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)
Without Her
Harry Nilsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But she never comes
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And I rise to face another day
Without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
Of an empty room
And you go inside and set a table for one, it's no fun
When you spend a day
Without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
We burst the pretty balloon, took us to the moon
It's such a beautiful thing
But it's ended now
And it sounds like a lie
If I said I'd rather die, than live without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
Love is a beautiful thing when it knows how to swing
And it grooves like a clock
But the hands on the clock tell the lovers to part
And it's breaking my heart
To have to spend another day without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
I spend the night in a chair thinking she'll be there
But she never comes
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And I rise to face another day
Without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo
Can't go on without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo
There's no song without her
It's all wrong without her
Can't go on without her
The lyrics of Harry Nilsson's "Without Her" describe the feeling of emptiness and loneliness after a breakup. The singer spends his nights waiting for his ex-girlfriend to come back, but she never does. Each morning he wakes up, faces another day, and sets a table for one, contemplating how much he misses her. The chorus emphasizes the emotional impact of her absence on his life, declaring, "Can't go on without her… There's no song without her… It's all wrong without her."
The song's verses skillfully capture the sense of isolated sadness that comes after a relationship ends. The image of sitting alone in a chair, waiting, but ultimately facing the day alone, highlights the feelings of hopelessness and desperation. The bridge, which recalls the happy times they shared, paints a picture of a relationship that seemed perfect but, in the end, failed. The final verse brings the song's message home, as the singer admits that love is meaningful but ultimately transient, as it can end so abruptly, leaving behind pain and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
I spend the night in a chair thinking she'll be there
I spend the night seated, hoping she'll come back.
But she never comes
Unfortunately, she never returns.
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
I wake up dispiritedly and rub my eyes to remove any traces of slumber.
And I rise to face another day
I get up to begin another challenging day.
Without her
But this time, she's not here.
It's just no good anymore when you walk through the door
It's unbearable to return home to an empty place.
Of an empty room
When you find yourself in a space devoid of anyone else.
And you go inside and set a table for one, it's no fun
When you set a place at the table for yourself and no one else to eat with you, it's unenjoyable.
When you spend a day
When you have to go through a whole day.
Without her
But she isn't around to share it with you.
We burst the pretty balloon, took us to the moon
Together we experienced a thrilling, wondrous journey.
It's such a beautiful thing
It was a wonderful experience.
But it's ended now
Unfortunately, it's all over now.
And it sounds like a lie
And to say that I wouldn't prefer death to living without her would be disingenuous.
If I said I'd rather die, than live without her
If I were to claim that I would rather die than go on living without her.
Love is a beautiful thing when it knows how to swing
When love is at its best, it's a splendid thing.
And it grooves like a clock
It runs like clockwork.
But the hands on the clock tell the lovers to part
It's possible that a time will come when the partners must break up.
And it's breaking my heart
And it's so painful.
To have to spend another day without her
To have to face yet another day without her.
I spend the night in a chair thinking she'll be there
I lie awake throughout the night, yearning for her company.
But she never comes
But she's never there.
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And then I wake up to another day without her.
And I rise to face another day
But rise up anyway to get through it.
Without her
Still, she isn't around.
Can't go on without her
I cannot keep functioning without her presence.
There's no song without her
As poetic as my life may seem in times like these, it all feels insufficient without her.
It's all wrong without her
In the absence of her it's all out of joint.
Can't go on without her
Again, reiterating the notion that continuing to live without her is a hardship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jadewarner6861
I spend the night in a chair thinking she'll be there
But she never comes
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And I rise to face another day
Without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
It's just no good anymore when you walk through the door
Of an empty room
And you go inside and set a table for one, it's no fun
When you spend a day
Without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
We burst the pretty balloon, took us to the moon
It's such a beautiful thing
But it's ended now
And it sounds like a lie
If I said I'd rather die, than live without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
Love is a beautiful thing when it knows how to swing
And it grooves like a clock
But the hands on the clock tell the lovers to part
And it's breaking my heart
To have to spend another day without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo
I spend the night in a chair thinking she'll be there
But she never comes
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And I rise to face another day
Without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo
Can't go on without her
Doo doo, doo doo doo
There's no song without her
@tonymarino7391
This is one of the best songs ever written! Harry was a genius.
@arfshesaid1
This song is so immaculately written it makes me want to give up songwriting, its heartbreaking...RIP Harry
@thejamnasium6447
haha as a songwriter myself I agree. I both hate and love songs like this.
@stevemartinish
@@thejamnasium6447 this is what should be inspiring though!
@davideatwell6577
Indeed
@swgood14
Please don't ever take this video down. This version is so good. I come back to it every now and then and it still sounds like the first time I ever heard it. Thanks Sam
@dmlevitt
me too sam. best version every and only on this BBC special.
@letmetellyalilstory9122
This version is haunting
@fromohio1157
Every time I hear this beautiful song I feel so sad, get a lump in my throat ... #1 because of the Haunting Melody/Words. #2 because his life was too short. Such incredible talent. We Miss You Harry Nilsson.
@frostyfrost4094
Was allowed to stay up late and record this of the television still have this magical performance