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)
Mr. Richland's Favorite Song
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the fans he had were younger than he and they loved to scream his name
They'd leave at the end of the third show, go home to talk of the fun
Well, isn't nice the parents would say, well isn't nice you've got someone
Someone to idolize, he must look twice his size
I think it's great you're going through a phase
And I'm awfully glad it will all be over in a couple of days
And he never grew tired of singing his song, and his fans still called his name
They'd leave at the end of the second show, go home to talk of the fun
For most of the fans were married by then, so they had to be in by one
I'm awfully glad, the husbands would say, I'm awfully glad you got someone
Someone, I realize, who used to look twice his size
I think it's great you still remember his name
And I'll bet if he knew you were there for the show
He'd be awfully glad you came
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to speak of other things"
Like a fallen star who works in a bar where yesterday is king
The fans will stay for an hour or so, they still remember his fame
But the time has come the Walrus said, "to call your fans by name"
The lyrics to Harry Nilsson's song "Mr. Richland's Favorite Song" tell the story of a once-young singer who used to have a group of devoted, screaming fans. The singer's popularity and the size of his fanbase dwindled as time passed, and his fans grew older and settled down into married life. Despite this, the singer remained constant in his love for performing and singing his song, and his fans still came to see him play.
The first verse describes the singer's prime, when he was younger and his fans were just as young as he was. The parents of these young fans would remark on how nice it was that their children had someone to idolize and how it was just a phase that would eventually pass. The second verse shows the same singer playing to a smaller crowd of older fans who have grown tired due to the responsibilities of married life. Instead of commenting on the phenomenon of their children having someone to idolize, the husbands of these fans remark on how glad they are that they have someone to remember their past with.
The song continues with a final verse that changes the focus from the singer to "a fallen star who works in a bar." The Walrus declares that it's time to call the fans to order - no longer do they exist en masse to be screamed at, but as individuals who have their own lives and their own stories.
Line by Line Meaning
When he was young, he sang in the band and his fans all looked the same
As a young man, the singer performed with a band and his fans were all alike
And the fans he had were younger than he and they loved to scream his name
His young fans were enthusiastic about his music and would shriek his name
They'd leave at the end of the third show, go home to talk of the fun
After enjoying three shows, the fans talked about the fun they had and left
Well, isn't nice the parents would say, well isn't nice you've got someone
Parents thought it was good that their children had someone they could admire
Someone to idolize, he must look twice his size
The singer was someone they could idolize, and he seemed much larger than life
I think it's great you're going through a phase
Parents were supportive of their children's interest and thought it was a passing phase
And I'm awfully glad it will all be over in a couple of days
Parents were happy that the phase would end soon
Well, the calendar changed and the pages fell off, but the singer remained the same
The singer remained the same despite the passage of time
And he never grew tired of singing his song, and his fans still called his name
Despite his fame, the singer continued to enjoy performing and his fans still appreciated him
They'd leave at the end of the second show, go home to talk of the fun
Fans would leave after two shows and talk about the fun they had
For most of the fans were married by then, so they had to be in by one
Many of his fans were married and had to go home early
I'm awfully glad, the husbands would say, I'm awfully glad you got someone
Husbands were pleased that their wives had someone to admire
Someone, I realize, who used to look twice his size
Even though the singer seemed larger than life, he was still someone to admire
I think it's great you still remember his name
Husbands were glad that their wives still remembered the singer's name
And I'll bet if he knew you were there for the show
If the singer knew that his fans were there, he would be pleased
He'd be awfully glad you came
The singer would be happy to have his fans attend his concert
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to speak of other things"
As the popularity of the singer wanes, the time has come to talk about other things
Like a fallen star who works in a bar where yesterday is king
He compares himself to a former star who now works in a bar where their past glory is still celebrated
The fans will stay for an hour or so, they still remember his fame
Fans will attend the concert briefly, still remembering the singer's popularity
But the time has come the Walrus said, "to call your fans by name"
It's time to acknowledge the fans individually rather than as a group
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind