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)
Miss Butter's Lament
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody else seems to care
She waits patiently for the knowledge that she will
Have so much to give to someone
Waiting around for the knock at the door
Gentleman callers beware
Hoping to see all the flowers and candy he's offered her
Mmmmmmm
She don't mind all the waiting around for someone to come along
Knows she's about to be found before too long
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
She don't mind all the waiting around for someone to come along
Knows she's about to be found before too long
Waiting around for the first breath of spring,
She never noticed the snow on the ground.
Spring never made it;
Somebody delayed it
For her again
Like the year before
And the year before
And the year before
And the year before
And the year before
The song “Miss Butter’s Lament” tells the story of a lonely woman who waits for spring and for someone to come into her life. While everyone else seems to be indifferent to the approach of spring, Miss Butter patiently awaits it, knowing that with its arrival, she will have much to give to someone. She is hoping for the experience of love and the companionship of a man who will bring her flowers and candy, a man who will knock at her door and sweep her off her feet. Despite her longing and desire, she seems to know that her waiting will not be in vain and her time will come soon enough.
“Miss Butter’s Lament” speaks to the human need for love and the longing for companionship. The singer conveys a sense of hope and optimism that there is someone out there for Miss Butter, who will acknowledge and appreciate her worth. At the same time, the song highlights the poignant situation of those who are alone and waiting for love in a world that is often indifferent to their plight. It is a beautiful and melancholic song that speaks to the human experience of waiting, hoping, and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting around for the first breath of spring
Miss Butter is eagerly waiting for the arrival of spring.
Nobody else seems to care
Miss Butter is the only one who is excited about spring whereas everyone else is indifferent.
She waits patiently for the knowledge that she will
Miss Butter is waiting for the realization that she will have a lot to offer in a relationship.
Have so much to give to someone
Miss Butter believes that she has a lot of love to give and is waiting for someone to share it with.
Waiting around for the knock at the door
Miss Butter is eagerly waiting for a caller, likely a suitor, to visit her.
Gentleman callers beware
Miss Butter is very picky when it comes to men and will not settle for anything less than perfect.
Hoping to see all the flowers and candy he's offered her
Miss Butter expects men to bring her flowers and candy as a sign of their affection towards her.
In every dream she's ever had
Miss Butter idealizes her perfect man who will bring her flowers and candy, and this person appears in her dreams.
She don't mind all the waiting around for someone to come along
Miss Butter is patient and willing to wait for Mr. Right.
Knows she's about to be found before too long
Miss Butter is confident that she will meet her perfect man soon.
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
This vocalization is a filler piece that serves the interruption of the vocals.
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
This vocalization is a filler piece that serves the interruption of the vocals.
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
This vocalization is a filler piece that serves the interruption of the vocals.
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
This vocalization is a filler piece that serves the interruption of the vocals.
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
This vocalization is a filler piece that serves the interruption of the vocals.
She don't mind all the waiting around for someone to come along
Miss Butter is patient and willing to wait for Mr. Right.
Knows she's about to be found before too long
Miss Butter is confident that she will meet her perfect man soon.
Waiting around for the first breath of spring,
Miss Butter has been waiting for spring to arrive but it hasn't come yet.
She never noticed the snow on the ground.
Miss Butter is so focused on waiting for spring that she doesn't realize it's still winter outside.
Spring never made it;
Spring never arrived and Miss Butter is disappointed.
Somebody delayed it
Miss Butter believes that there was someone or something responsible for the delay of spring.
For her again
Miss Butter believes that this is not the first time spring has been delayed for her.
Like the year before
Miss Butter believes that spring was delayed for her the previous year as well.
And the year before
Miss Butter believes that spring was delayed for her in the years prior to the previous year as well.
And the year before
Miss Butter believes that spring was delayed for her in the years prior to the previous year as well.
And the year before
Miss Butter believes that spring was delayed for her in the years prior to the previous year as well.
And the year before
Miss Butter believes that spring was delayed for her in the years prior to the previous year as well.
Contributed by Elliot J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert Paul Felberg
Massive vocal range. Great arrangement. Nilsson
David Richman
Perfect pop song.
Alice
j’adoreeee