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)
Love Story
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I like your brother
I like you
And you like me too
We'll get a preacher
I'll buy a ring
We'll hire a band
With an accordion
And a tenor who can sing
You and me you and me, baby
You and me you and me you and me, baby
You and me you and me you and me, baby
You and me you and me you and me, baby
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
You and me you and me, baby
You and me you and me you and me, baby
You and me you and me you and me, baby
You and me you and me you and me, baby
I'll take the train into the city ev'ry mornin'
You may be plain - I think you're pretty in the mornin'
And some nights we'll go out dancin'
If I am not too tired
Some nights we'll sit romancin'
Watching the Late Show by the fire
When our kids are grown
With kids of their own
They'll send us away
To a little home in Florida
We'll play checkers all day
Until we pass away
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song "Love Story" depicts a simple but sweet romance between two people. The singer expresses his fondness not only for his lover, but also for her family members. He talks about the future they will have together, including getting married and starting a family. The inclusion of the line "We'll have a kid, or maybe we'll rent one" is intriguing because it invokes a sense of nonchalance towards starting a family. The singer then fantasizes about their future child, hoping they will be "straight" and jokingly mentioning the possibility of them becoming a president.
Line by Line Meaning
I like your mother
I think your mother is a nice person
I like your brother
I have positive feelings towards your sibling
I like you
I have romantic feelings towards you
And you like me too
You reciprocate my romantic feelings
We'll get a preacher
We will have a spiritual leader officiate our wedding
I'll buy a ring
I will purchase a symbol of our commitment
We'll hire a band
We will contract musicians to provide entertainment
With an accordion
One of the musical instruments included in the band will be an accordion
A violin
Another of the musical instruments included in the band will be a violin
And a tenor who can sing
Another member of the band will be a male singer with a high voice
You and me you and me, baby
Reaffirmation of our commitment and love
We'll have a kid
We plan to raise a child together
Or maybe we'll rent one
We may consider fostering or adopting a child
He's got to be straight
We have a preference for a child who identifies as heterosexual
We don't want a bent one
We do not want a child who identifies as homosexual
He'll drink his baby brew
Our child will drink milk or formula
From a big brass cup
We will provide our child with a special cup to drink from
Someday he may be president
We have high hopes for our child's success and future
If things loosen up
If societal barriers are eliminated, our child may have more opportunities for success
I'll take the train into the city ev'ry mornin'
I will have a daily commute to work
You may be plain - I think you're pretty in the mornin'
I find you attractive, even in the morning before getting ready
And some nights we'll go out dancin'
We will have fun and socialize by dancing together
If I am not too tired
Whether we go out or not depends on how tired I am after work
Some nights we'll sit romancin'
We will spend quality time together being affectionate
Watching the Late Show by the fire
We will enjoy each other's company while watching a television show by the fireplace
When our kids are grown
Once our child(ren) reach adulthood
With kids of their own
When our child(ren) have children of their own
They'll send us away
Our child(ren) will help us move to a retirement home
To a little home in Florida
Our retirement home will be in Florida
We'll play checkers all day
We will spend our time leisurely playing games
Until we pass away
We will continue living in the retirement home until we die
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind