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)
Wasting My Time
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thinking I'm on the right track
Yes, I'm on the right track
I'll make my comeback
Wasting her time
Thinking I'll be there
I'll be there
Wasting my time
Wasting my time
Thinking I'll sleep tonight
Thinking I'll sleep tonight
Thinking I'll close my eyes
Wasting my time
Thinking I'm on the right track
Yes, I'm on the right track
I'll make my comeback
I'm on the right track
Wasting my time
Thinking I'm on the right track
Yes, I'm on the right track
The lyrics to Harry Nilsson's song "Wasting My Time" touch on the idea of being lost and feeling confused in life. The repeated line "Thinking I'm on the right track" shows how the singer is unsure of their path and is constantly trying to convince themselves that they are making the right decisions. However, the line "Wasting my time" suggests that they are not really making any progress and are stuck in a cycle of uncertainty and doubt.
The lyrics take on a more personal tone when the singer mentions wasting "her" time, indicating that their indecision and lack of direction is affecting someone else. The line "I'll be there" suggests a promise that the singer may not be able to keep, highlighting their unreliable nature.
The last verse of the song focuses on the singer's inability to sleep, further emphasizing their internal struggles and uncertainty about their future. The idea of making a comeback is mentioned throughout the song, suggesting that the singer is trying to regain control of their life and find a sense of purpose.
Overall, the lyrics to "Wasting My Time" convey a feeling of aimlessness and confusion, with the singer struggling to find their place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasting my time
Spending valuable time on fruitless endeavors
Thinking I'm on the right track
Believing that I am headed in the correct direction in life
Yes, I'm on the right track
I am confident in the direction I am headed in life
I'll make my comeback
I will recover from past failures and achieve success
Wasting her time
Causing someone else to waste their time on false promises
Thinking I'll be there
Leading someone to believe that I will provide support or assistance when I will not
I'll be there
Promising to provide support or assistance when I have no intention of doing so
Wasting my time
Continuing to spend valuable time on fruitless endeavors
Thinking I'll sleep tonight
Believing that I will be able to rest peacefully despite my unproductive actions
Thinking I'll close my eyes
Believing that I will be able to ignore the consequences of my actions and avoid responsibility
Contributed by Evelyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.