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)
Ten Little Indians
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One stood looking at another man's wife
Then there were nine
Nine little Indians
Their hearts were full of hate
One took another's goods
Then there were eight
Eight little Indians
They just got down from Heaven
One told a lie about another's best friend
Then there were seven
Seven little Indians
All trying to get their kicks
One thought he'd found another way
To get to Heaven, then there were six
Six little Indians
All trying to stay alive
One took another's life
Then there were five
Five little Indians
All trying to find the door
One pulled his mother down
Then there were four
Four little Indians
All thinking that they gotta be free
One little Indian forgot to say his prayers
Then there were three
Three little Indians
Deciding what they're gonna have to do
One took the name of God in vain
Then there were two
Two little Indians
Thinking that they oughta have some fun
One took a liking to a picture of himself
Then there was one
One little Indian
Out looking for the sun
At six o'clock, the moon came out
Then there was none
The song "Ten Little Indians" by Harry Nilsson is a dark and cautionary tale that tells the story of ten Indians who, through different actions, end up dying one by one until there is none left. The song is a reflection of the consequences of wrongdoing and emphasizes the idea that every little action or decision made can have significant impacts, leading to catastrophic outcomes over time. The ten Indians are used as a metaphor for people in society, and their actions represent the different ways individuals can bring doom upon themselves and others.
The first Indian from the song is seen looking at another man's wife, which is often characterized as a lack of respect for another person's relationship, leading to adultery. As a result, the Indian dies, and the pattern continues on with the other Indians bringing harm onto themselves through actions such as stealing, lying, murder, and blasphemy. The song's final lines depict the last Indian out seeking for the sun, and as the moon rises, the last Indian dies, leaving no one surviving, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of life.
Overall, Harry Nilsson's "Ten Little Indians" is a powerful reminder that our actions have consequences, and it is up to individuals to make the right choices and decisions to avoid disaster.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten little Indians standing in a line
Ten people start out in a row
One stood looking at another man's wife
One person starts to covet someone else's spouse
Then there were nine
As a result of infidelity, one person leaves the group
Nine little Indians
Nine people remain
Their hearts were full of hate
The remaining group harbors deep negative emotions
One took another's goods
One person steals from another
Then there were eight
Theft leads to one person departing, leaving eight remaining
Eight little Indians
Eight people remain after one leaves
They just got down from Heaven
The group feels they are newly in paradise
One told a lie about another's best friend
One person spreads false rumors about a person's best friend
Then there were seven
Due to the lie, one person leaves the group
Seven little Indians
Seven people are left
All trying to get their kicks
The group is experimenting with new experiences
One thought he'd found another way to get to heaven
One person believes they have found a spiritual shortcut
Then there were six
One person departs as a result of their spiritual journey
Six little Indians
Six people remain
All trying to stay alive
The group is fighting to survive
One took another's life
One person commits murder
Then there were five
One person departs as a result of the murder
Five little Indians
Five people remain
All trying to find the door
The group is searching for a way out of their situation
One pulled his mother down
One person betrays their own family
Then there were four
As a result of the betrayal, one person leaves the group
Four little Indians
Four people remain
All thinking that they gotta be free
The group desires personal freedom
One little Indian forgot to say his prayers
One person neglects their religious beliefs
Then there were three
One person leaves as a result of their spiritual neglect
Three little Indians
Three people remain
Deciding what they're gonna have to do
The group is making difficult choices
One took the name of God in vain
One person blasphemes
Then there were two
One person departs as a result of their blasphemy
Two little Indians
Two people remain
Thinking that they oughta have some fun
The group wants to have a good time
One took a liking to a picture of himself
One person becomes excessively self-absorbed
Then there was one
As a result of their narcissism, one person leaves
One little Indian
One person remains
Out looking for the sun
The remaining person is searching for happiness
At six o'clock, the moon came out
Happiness proves elusive and the person is left alone in darkness
Then there was none
The last person gives up the search and is also gone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind