Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1957, he began a long and successful career as a popular recording artist. The expression "teen idol" was first coined to describe Nelson, and his fame as both a recording artist and television star also led to a motion picture role co-starring alongside John Wayne, Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson in Howard Hawks's western feature film Rio Bravo (1959). He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and its predecessors, between 1957 and 1973, including "Poor Little Fool" in 1958, which was the first number one song on Billboard magazine's then-newly created Hot 100 chart. He recorded 19 additional top ten hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987. In 1996 Nelson was ranked No. 49 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949, playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1952, he appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first single ("I'm Walkin' b/w "A Teenager's Romance", Verve 10047X4S), debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and released the No. 1 album titled Ricky. In 1958, Nelson released his first #1 single, "Poor Little Fool", and in 1959 received a Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" after starring in Rio Bravo. A few films followed, and when the television series was cancelled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on various television programs. In his twenties, he moved away from the pop music of his youth, and began to perform in a more country rock style. After recording several albums with mostly session musicians, most of which flopped, he formed the Stone Canyon Band in 1969 and experienced a career resurgence, buoyed by the live album In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 and had a surprise hit with 1972's "Garden Party", which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. His comeback was short-lived, however, as his record label was bought out and folded, and his followup albums were not well promoted by his new label. He continued to perform live and take small television roles through the 1970s, though his label dropped him by the end of the decade. He released two more albums, with unimpressive results, before his death in a plane crash on New Year's Eve, 1985.

Nelson was married once, to Sharon Kristin Harmon, from 1963 until their divorce in 1982. They had four children: actress Tracy Nelson, twin sons and musicians Gunnar and Matthew, and actor Sam.

Nelson was born on May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, New Jersey. He was the second son of entertainment couple Harriet Hilliard Nelson (born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) and Ozzie Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975). His father Ozzie was of half Swedish descent. The Nelsons' older son was actor David Nelson (October 24, 1936 – January 11, 2011).

On May 8, 1961 (his 21st birthday), he officially modified his recording name from "Ricky Nelson" to "Rick Nelson". His childhood nickname proved hard to shake, especially among the generation who had watched him grow up on "Ozzie and Harriet". Even in the 1980s, when Nelson realized his dream of meeting Carl Perkins, Perkins noted that he and "Ricky" were the last of the "rockabilly breed".

In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records. After some early successes with the label, most notably 1964's "For You" (#6), Nelson's chart career came to a dramatic halt in the wake of Beatlemania, The British Invasion, and later the Counterculture era. However, instead of dropping him, Decca kept him on board.

In the mid-1960s, Nelson began to move towards country music, becoming a pioneer in the country-rock genre. He was one of the early influences of the so-called "California Sound" (which would include singers like Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt and bands such as Eagles). Yet Nelson himself did not reach the Top 40 again until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" with the Stone Canyon Band, featuring Randy Meisner, who in 1971 became a founding member of the Eagles, and former Buckaroo steel guitarist Tom Brumley.

Nelson died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1985, flying from Guntersville, Alabama, to Dallas, Texas, for a concert. The plane he was on, a Douglas DC-3, had a history of mechanical problems. All seven passengers, including Blair, died. Only the two pilots survived.

Nelson's funeral took place at the Church of the Hills, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery, on January 6, 1986, and he was privately buried in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery, in Los Angeles. His estate was bequeathed to his children.

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Ricky Nelson Lyrics

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Don't seem to be no break in the line
Don't seem to be no break boys
They've ruined my vision, screwed up my eyes
Tell you what I'm gonna do boys

I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays

Damn right

They learned me that it's like a film out here
It's a real hollow show boys
They told me it was all black and white
So many shades I can't see boys

I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
Damn right

Aint nobody wants to know you when you're down
Everybody wants to lose you when you're found

Now if'n I'm thinkin' I might break even
I might go home on Friday
I married a rich girl but otherwise
I'm gonna raise hell and rightly

I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
Damn right

Now if'n I seem just a mite confused
Don't give me all of the blame boys
Twenty four years just to break the rules
No wonder I'm half insane boys

I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays
Damn right

I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm goin' back to schooldays

I'm goin' back to schooldays
Damn right

Overall Meaning

In Ricky Nelson's song Back to Schooldays, the lyrics speak to a sense of disillusionment with the world and a desire to return to a simpler time, specifically the singer's schooldays. The lines "They've ruined my vision, screwed up my eyes" suggest a loss of clarity and perhaps innocence as the singer navigates the adult world. Similarly, the lines "They told me it was all black and white/ So many shades I can't see boys" speak to a feeling of confusion or disillusionment with the complexities of the world.

The chorus "I'm going back to schooldays, damn right" reflects a desire to return to a time when things were clearer and simpler, without the weight of adulthood and all its complications. The final lines "Twenty four years just to break the rules/ No wonder I'm half insane boys" suggest an frustration with the limitations of adulthood and a longing for the freedom and rule-breaking spirit of youth.

Overall, the song speaks to a common nostalgia for the simplicity and freedom of adolescence, and a dissatisfaction with the complications of adulthood.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't seem to be no break in the line
There appears to be no respite from the monotony and routine of daily life.

Don't seem to be no break boys
There doesn't seem to be any escape from the relentless grind of life.

They've ruined my vision, screwed up my eyes
The pressures of life have taken a toll on my physical health and mental wellbeing.

Tell you what I'm gonna do boys
I'm going to take action and change my situation.

I'm goin' back to schooldays
I'm going to revisit a time in my life when things were simpler and easier to handle.

Damn right
I am completely certain that this is the right course of action for me.

They learned me that it's like a film out here
They taught me that the world is like a movie, with clear good guys and bad guys.

It's a real hollow show boys
But in reality, life is much emptier and more superficial than I was led to believe.

They told me it was all black and white
I was taught that morality and ethics were straightforward and easy to navigate.

So many shades I can't see boys
But in actuality, the world is much more complex and nuanced than I thought, and I am struggling to make sense of it all.

Back to SchooldaysRicky Nelson Lyrics

Back to Schooldays
Ricky Nelson Lyrics