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)
Will She Miss Me
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Night comes in and I go out to find myself a runabout but will she miss me ?
All I ever think about is all the doubt I felt each time she kissed me, oh
How can lovers hide behind the deepest part of pride is still a mystery
Closer than the deepest broken heartache, onger than the pain it takes to burn
Every time I see myself, I look and wonder if I'll ever learn, yeah, learn, yeah, learn, yeah.
Damn the foolish pride I held inside which made her lie, which made her lie each time she kissed me
Somehow sadly, slowly, something slipped and slid between the truth we promised but will she miss me ?
Yeah, I know it was not the first time nor the last time, I know it's just another one of those times
But everything I say means nothing, I will be with her wherever she goes.
Night comes in and I go out to find myself a runabout but will she miss me ?
All I ever think about is all the doubt I felt each time she kissed me
How can lovers hide inside the deepest part of pride is still a mystery
Closer than the deepest broken heartache, longer than the pain it takes to burn wonder if I'll ever learn
Night and day they pass me by, I wonder why, I wonder why.
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's song "Will She Miss Me" are full of reflection and regret for a past relationship that ended due to pride and mistrust. The song begins with the singer going out at night to distract himself from thoughts of his past lover. He questions whether she will miss him, but quickly turns to thoughts of doubt and the pain he felt each time she kissed him. The singer is perplexed as to how lovers can hide behind their pride, and wonders why he couldn't see past his own hurt and mistrust.
The singer acknowledges that time has gone by, and with it, the chance to mend the relationship. He laments the foolish pride that caused him to doubt his past lover's words and actions. The song ends with the singer wondering why he couldn't learn from the past and move on. He continues to question whether his past love will miss him, acknowledging that their love was "closer than the deepest broken heartache, longer than the pain it takes to burn." Despite the pain and regret, the singer still feels connected to his past lover, and vows to always be there for her, no matter where she goes.
Overall, the song is a melancholy reflection on the complexities of human relationships, and the ways in which our own pride and doubts can sabotage even the strongest connections.
Line by Line Meaning
Night comes in and I go out to find myself a runabout but will she miss me ?
I go out to keep myself busy, but I wonder if she will think of me while I am gone.
All I ever think about is all the doubt I felt each time she kissed me, oh
All I can think about is the uncertainty and lack of trust I feel in our relationship, especially when we kiss.
How can lovers hide behind the deepest part of pride is still a mystery
I don't understand how two people who love each other can let pride get in the way and keep them from admitting their feelings and resolving their issues.
Closer than the deepest broken heartache, longer than the pain it takes to burn
Our relationship is so intense and emotionally charged, even more so than the deepest heartbreak and the most agonizing pain.
Every time I see myself, I look and wonder if I'll ever learn, yeah, learn, yeah, learn, yeah.
Whenever I reflect on my actions and their consequences, I question whether I will ever learn from my mistakes and improve as a person.
Times goes by, the hours fly, the days and nights just pass me by but does she miss me ?
Time keeps moving forward, but I still wonder if she thinks about me at all during that time.
Damn the foolish pride I held inside which made her lie, which made her lie each time she kissed me
I regret allowing my own pride to prevent me from being honest with her, which led to her lying to me every time we were intimate.
Somehow sadly, slowly, something slipped and slid between the truth we promised but will she miss me ?
Our relationship deteriorated gradually and sorrowfully as we drifted further away from the promises of truthfulness we made to each other. I still wonder if that loss will affect her like it has affected me.
Yeah, I know it was not the first time nor the last time, I know it's just another one of those times
I acknowledge that this is not the first or last time we have gone through these difficult situations. It feels like just another repetition of the same cycle of doubt, mistrust, and heartbreak.
But everything I say means nothing, I will be with her wherever she goes.
My words have lost their meaning, but I will always be there for her and follow wherever she leads.
Night and day they pass me by, I wonder why, I wonder why.
Time keeps moving forward without me being able to make sense of it all. I keep wondering why things happen the way they do.
Contributed by Camden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.