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.
I'll Make Believe
Ricky Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can say I'm glad that we're apart
I can tell my friends, I'm glad it's over now
But what will I tell my heart
I'll make believe, I don't think about you
Try to pretend we never met
But when I wake up, aw, in the mornin' now
I know how much I need you
And at times I almost cried
Makin' believe is not so easy
How long can I hold it inside
I'll make believe that I don't love you
And I never gave my heart away
But I know I'll never, aw, be the same dear
You're on my mind both night and day
I know how much I need you
And at times, I almost cried
Makin' believe is not so easy
How long can I hold it inside
I'll make believe that I don't love you
And I never gave my heart away
But I know I'll never, aw, be the same dear
You're on my mind both night and day
I think of you both night and day
You're on my mind both night and day
The lyrics to Ricky Nelson's song "I'll Make Believe" talk about how the singer is trying to convince themselves and others that they are happy and can move on from a past relationship. In reality, though, they are struggling to forget about their former love and still long for them. The phrase "I'll make believe" itself suggests a sense of denial and pretending. The singer makes themselves believe that they don't miss their ex or think about them, even though their true feelings are evident in their actions like waking up with a wet pillow. The lyrics express the difficulty of moving on from a past love and how pretending not to care can feel just as painful as admitting the truth.
The line "Makin' believe is not so easy" is particularly poignant in highlighting the struggle of the singer to suppress their feelings. The lyrics also suggest that the singer didn't want the breakup to happen, as they mention almost crying and feeling like they need their ex. The final lines of the song reiterate how much the singer thinks of their ex, despite their efforts to forget them.
Overall, "I'll Make Believe" is a relatable song that captures the pain and longing that often accompanies a breakup. The lyrics give voice to the struggle of pretending not to care, even when the heart knows otherwise.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll make believe that I don't miss you
I'll pretend that I'm fine without you, even though deep down I miss you terribly.
I can say I'm glad that we're apart
I can tell people that I'm happy we're not together anymore, even though I don't really feel that way.
I can tell my friends, I'm glad it's over now
I can assure my friends that I am happy the relationship is done, but in reality, I'm not.
But what will I tell my heart
But how can I convince my heart that it's okay when it still longs for you?
I'll make believe, I don't think about you
I'll pretend that I don't think about you all the time, even though you're always on my mind.
Try to pretend we never met
I'll try my best to convince myself that we never met, but it's impossible to erase the memories.
But when I wake up, aw, in the mornin' now
But when I wake up in the morning, my first thought is always of you.
You know my pillow is soakin' wet
My tears have soaked my pillow because I miss you so much.
I know how much I need you
I know deep down that I need you in my life.
And at times I almost cried
And sometimes, I almost burst into tears thinking about how much I miss you.
Makin' believe is not so easy
Pretending that I'm over you is not as easy as I thought it would be.
How long can I hold it inside
How long can I keep pretending that I'm okay without you when it's not true?
And I never gave my heart away
And I'm trying to convince myself that I never really loved you, but that's not true.
But I know I'll never, aw, be the same dear
But I know that I'll never be the same without you, my dear.
You're on my mind both night and day
You are always on my mind, day and night.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind