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)
This Is All I Ask
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I approach the prime of my life
I find I have the time of my life
Learning to enjoy at my leisure
All the simple pleasure
And so I happily concede
This is all I need
Beautiful girl, walk a little slower when you walk by me
Lingering sunset, stay a little longer with the lonely sea
Children everywhere, when you shoot at bad men, shoot at me
Take me to that strange enchanted land
Grownups seldom understand
Wandering rainbows, leave a bit of color for my heart to own
Stars in the sky, make my wish come true
Before the night has flown
And let the music play as long as there's a song to sing
Then I will stay younger than spring
In Harry Nilsson's song "This Is All I Ask," the singer contemplates the idea of aging and finding contentment in the simple things in life. The opening lines express the joy in having the time to enjoy life's pleasures. The lyrics "Learning to enjoy at my leisure, All the simple pleasure" presents the idea of finding joy in life's basic and natural beauties. The following lines reveal the lead's ultimate wish: "This is all I ask, This is all I need." The repetition of this phrase reinforces the idea that one doesn't need extravagant things to be happy; simplicity is enough.
The lyrics continue with a request to a beautiful girl to "walk a little slower" and for the sunset to "stay a little longer with the lonely sea." These requests highlight the desire to appreciate the beauty of the world and to take the time to fully immerse oneself in it. The longing to experience innocence and the magic of childhood is expressed through lyrics which ask for the children's playful gun games to be aimed at the singer, thereby bringing him into their youthful world. The song further references the desire to escape reality to that enchanted land which only children can ever appreciate.
The song makes a strong statement about the importance of living in the moment, and cherishing even the tiniest of things. The wandering rainbows and stars in the sky, are spectacular in their natural beauty and serve as symbols of hope and the realization of dreams yet unfulfilled. Similarly, the "music play" signifies the importance of living life in full rhythm, enjoying the present without worrying for tomorrow. Through this song, the artist gives the message of hope, asking one to live life to the fullest and find happiness in the simplest of things.
Line by Line Meaning
As I approach the prime of my life
As I get older, I realize that I have the time to enjoy life more.
I find I have the time of my life
I'm enjoying life more than ever before.
Learning to enjoy at my leisure
I'm taking time to enjoy the smaller pleasures in life.
All the simple pleasure
I've discovered that it’s the simple things that bring me the most joy.
And so I happily concede
I'm content and at peace with what I have and where I am in life.
This is all I ask
All I want is to be content and at peace with life.
This is all I need
I don't need anything else to be happy.
Beautiful girl, walk a little slower when you walk by me
Life moves too fast, so I want to savor it all, even beauty that passes me by.
Lingering sunset, stay a little longer with the lonely sea
I wish loneliness would last just a bit longer so I can appreciate it more.
Children everywhere, when you shoot at bad men, shoot at me
I'll take some of the world's pain on myself, and I want children to have the chance to grow up without experiencing it.
Take me to that strange enchanted land
I wish to be taken to a place where magic and beauty manifest every day.
Grownups seldom understand
Adults are too set in their ways to understand the wonder and beauty of the world around them.
Wandering rainbows, leave a bit of color for my heart to own
I want to take some of the beauty of nature with me so I can experience it when I'm alone
Stars in the sky, make my wish come true
I hope for good things to come my way.
Before the night has flown
Before the darkness is gone.
And let the music play as long as there's a song to sing
I want to keep dancing and enjoying life for as long as I can.
Then I will stay younger than spring
I want to live and stay young at heart no matter how old I grow.
Contributed by Josiah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.