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)
Nobody Cares About The Railroad Anymore
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'd board that Silverliner below Baltimore
Trip to Virginia on a sunny honeymoon
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore
We'd tip that porter for a place of our own
Then send a postcard to your mommy and dad back home
Mmm, it did something to ya
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore
Wooie, woo-ooo-ooie, wooie
Wooie, woo-ooo-ooie, wooie
We had a daughter and you oughta see her now
She has a boyfriend who looks just like my gal Sal
And when they're married they won't need us anymore
They'll board an aeroplane and fly away from Baltimore
Wooie, woo-ooo-ooie, wooie
Wooie, woo-ooo-ooie, wooie
When we got married back in 1944
We'd board that Silverliner below Baltimore
Trip to Virginia on a sunny honeymoon
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore
La la la la-la la-la la la la, bye-bye
La la la la-la la-la la la la, don't cry
Mmm, it did something to ya
When you'd hear that "All aboard"
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song Nobody Cares About The Railroad Anymore speaks of the decline of the railroad industry and how it has been replaced by airplanes as the preferred mode of transportation. The song tells the story of a couple who got married in 1944 and went on their honeymoon by boarding the Silverliner below Baltimore and taking a trip to Virginia. They would tip the porter and send postcards to family back home, and the sound of "All aboard" would excite them. However, as time passed, their daughter grew up and found love with the promise of taking an airplane instead of the railroad.
The theme of the song reflects the impact of the railroad decline on peoples' lives, nostalgia for the days when the railroads were still significant, and the changing times as technology improved. The song highlights how things that once seemed so significant, like the railroad, are easily replaced by advancements in transportation. The lyrics reveal how times change and how people must adapt their ways to these changes.
Line by Line Meaning
When we got married back in 1944
The song begins by setting the scene for a newlywed couple who were married in 1944.
We'd board that Silverliner below Baltimore
The couple would take a train called the Silverliner from below Baltimore to get around.
Trip to Virginia on a sunny honeymoon
They went on a trip to Virginia for their honeymoon and it was a beautiful, sunny day.
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore
This line repeats multiple times throughout the song and serves as a commentary on the decline of train travel.
We'd tip that porter for a place of our own
They would tip the train porter to get a private space on the train for themselves.
Then send a postcard to your mommy and dad back home
They would send postcards to their parents back home to keep them updated on their travels.
Mmm, it did something to ya
The experience of train travel left a lasting impression on them.
When you'd hear that "All aboard"
The phrase ‘All aboard’ is significant as it signals the start of a train journey that they found exciting.
We had a daughter and you oughta see her now
The couple had a daughter who has grown up now.
She has a boyfriend who looks just like my gal Sal
Their daughter has a boyfriend who looks like the singer's wife.
And when they're married they won't need us anymore
Once their daughter gets married, they won't be needed by her as much.
They'll board an aeroplane and fly away from Baltimore
Once their daughter gets married, she and her husband will board a plane to fly away from Baltimore, rather than taking a train.
La la la la-la la-la la la la, bye-bye
This line is a farewell, said in a lighthearted way.
La la la la-la la-la la la la, don't cry
This line is meant to comfort someone who might be sad to say goodbye.
Wooie, woo-ooo-ooie, wooie
This is a nonsensical line that is repeated in the song.
Wooie, woo-ooo-ooie, wooie
This is a nonsensical line that is repeated in the song.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarkBlackburnWPG
HARRY NILSSON - Nobody Cares About The Railroads Anymore
Friends at The Sinatra Family Alumni Facebook (private) group – there's 95 of us now – have been sharing pictures of old trains: some of us 'of an age' recall steam engines pulling luxury passenger trains – summoning to mind my favorite such song composed (words & music) and recorded in the early 70s by the late Harry Nilsson. From memory imperfect:
When we got married back in 1944,
we'd board that 'Silverliner' below Baltimore
trip to Virginia on a sunny honeymoon –
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore.
We'd tip that porter for a place of our own,
then send a postcard to your Mom and Dad back home
Did somethin' to ya, when you'd hear that “All aboard!”
Nobody cares about the railroads anymore . . .
Ah …. finally uploaded to YouTube in 2019 with the original album cover. (Hoo-weee, hoo-wee!) And who but Harry could have written this one? (Rhetorical question.)
Thanks Harry for sharing! Celebrated elsewhere this day [search] " Great Melody, Great Lyric, Great Rendition, Songwriting Workshop, Harmony Central "
@user-bt6tl7xr5c
Sad to admit that this band is right and nobody’s doing much to preserve the earth saving railroads we’ve neglected.
@user-bt6tl7xr5c
Thank you for sharing this uplifting time with others!
@bethwarner3632
They really do holler All Aboard!!!
@robboles5233
Not heard this for decades. I bought the album back in the day still love this.
@zenonmaxis
I listen to this song almost every day. Good stuff.
@alexdelarge209
Yes, I'm really this old. 'Everybody's talkin'' got attention from 'Midnight Cowboy', but when "Without You" hit #1 & became 'our song' for every couple in the country in 1971 - yup, me too - We (the imperial 'We') started (re)discovering "Harry"('s) addled, whimsical world of Railroads, Puppy(s), Morning Glory, 'The point' & the APB ....... & we're so better for it.
@desmondenglish3458
Wow, 10th time hearing this and it still impresses me. I miss the age that this song so clearly yearns for(in particular sections at least). overall though, I just appreciate the melody, it has this "bouncy" quality that makes it quite the hum-along humdinger for sure!
@mattiadellamico888
Wonderful piece!
@timfrye3586
Did something to ya indeedy
@amarjitpukhrambam3494
i love this song