Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes cred… Read Full Bio ↴Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, a return to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists to achieve significant commercial success without performing major public concerts or touring regularly.

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)

Mornin' Glory Story
Harry Nilsson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She wakes up, she finds herself sleeping in a doorway
Wondering how she ever got that way
She fights her tears away, then prays for no more sorrow
Will tomorrow be the same as yesterday

She tasted from the tree of life which lead to hunger
Now she wonders how she'll ever carry on
She thinks about the life she knew when she was younger

Heaven help her now those days are long since gone

She wakes up, she finds herself sleeping next to no one
And it's no fun when there's no one's there to see
She looks down at her feet, "My God, they sure look dirty
7:30, time to be or not to be"

She cries out, "Won't somebody listen to my story
Mournin' glories aren't supposed to happen today

She wakes up, she finds herself sleeping in a doorway
Wondering how she ever got that way

Overall Meaning

The song "Mournin' Glory Story" by Harry Nilsson is a poignant portrayal of a woman who finds herself homeless and struggling with the pain of her past. The song's lyrics paint a vivid picture of the woman's despair as she wakes up sleeping in a doorway and wonders how she ever got to this point in her life. She fights back tears and prays for a better tomorrow, but the pain of her past and the uncertainty of her future weigh heavily on her.

The woman has tasted from the tree of life, but it has only led to hunger and a sense of longing for the life she once knew. She remembers the days of her youth and the happiness that she once felt, but those days are long gone. She finds herself sleeping alone, with no one there to comfort her or share her pain. She looks down at her dirty feet and wonders how she can go on.

Despite her despair, the woman cries out for someone to listen to her story. She knows that mournin' glories like herself aren't supposed to happen in today's world, but she can't deny the pain that she feels. The song is a powerful reminder of the struggles that many people face every day, and a call to listen to their stories and help where we can.

Line by Line Meaning

She wakes up, she finds herself sleeping in a doorway
She wakes up, realizing that she is sleeping in a public place which is not a comfortable experience

Wondering how she ever got that way
She wonders how she ended up in such a situation where she has nowhere else to go

She fights her tears away, then prays for no more sorrow
Trying to control her emotions, she prays not to face any more difficulties in life as she is already going through a tough phase

Will tomorrow be the same as yesterday
She worries if the future will be as bleak as the past, with no signs of hope or change

She tasted from the tree of life which lead to hunger
She experienced the pleasures of life that only made her crave for more, leading to an insatiable desire

Now she wonders how she'll ever carry on
Now she is struggling with her desire for more and doesn't know how to move forward in life

She thinks about the life she knew when she was younger
She remembers the blissful life she had in her earlier years, which she can never get back

Heaven help her now those days are long since gone
She realizes that those good old days are gone forever, and she is left with a bleak present and uncertain future

She wakes up, she finds herself sleeping next to no one
She wakes up to the harsh reality that she is alone, with no one to support or comfort her

And it's no fun when there's no one's there to see
She feels lonely and sad that there is no one to witness her pain or share her burden

She looks down at her feet, "My God, they sure look dirty
Feeling ashamed of her appearance, she realizes that she hasn't taken proper care of herself and her surroundings

7:30, time to be or not to be"
She feels that it's a crucial moment in her life where she has to decide whether to give up or fight for a better life

She cries out, "Won't somebody listen to my story
She desperately wants someone to hear her out, to understand her pain and struggles

Mournin' glories aren't supposed to happen today
She feels that the sadness and misery she is facing is not supposed to occur in today's world, where people are living in comfort and luxury

She wakes up, she finds herself sleeping in a doorway
The cycle of her pain and misery continues, and she is reminded once again of her hopeless situation

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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