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 Wailing of the Willow
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Listen to me crying on my pillow
Crying cause I know my love is gone from me
Living in a world of different places,
Looking at a million different faces
Yet I see a face in every face I see
Love must lack a sense of humor,
It laughs when other people cry
Love, would love to hear the rumor,
That you and I have finally said goodbye
I know that every heart was made for breaking
And my love was ready for the takin',
Still I won't complain for someday love will call again
Must I take a memory as a token,
To replace a heart that love has broken
Will the wailing willow always weep for me
Must I see a face in every place I see
Listen to the wailing of the willow tree
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song, "The Wailing of the Willow," convey a message of love and heartbreak. The singer is crying on his pillow, feeling the pain of losing his love. He is living in a world of different people but still sees the face of his lost love in every person he sees. The song touches on the complexities of love and how it can often be cruel. Love lacks a sense of humor and seems to revel in the pain of others since it laughs when people cry. Love would love to hear a rumor that the singer and his lover have finally ended their relationship. However, despite the pain and heartbreak, the singer remains hopeful that love will call again.
The metaphor of the wailing willow tree is used throughout the song as a symbol of lost love. The willow tree is often associated with sorrow and melancholy. The singer is personifying the tree, suggesting that it is weeping for him and his lost love. He asks if the tree will always weep for him, highlighting the permanence and longevity of heartbreak.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Wailing of the Willow" convey a deep sense of sadness and hopefulness. The singer is in pain, but he remains optimistic that love will come again. The use of metaphors and symbolism throughout the song adds to its emotional impact.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the wailing of the willows,
Pay attention to the sound of the weeping willows and their mournful cries
Listen to me crying on my pillow
Hear my voice crying while I'm trying to sleep and forget my sorrow
Crying cause I know my love is gone from me
I'm shedding tears because I realize that the person I loved is no longer with me
Living in a world of different places,
Existing in a world with countless locations
Looking at a million different faces
Observing numerous unique facial appearances
Yet I see a face in every face I see
Despite seeing so many different people, I always end up imagining the same person I loved
Love must lack a sense of humor,
Love doesn't appreciate humor and finds it difficult to laugh at anything
It laughs when other people cry
Love seems to mock those who are unhappy or distressed
Love, would love to hear the rumor,
Love would be delighted to hear the news or speculation that we have ended our relationship
That you and I have finally said goodbye
That we have at last bid adieu to each other
I know that every heart was made for breaking
I understand that all hearts are vulnerable to being broken
And my love was ready for the takin',
And my love was prepared to be captured by someone else
Still I won't complain for someday love will call again
Nevertheless, I won't express dissatisfaction since I believe that love will come knocking again one day
Must I take a memory as a token,
Do I need to accept a recollection as a keepsake or reminder of what once was
To replace a heart that love has broken
To substitute a heart that love left shattered
Will the wailing willow always weep for me
Will the weeping willow always lament and deplore my situation
Must I see a face in every place I see
Do I have to imagine the same face every time I look at someone
Listen to the wailing of the willow tree
Again, pay attention to the mournful sound of the weeping willow tree
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON, IAN FREEBAIRN-SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind