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.

Hello Mister Happiness
Ricky Nelson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hello mister happiness, goodbye misery
I've got a pretty girl to walk along with me
Hello mister happiness, what was your delay
I nearly gave up hopin' love would come my way

Hello mister happiness, goodbye lonely room
I'll let all the sunshine in, and shut out all the gloom
Hello mister happiness, my baby loves me too

And my baby and I are gonna go steady with you

I wonder where you've been so long
I've searched everywhere
But when my baby smiled
You were standing there

Well hello mister happiness, goodbye loneliness
Now that you're here with me, you're my best friend I guess
Hello mister happiness, tell me it's okay
And you'll be my best man on my wedding day

I wonder where you've been so long
And I've searched everywhere
But when my baby smiled
You were standing there

Well hello mister happiness, goodbye loneliness
Now that you're here with me, you're my best friend I guess

Hello mister happiness, tell me it's okay
And you'll be my best man on my wedding day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ricky Nelson's song Hello Mister Happiness speak of finding happiness in love after a period of loneliness and searching. The singer addresses happiness as a personified entity, thanking it for finally arriving after a long wait. The singer expresses relief and joy that they no longer have to experience misery, loneliness, and gloom, as they have found a "pretty girl" to accompany them on their journey. They describe happiness as a friend, someone who has been elusive but now stands with them, guiding them towards a new chapter of their life.

Furthermore, the song underlines the power of love to alleviate feelings of sadness and despair. The singer indicates their doubt and nearly giving up on hope, but with the arrival of love, everything has suddenly become brighter. The singer describes themselves and their love interest as 'steady' companions of happiness, suggesting that love is a constant state of happiness that they share. The song ends with the singer requesting happiness to be their 'best man' on their wedding day, suggesting a lasting commitment to a life of happiness through their love.

Line by Line Meaning

Hello mister happiness, goodbye misery
The singer is happy to finally say goodbye to all their sadness and replace it with happiness.

I've got a pretty girl to walk along with me
The singer has found love and has someone to share their happiness with.

Hello mister happiness, what was your delay
The singer is wondering where their happiness has been and why it took so long to find it.

I nearly gave up hopin' love would come my way
Before finding love, the artist almost lost hope and didn't think happiness was even possible.

Hello mister happiness, goodbye lonely room
The artist is happy to leave their lonely room behind and embrace the world with a happier outlook.

I'll let all the sunshine in, and shut out all the gloom
The singer will focus on the good things and not let sadness take over.

Hello mister happiness, my baby loves me too
The singer's happiness is even greater because they have a partner who loves them back.

And my baby and I are gonna go steady with you
The artist and their partner are committed to their happiness and will go on this journey together.

I wonder where you've been so long
The artist is curious as to why happiness has taken so long to come into their life.

I've searched everywhere
The artist has actively been looking for happiness but has been struggling to find it.

But when my baby smiled
The singer found their happiness in their partner's smile.

You were standing there
Happiness has been there all along, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself.

Well hello mister happiness, goodbye loneliness
The singer is greeting happiness with open arms and is ready to say goodbye to their loneliness.

Now that you're here with me, you're my best friend I guess
Happiness is now the singer's close companion and ally.

Hello mister happiness, tell me it's okay
The singer is seeking reassurance that their happiness is real and will last.

And you'll be my best man on my wedding day
The artist will continue to rely on happiness and wants it to be present during the happiest moments of their life.

Contributed by Grayson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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