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)

P.O.V. Waltz
Harry Nilsson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And suddenly
The strangest things are happening
I hope it's not the last time
Last time
I had a drink or two
An hour so ago
It made me think of you
And now I know it's not the last time

Last time
Flying high up in the sky
I wonder why
I think I'm gonna fall
Think I'm gonna fall
There I go again, I'm up again, there I go again
I hope this isn't all
Hey
As long as were up here
We might as well stay
In sweet harmony
Flying high up in the sky
I wonder why I have to have another
Point of view
To see me through
And now I think I'm gonna fall
I hope this isn't all

And on top of that
I hope it's not the last time

Overall Meaning

The song "P.O.V. Waltz" by Harry Nilsson is a contemplative piece that explores the dizzying and unpredictable nature of life. The opening line - "And suddenly the strangest things are happening" - sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer reflects on the rapid pace of change and the uncertainty of what the future holds. He is drinking and thinking of someone from his past, hoping that this isn't the last time that he will experience these intense emotions. The chorus is marked by a sense of vertigo, as the singer describes feeling "flying high up in the sky" and then suddenly "think[ing] I'm gonna fall."

The lyrics are full of contradictions and paradoxes, reflecting the complexities of human emotions and the challenges of trying to make sense of our experiences. The singer feels simultaneously exhilarated and afraid, hopeful and anxious, and his point of view shifts rapidly as he tries to hold on to his sense of self. The song ends with a final note of uncertainty, as the singer hopes that he will continue to have these moments of intensity and connection, but is not sure whether this will be possible.

Overall, "P.O.V. Waltz" is a powerful meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the need to hold on to moments of beauty and meaning, even as we are buffeted by the winds of change and uncertainty.

Line by Line Meaning

And suddenly
Things start changing abruptly

The strangest things are happening
Strange events are unfolding before me

I hope it's not the last time
I wish this event repeats itself

Last time
I don't want it to be over

I had a drink or two
I consumed a bit of alcohol

An hour so ago
It happened an hour ago

It made me think of you
It brought back memories of you

And now I know it's not the last time
I realize that it can happen again

Flying high up in the sky
I'm soaring in the air

I wonder why
I'm curious about something

I think I'm gonna fall
I feel like I'm about to crash