul
C'mon baby you're the best there is,
Roll all night long.
C'mon baby, let's close the door
C'mon baby, let's ride some more
C'mon baby, let the good times roll,
Yeah, roll all night long.
Feels so good when you're home
Come on baby, rock me all night long!
C'mon baby, let's close the door
C'mon baby, let's ride some more
C'mon baby, let the good times roll,
Yeah, roll all night long.
I feel so good when you're home.
Come on baby, rock me all night long!
C'mon baby, let's close the door
C'mon baby, let's ride some more
C'mon baby, let the good times roll,
Yeah, roll all night long.
Roll all night long,
Roll all night long.
Harry Nilsson's "Let the Good Times Roll" is a song about living in the moment and enjoying life to the fullest. The song is a call to action to abandon any worries or troubles and just have a good time. The lyrics encourage the listener to let go of their inhibitions and indulge in the present by finding pleasure in the company of loved ones, taking risks, and embracing the feeling of excitement that comes with living life on the edge.
The repeated phrase of "C'mon baby, let the good times roll" serves as a mantra, a way to stay focused on the present moment and ignore any worries about the future or regretful thoughts about the past. The line "C'mon baby, let me thrill your soul" suggests that the singer is seeking to create a lasting and memorable experience for their partner.
Overall, the song is a reminder to enjoy life while we have it and to cherish the moments we have with the people we care for.
Line by Line Meaning
C'mon baby, let the good times roll
Encouraging someone to have fun and enjoy life to the fullest.
C'mon baby, let me thrill your soul
Asking someone to allow you to excite them and provide them with pleasure.
C'mon baby you're the best there is
Complimenting and acknowledging that someone is exceptional and outstanding.
Roll all night long.
Persistently engage in enjoyable activities throughout the night without stopping.
C'mon baby, let's close the door
Proposing to shut the outside world out and focus on themselves.
C'mon baby, let's ride some more
Suggesting to continue the pleasurable activity they are engaged in.
I feel so good when you're home.
Expressing the positive emotions that arise when the person they care for is present with them.
Come on baby, rock me all night long!
Requesting to be held and comforted throughout the night.
Yeah, roll all night long.
Conveying an enthusiastic and energetic attitude towards continuing the fun activities throughout the night.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Lee, Shirley Goodman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Uncle Joe
One of my all time favorite lps.
Get it.
No bad songs
Kevy Nova
Itβs been a while, good to see the Harry Nilsson channel active again.
super cat 12
Fr
Crusty
Damn why wasn't this uploaded sooner? This sounds great. Love to add it to my Spotify eventually.
Kazmo Jones
Classic!
Carmen Rojas
What a genius! πΊπ
NTNC
Love your music alwaysππ
/just a fan from Thailand πΉπ
NightwingReturns
Miss you, Harry.
Benniloco
ππ That's what this song makes me do! π
Alejandro Espinoza
Excelent!