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.
Ladies Choice
Ricky Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the beautiful music was playing
And through the dim blue light
I could just see the silhouette swaying
Then all at once the room was aglow
And through the couples I could see
A pair of angel eyes and I was hypnotised
They were looking straight at me
They played a ladies choice
And I could feel my heart beating madly
For any moment she'd ask me to dance
And I would say gladly
Then someone said would you care to dance?
I turned around when I heard her voice
But it was someone else, oh how sad I felt
For I was the wrong ladies choice
And when the song was through she was alone and I caught her eye
I had to make my play before she'd dance with some other guy
So as the music played
She laid her sweet head on my shoulder
And she could see the love that I felt
As though I had told her
Was someone waiting to take her home?
I wondered who would the luck boy be?
And when the dance was through, all the world was new
For the ladies choice was me
Yeah, the ladies choice was me
Mmm, the ladies choice was me
The lyrics to Ricky Nelson's song Ladies Choice depict a night at a dance where the singer spots a woman with whom he immediately falls in love. As the music is playing and the couples are dancing, he catches a glimpse of a beautiful silhouette swaying and becomes hypnotized by a pair of angel eyes looking straight at him. He hopes that the woman will ask him to dance during the Ladies Choice, but alas, he is not the lucky one. He feels sad that he was not chosen and decides to make a move when the dance is over. As he and the woman dance, he lays his head on her shoulder and she can feel the love he has for her. He wonders who will take her home, and to his surprise, the ladies choice is him.
The song is a classic love story, where the singer sees someone he is instantly drawn to and hopes for a chance with her. Despite being rejected initially, he doesn't give up and ultimately wins her heart. The lyrics are filled with feelings of love, hope, disappointment, and triumph. The music adds to the atmosphere of the lyrics, with its slow beat and romantic undertones.
Line by Line Meaning
Went to a dance one night
I went to a dance event one evening
And the beautiful music was playing
The lovely music was playing in the background
And through the dim blue light
Amidst the dim blue light present in the space
I could just see the silhouette swaying
I could see the silhouette of people dancing and swaying with the music
Then all at once the room was aglow
Suddenly, the room was filled with bright light
And through the couples I could see
As I glanced through the dancing pairs, I could see
A pair of angel eyes and I was hypnotised
I got entranced by the stunning gaze of her eyes
They were looking straight at me
She was looking directly at me
They played a ladies choice
The music played was a call for a ladies' choice dance
And I could feel my heart beating madly
My heart was racing with the possibility of being chosen for the ladies' choice dance
For any moment she'd ask me to dance
I was hopeful that she would pick me to dance with her
And I would say gladly
I would accept the dance invitation happily
Then someone said would you care to dance?
Someone asked me if I wanted to dance
I turned around when I heard her voice
I immediately turned around as I was hopeful that it was her inviting me for the dance
But it was someone else, oh how sad I felt
To my disappointment, it was not her, and I felt a little melancholy
For I was the wrong ladies choice
I was not the chosen one for the ladies' choice dance
And when the song was through she was alone and I caught her eye
After the song ended, she was unsupervised, and she made eye contact with me
I had to make my play before she'd dance with some other guy
I needed to approach her before someone else invited her for a dance
So as the music played
As the music restarted
She laid her sweet head on my shoulder
She rested her head on my shoulder lovingly
And she could see the love that I felt
She could sense the affection and fondness that I had for her
As though I had told her
It was as if I had narrated my feelings to her
Was someone waiting to take her home?
I was curious if she had someone to escort her home
I wondered who would the luck boy be?
I was curious who would be the fortunate one to accompany her
And when the dance was through, all the world was new
After the dance was over, everything changed within me
For the ladies choice was me
I was the selected one for the ladies choice dance
Yeah, the ladies choice was me
I was indeed the lucky one
Mmm, the ladies choice was me
I felt ecstatic that I was picked for the dance
Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.