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)
The Ivy Covered Walls
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just behind the ivy covered walls
We used to walk the Ivy leaguer walls
We used to share an Ivy leaguer look
But (we lost it with the chemicals that we took).
Now the good books in the library look better every day
So we wandered through the garden by the ivy covered walls
And we waited for the magic where the sleepy nighttime falls.
But the books we learned to love so much were very hard to read
So we hunted for a light, just a light was all we'd need.
Then we saw a glow not far away
Just a stones throw you might say
And we headed for the light we saw
We knew would lead the way.
And the light shone through the window of a handsome hansel house
And we peeked inside the window (quiet) as a mouse.
On the table near the fire was a book we all had read
With a cover so familiar, not another word was said.
So we threw away the chemicals and we strolled back through the night
And we climbed the ivy covered walls (and the we said goodnight) that's right.
Now the next day we were back inside the crowded hallowed halls
And one of us had scribbled something silly on the walls.
He never said he did it but it might have been us all
It was the title of the book we'd seen he'd written on the wall.
A private joke to us, perhaps - 'What's the title ?' - you ask
It was simply: 'Throw away those chemicals or ...'
In "The Ivy Covered Walls," Harry Nilsson speaks to the theme of disillusionment, exploring the loss of innocence that many experience when they realize that higher education is not the romanticized ideal they once believed it to be. The Ivy League, a group of prestigious universities, becomes a symbol of this disillusionment. The singer and his friends, who once walked the Ivy League walls with pride and shared a common vision, have lost their way.
This loss is a result of chemical addiction, which has caused them to lose sight of their goals and become disillusioned with the world around them. The books that once inspired them are now hard to read without their chemical crutches, and the bribery and corruption of the dean have taken away their faith in the system. However, they still hold onto hope, waiting for the magic of the sleepy nighttime to guide them to a solution.
Their solution comes in the form of a light, which leads them to a handsome hansel house. There they find a book with a cover so familiar that they immediately recognize it. They realize that they have been looking for answers in all the wrong places, and that the solution is to throw away their chemicals and return to the world of learning and enlightenment. They climb the ivy-covered walls with newfound resolve, leaving their old selves behind.
Overall, "The Ivy Covered Walls" is a poignant reflection on the disillusionment that many face in the search for enlightenment, and the need to let go of the things that hold us back in order to find our way forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Just behind the ivy covered walls
We used to be so close to success and happiness but they were just out of our reach.
We used to walk the Ivy leaguer walls
We used to have a place in the world and a sense of belonging.
We used to share an Ivy leaguer look
We used to feel confident, successful and intelligent.
But (we lost it with the chemicals that we took).
But we became addicted to drugs and lost everything we had worked for.
Now the good books in the library look better every day
Now that we've cleaned up and gone back to school, we appreciate education and knowledge more than ever.
And the dean and all his bribery took our faith in him away.
The corrupt administration made us lose faith in those in authority.
So we wandered through the garden by the ivy covered walls
We searched for something to believe in and a way to find our place in the world again.
And we waited for the magic where the sleepy nighttime falls.
We hoped for a transformative experience that would change everything.
But the books we learned to love so much were very hard to read
We found that learning is difficult and requires hard work and dedication.
So we hunted for a light, just a light was all we'd need.
We looked for guidance and inspiration that would help us succeed.
Then we saw a glow not far away
We found something that seemed promising and led us to believe we were on the right path.
Just a stones throw you might say
It was almost within reach and we hoped it would be the answer to our problems.
And we headed for the light we saw
We pursued this opportunity with great hope and excitement.
We knew would lead the way
We were confident that this was the solution we had been looking for.
And the light shone through the window of a handsome hansel house
We found something beautiful and appealing that seemed to offer all we wanted.
And we peeked inside the window (quiet) as a mouse.
We were cautious and hesitant, wanting to make sure this was the right choice.
On the table near the fire was a book we all had read
We found something familiar and comforting that reminded us of our past successes.
With a cover so familiar, not another word was said.
We all recognized the book and knew that we had found something special.
So we threw away the chemicals and we strolled back through the night
We made a firm decision to leave our addictions behind and pursue our goals with clarity and determination.
And we climbed the ivy covered walls (and the we said goodnight) that's right.
We climbed the walls of the university, symbolically overcoming obstacles and saying goodbye to our old life.
Now the next day we were back inside the crowded hallowed halls
Now that we've come back and committed ourselves to our education, we have a renewed sense of purpose and direction.
And one of us had scribbled something silly on the walls.
One of us had left a lighthearted message or joke on the wall, symbolizing the new sense of positivity and hope we had found.
He never said he did it but it might have been us all
We all take credit for the message, as it represents the shared commitment we now have to our future.
It was the title of the book we'd seen he'd written on the wall.
The message was the same as the title of the familiar book we had found, symbolizing our renewed focus on education and our commitment to our goals.
A private joke to us, perhaps - 'What's the title ?' - you ask
The message was something private and personal to us, a reminder of where we had come from and where we were going.
It was simply: 'Throw away those chemicals or...'
The message was a reminder that we had made a choice to leave our addictions behind and pursue our education with diligence and clarity of purpose.
Contributed by Asher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.