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)
River Deep Mountain High
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The only doll I've ever owned
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll;
But only now, my love has grown
And it gets stronger, in every way
And it gets deeper, let me say
And it gets higher, day by day
And do I love you, my oh my;
Yeah, river deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah, yeah
If I lost you, would I cry;
Oh, how I love you, baby, baby, baby, baby
When you were a young boy, did you have a puppy
That always followed you around?
Well, I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy;
No, I'll never let you down
'Cause it goes on and on, like a river flows;
And it gets bigger, baby, and heaven knows;
And it gets sweeter, baby, as it grows
And do I love you, my oh my;
Yeah, river deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah, yeah
If I lost you, would I cry;
Oh, how I love you, baby, baby, baby, baby
I love you, baby, like a flower loves the spring;
And I can love you, baby, like a robin loves to sing
And I love you, baby, like a schoolboy loves his pad;
And I love you, baby, river deep, mountain high
The lyrics to Harry Nilsson's song "River Deep Mountain High" express the depth and intensity of his love for someone. He begins the song by comparing his love to a childhood toy, a rag doll. He then proclaims that his love has grown stronger, deeper, and higher every day. He emphasizes the intense feelings of his love by repeating the refrain "River Deep Mountain High" throughout the song.
Furthermore, he also compares his love to a faithful puppy that follows him around. The metaphors used in the song showcase the never-ending, constantly growing love he has for the other person. Nilsson continues to express his love by referencing that he loves the person like a flower loves the spring, like a robin loves to sing, like a schoolboy loves his pad.
Overall, the song is an ode to the intensity and depth of love that Nilsson feels toward someone. The repetition of the refrain throughout the song emphasizes the enduring strength and depth of the love he feels.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll;
As a child, I owned a rag doll which was my only toy.
The only doll I've ever owned
Rag doll was the only toy ever owned by me.
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll;
I love you in the same way as I loved my rag doll in childhood.
But only now, my love has grown
However, now my love has grown even stronger.
And it gets stronger, in every way
My love for you keeps getting stronger in every possible way.
And it gets deeper, let me say
The depth of my love for you keeps increasing with time.
And it gets higher, day by day
My love for you keeps reaching new heights day by day.
And do I love you, my oh my;
I love you immensely, my dear
Yeah, river deep, mountain high, yeah, yeah, yeah
My love for you is as deep as a river and as high as a mountain.
If I lost you, would I cry;
Losing you would break my heart and make me cry.
Oh, how I love you, baby, baby, baby, baby
My love for you is unconditional and intense, my dearest.
When you were a young boy, did you have a puppy
As a young boy, did you have a pet puppy?
That always followed you around?
One which was always by your side?
Well, I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy;
I promise to be as loyal and unwavering as that puppy.
No, I'll never let you down
I will never disappoint you, my dear.
'Cause it goes on and on, like a river flows;
My love for you is continuous and never-ending like a river.
And it gets bigger, baby, and heaven knows;
My love for you keeps growing bigger with every moment.
And it gets sweeter, baby, as it grows
My love for you keeps getting sweeter as we spend more time together.
I love you, baby, like a flower loves the spring;
My love for you is like a flower blooming in the spring season.
And I can love you, baby, like a robin loves to sing
My love for you is natural and effortless, like a robin's singing.
And I love you, baby, like a schoolboy loves his pad;
My love for you is young, innocent, and pure like a schoolboy's love for his notebook.
And I love you, baby, river deep, mountain high
My love for you is immeasurable, deep as a river, and high as a mountain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind