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 Moonbeam Song
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As it slid across your windowpane
Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or danced about the weather vane
Or sat along a moving train
And wondered where the train has been
Or on a fence with bits of crap
Blown there by a wind beam
Who searches for the moonbeam
Who was last seen
Looking at the tracks
Of the careless wind beam
Or moving to the clacks
Of the tireless freight train
And lighting up the sides
Of the weather vane
And the bits of rain
And the windowpane
And the eyes of those
Who think they saw what happened...
Have you ever watched a moonbeam
As it slid across your windowpane
Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or danced about the weather vane
Or sat along a moving train
And wonder where the train has been?
Looking at the tracks
Of the careless wind beam
Or moving to the clacks
Of the tireless freight train
And lighting up the sides
Of the weather vane
And the bits of rain
And the windowpane
And the eyes of those
Who think they saw what happened...?
Harry Nilsson's The Moonbeam Song is a reflective ballad about nature's beauty and the emotions it provokes in us. Harry asks about the simple pleasures in life, things like raindrops sliding down a windowpane, a weather vane dancing in the wind, sitting by the window and watching the moonbeams. He asks these questions reminding us how we often take the beauty of nature for granted. He also explores the idea of transience - of things moving on and disappearing - wondering on a train where it has been and exploring where the moonbeam runs to after it leaves the windowpane. The lyrics are an invitation to experience the magic of the world around us that can often be ignored or forgotten.
The lyrics appear to explore the idea of change and impermanence, through the observation of a moonbeam, and how we can only grasp and hold onto these small bits of serendipity in the moment. The song speaks about the search for something that is constantly moving and disappearing - the wind beam who searches for the moonbeam who was last seen. Nilsson suggests that it's in these fleeting and ephemeral moments that we can truly be present and see the world. Through this, he encourages us to take a step back from the busyness of life, to sit and wonder, to appreciate the moments that often pass us by.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you ever watched a moonbeam
Have you ever observed the light of the moon as it traverses your window?
As it slid across your windowpane
As it moved smoothly over your window glass
Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or encountered a small amount of rain that caused difficulty?
Or danced about the weather vane
Or playfully swirled around the weather vane?
Or sat along a moving train
Or rested by the side of a train in motion?
And wondered where the train has been
And pondered the places that the train has passed by?
Or on a fence with bits of crap
Or on a fence partially covered in debris?
Around its bottom
Covering its lower part
Blown there by a wind beam
Carried by a gust of wind
Who searches for the moonbeam
Who looks for the moon's light?
Who was last seen
Who was most recently observed?
Looking at the tracks
Observing the traces
Of the careless wind beam
Left by the inattentive gusts of wind
Or moving to the clacks
Or traveling to the sounds
Of the tireless freight train
Of the unstoppable cargo train
And lighting up the sides
And shining a light on the surface
Of the weather vane
Of the instrument used to measure wind direction
And the bits of rain
And the small droplets of rain
And the windowpane
And the transparent glass of the window
And the eyes of those
And the vision of those people
Who think they saw what happened...
Who believe they witnessed what occurred?
Have you ever watched a moonbeam
Have you ever observed the light of the moon as it traverses your window?
As it slid across your windowpane
As it moved smoothly over your window glass
Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or encountered a small amount of rain that caused difficulty?
Or danced about the weather vane
Or playfully swirled around the weather vane?
Or sat along a moving train
Or rested by the side of a train in motion?
And wonder where the train has been?
And pondered the places that the train has passed by?
Looking at the tracks
Observing the traces
Of the careless wind beam
Left by the inattentive gusts of wind
Or moving to the clacks
Or traveling to the sounds
Of the tireless freight train
Of the unstoppable cargo train
And lighting up the sides
And shining a light on the surface
Of the weather vane
Of the instrument used to measure wind direction
And the bits of rain
And the small droplets of rain
And the windowpane
And the transparent glass of the window
And the eyes of those
And the vision of those people
Who think they saw what happened...?
Who believe they witnessed what occurred?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind