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)
Maybe
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I shudder to think you heard it too
Your days are long I'm sure
But my days they're very blue
Lately things have been changing
Not in your eyes but mine
I've been starting to realize something
I may have known all the time
MAYBE MAYBE NOT
SOMETHINGS definitely CHANGED
WHILE WE WERE APART
Sometimes I think the most of you
But sometimes I think the worst
Maybe I'm using you to flirt
I just want to unfold
To let the truth be known
To me and everyone else
You may say I'm fickle
But I'm a woman - I need to change my mind (chorus 2x)
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's "Maybe" portray a complex emotional state of the singer towards their romantic interest. The first two lines depict the singer's deep inner insecurity and vulnerability upon hearing the sound of thunder outside their window, indicating their fear of failing to meet their romantic interest's expectations. The next lines describe the singer's state of mind characterized by sadness, which is in contrast to the supposed picture of their romantic interest's busy and happy life. The bridge reflects the singer's realization of their feelings for their romantic interest - they have started liking them. Still, they are unsure of the authenticity of their emotions and therefore remain indecisive about their commitment.
The chorus, sung twice, brings the crux of the song's central message: the fluctuating emotions of the singer towards their romantic interest, which may or may not be real. In the second verse, the singer looks introspectively into their feelings, revealing their hesitation and confusion about their attraction and intentions towards their romantic interest. They wonder if they are merely using them to flirt, or if there is a genuine connection between them. The singer's final line indicates their desire for the truth about their feelings to be known, not only to themselves but also to everyone else. In conclusion, the lyrics of "Maybe" highlight the complexities of human emotions and the difficulty of navigating romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
When it thunders outside my window
I feel uneasy at the thought of you hearing it too.
I shudder to think you heard it too
I don't want you to know that I'm affected by such trivial events.
Your days are long I'm sure
I acknowledge the effort you put into your work.
But my days they're very blue
I'm feeling down and dejected about things happening in my life.
Lately things have been changing
I've been noticing changes taking place in myself and my surroundings.
Not in your eyes but mine
These changes are personal to me and not related to how you perceive things.
I've been starting to realize something
I'm having some realizations that I wasn't aware of before.
I may have known all the time
I might have been aware of these realizations all along but didn't acknowledge them.
I THINK I MAY LIKE YOU
I'm not sure but I think I might have feelings for you.
MAYBE MAYBE NOT
I'm unsure about my feelings and need time to figure it out.
SOMETHINGS definitely CHANGED
There has been a noticeable shift in the dynamics of our relationship.
WHILE WE WERE APART
These changes occurred during the time we were not in close contact with each other.
Sometimes I think the most of you
At times, I appreciate and value you more than anything else in my life.
But sometimes I think the worst
Occasionally, I have negative thoughts and doubts about the sincerity of your actions and words.
Maybe I'm using you to flirt
I concur that I might be taking advantage of our closeness to engage in flirtatious behavior.
I just want to unfold
I feel like I'm hiding something and want to come clean to you.
To let the truth be known
I want to express my honest feelings and opinions to you without any hesitation.
To me and everyone else
I want clarity in my thoughts and emotions which will benefit not only me but everyone around me too.
You may say I'm fickle
You might label me as indecisive and wavering in my thoughts and feelings.
But I'm a woman - I need to change my mind
But as a woman, I reserve the right to change my mind and perspectives as life evolves and shapes me further.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind