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)

Old Forgotten Soldier
Harry Nilsson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Reaching for a butterfly
Old soldiers never die
And the gun against their shoulder
Well, it gets a little older
And just like that older shoulder
It just gets put away
Well, I'm an old, forgotten soldier
Since they put an end to war

And I like to tell my story
But you don't wanna hear about the war

I'm an old, forgotten campaign hero
Left without a cause
Because, they took away my wars
I'm an old, forgotten railroad
A broken, lonely, empty ammo-train
And my rusty ammunition
Has been left out in the rain

I'm an old, forgotten part-time dough boy
I tried to save the world
The world was round
We fired around
Heard all around the world

I'm an old, forgotten campaign hero
Left without a cause
Because
They took away my wars
But I'm an old, forgotten railroad
A deserted, lonely ammo-train
And my rusty

Ammunition
Has been left out in the rain

Overall Meaning

Harry Nilsson's song Old Forgotten Soldier tells the story of a veteran reflecting back on his life as a soldier. He longs to share his experiences, but realizes that people don't want to hear about the war anymore. The opening lines, "reaching for a butterfly, old soldiers never die," suggest that even in old age, there is still a sense of childlike wonder or innocence. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the soldier is haunted by memories of war and is struggling to cope with a post-war society that no longer values his service.

The soldier describes himself as an "old, forgotten campaign hero," a "part-time dough boy," and a "broken, lonely, empty ammo-train." He longs for a sense of purpose that was provided by his time in the military, but that has now been stripped away. The metaphor of the rusty ammunition left out in the rain is particularly poignant, as it suggests the soldier's own sense of abandonment and obsolescence.

Ultimately, the song is a commentary on the way that society often forgets the sacrifices made by soldiers, particularly those who served in unpopular wars. The veteran's voice is a haunting reminder that these men and women are still out there, struggling to come to terms with their experiences and seeking recognition for their service.

Line by Line Meaning

Reaching for a butterfly
Trying to grasp something beautiful and delicate, even in old age

Old soldiers never die
Once a soldier, always a soldier, even if forgotten by society

And the gun against their shoulder
The weight of military responsibility felt by soldiers

Well, it gets a little older
The passage of time marking the aging of both the soldier and their weapon

And just like that older shoulder
The soldier is eventually put away, just like their weapon

It just gets put away
The soldier is no longer in active service

Well, I'm an old, forgotten soldier
The soldier speaking of themselves, no longer remembered or valued

Since they put an end to war
There has been no need for soldiers like the artist since the cessation of war

And I like to tell my story
The soldier wants to share their past experiences

But you don't wanna hear about the war
The audience is not interested in or unable to handle the horrors of war

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind