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)
Waiting
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting, mmm hmm hmm, for someone, who gonna need me, love me, and take care of me.
Hold me, so won't be lonely.
Waiting, waiting, can't you see why I love you?
Da da da da ta da dum
Waiting, waiting, can't you see why I love you?
The lyrics of "Waiting" by Harry Nilsson speak to the idea of waiting for someone to come into his life and love him. The singer is lonely and wants someone who will truly care for him; someone who he can hold and who can hold him so he won't feel alone. The repetition of "waiting" in the song makes it clear that the singer has been waiting for this person for some time and is desperate to find them.
The song speaks to the universal feelings of loneliness and wanting to find someone to share your life with. The repetition of the word "waiting" emphasizes the pain of waiting for love and the desire to finally find someone who will care for and love you. The whimsical melody of the song adds to the sense of longing and the hopefulness that the singer will find happiness and love.
Overall, Harry Nilsson's "Waiting" is a poignant song about the desire for love and the pain of waiting for it to come. It is a beautiful composition that speaks to the hearts of anyone who has ever felt alone and longed for someone to love them.
Line by Line Meaning
I am waiting. Mmm hmm, for someone who gonna love me.
The singer is waiting for someone who will truly love him.
Waiting, mmm hmm hmm, for someone, who gonna need me, love me, and take care of me.
In addition to love, the singer is looking for someone who will take care of him and truly need him.
Hold me, so won't be lonely.
The singer wants someone to hold him so he can avoid feeling lonely.
Waiting, waiting, can't you see why I love you?
The singer is asking the person he is waiting for why he loves them so much.
Da da da da ta da dum
This line is a simple vocalization with no direct meaning.
Waiting, waiting, can't you see why I love you?
The singer repeats his question from earlier, still wondering why he loves this person so much.
Da da da
This line is another simple vocalization with no direct meaning.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, HARRY EDWARD NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind