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)
Together
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To bring down the curtain and one thing's for certain,
There's nothing to keep them together
How does it happen that two can be tender
And one be the lender of love and emotion
That covered the ocean of sadness that kept them together?
Each day was a pleasure, each night an adventure,
Each morning was something that had to be shared together
Love when it's growing is full of surprises
As temperature rises from higher to higher,
Then turns into fire that has to be shared together
Then came the sadness which follows the laughter
And shortly thereafter the dream had exploded,
A promise was broken, now few words are spoken together
Life isn't easy when two are divided and one has decided
To bring down the curtain and one thing's for certain,
There's nothing to keep them together
In Harry Nilsson's song Together, the lyrics speak about the challenges and complexities of relationships. The opening lines convey a sense of hopelessness and the sadness that comes with the end of a romantic relationship. The singer laments the difficulty that arises when two people who were once "together" become divided, and one person decides to end things. When a relationship ends, it can feel as though there is nothing left to keep the couple together.
The lyrics then move on to explore the concept of love and its various stages. The singer highlights how love starts out easy to measure, and each day feels like an adventure. However, as love grows, it becomes full of surprises, and the temperature rises until it turns into a fire that must be shared together. But eventually, the happiness and joy of love turn into sadness, and the dream of being together is shattered.
Overall, "Together" describes the highs and lows of love and the pain of a relationship ending. It is a beautiful and haunting ode to the complexities of love and the pain of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Life isn't easy when two are divided and one has decided
Relationships become difficult when one person decides to end it and the other is left feeling divided.
To bring down the curtain and one thing's for certain,
One person has made the decision to end the relationship, and there is no changing their mind.
There's nothing to keep them together
There are no more reasons or incentives to keep the couple together.
How does it happen that two can be tender
The song wonders how a couple who were once loving and gentle can become so disconnected.
And one be the lender of love and emotion
One person in the relationship was more emotionally invested than the other, and gave more love than they received.
That covered the ocean of sadness that kept them together?
Despite the sadness and difficulties in the relationship, the couple tried to stay together through love and emotion.
Love when it started was easy to measure,
In the beginning, their love was simple and easy to understand.
Each day was a pleasure, each night an adventure,
Being in love was enjoyable and exciting, and every day held something new for the couple.
Each morning was something that had to be shared together
The couple enjoyed sharing their lives with each other and found comfort in each other's presence.
Love when it's growing is full of surprises
As love grows, it becomes more complex and unexpected.
As temperature rises from higher to higher,
The passion and intensity of their love reaches new heights.
Then turns into fire that has to be shared together
Their love becomes so strong and passionate that they must share it with each other.
Then came the sadness which follows the laughter
The happiness and joy in the relationship was followed by sadness and difficulty.
And shortly thereafter the dream had exploded,
Their hope and dream for a long-lasting relationship was shattered.
A promise was broken, now few words are spoken together
Something important was promised, but it was not upheld, and now there is little communication left between them.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jordan
I love Nilsson ,I saw him when I was 16 in 1968, and had the chance to tell him that his music really moves me,I was debating whether I should even go up to him after his concert, I’m so glad I did, a moment I will never forget.
Noa Baak
Life isn't easy
When two are divided
And one has decided to bring down the curtain
And one thing's for certain
There's nothing to keep them together
How does it happen
That two can be tender
And one be the lender
Of love and emotion
That covered the ocean
Of sadness that kept them together
Love when it started
Was easy to measure
Each day was a pleasure
Each night an adventure
Each morning was something
That had to be shared together
Love when it's growing
Is full of surprises
Its temperature rises
From higher to higher
Then turns into fire
That has to be shared together
Then came the sadness
Which follows the laughter
Which, shortly thereafter
The dream had exploded
The promise was broken
Now few words are spoken together
Life isn't easy
When two are divided
And one has decided to bring down the curtain
And one thing's for certain
There's nothing to keep them together
David Richman
I love this man.
PAUL TURTON
nilsson ace amazed ive lived 50 years before i realised
Maz
George Martin's magic working by proxy xx
Edward Athena
think this may have impacted william joel
John Rowan
Sandie Shaw's version for me