Breach Shine on you crazy diamond

Breach

Shine on you crazy diamond. You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze. Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon. Shine on you crazy diamond. Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light. Shine on you crazy diamond. Well you wore out your welcome with random precision, rode on the steel breeze. Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far. Shine on you crazy diamond. Pile on many more layers and I ll be joining you there. Shine on you crazy diamond. And we ll bask in the shadow of yesterday s triumph, and sail on the steel breeze. Come on you boy child, you winner and loser, come on you miner for truth and delusion, Harry Nilsson was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. Probably one of the most talented musicians of the twentieth century, success came at a very high price for him, and eventually became his downfall. Nilsson was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1 His paternal grandparents were Swedish circus performers and dancers, especially known for their aerial ballet which is the title of one of Nilsson s albums. His father, Harry Edward Nilsson, Jr. , abandoned the family three years later. An autobiographical reference to this is found in the opening to Nilsson s song 1941 : Well, in 1941, the happy father had a son And in 1944, the father walked right out the door Nilsson s Daddy s Song, and Cuddly Toy recorded by The Monkees, also refer to this period. Nilsson grew up with his mother Bette and his younger half-sister. His younger half-brother Drake was left with family or friends during their moves between California and New York, sometimes living with a succession of relatives and stepfathers. His Uncle John, a mechanic in San Bernardino, California, helped Nilsson improve his vocal and musical abilities. He had a half-brother and a half-sister through their mother. He also had three half-sisters and one half-brother through his father. Due to the poor financial situation of his family, Nilsson worked from an early age, including a job at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. When the Paramount closed, Nilsson applied for a job at a bank, falsely stating he was a high school graduate on his application he only completed ninth grade. He had an aptitude for computers, which were beginning to be employed by banks at the time. He performed so well that the bank retained him after discovering the lie about his education. He worked on bank computers at night, and in the daytime pursued his songwriting and singing career. As early as 1958, Nilsson was intrigued by emerging forms of popular music, especially rhythm and blues artists like Ray Charles. He had Breach early attempts at performing while he was working at the Paramount, forming a vocal duo with his friend Jerry Smith and singing close harmonies in the style of the Everly Brothers. The manager at a favorite hangout gave Nilsson a plastic ukulele, which he learned to play, and he later learned to play the guitar and piano. In the 2010 documentary Who is Harry Nilsson? And Why Is Everybody Talkin About Him, Nilsson recalled that when he could not remember lyrics or parts of the melodies to popular songs, he created his own, which led to writing original songs. Uncle John s singing lessons, along with Nilsson s natural talent, helped when he got a job singing demos for songwriter Scott Turner in 19 Turner paid Nilsson five dollars for each track they recorded. When Nilsson became famous, Turner decided to release these early recordings, and contacted Nilsson to work out a fair payment. Nilsson replied that he had already been paid five dollars a track. In 1963, Nilsson began to have some early success as a songwriter, working with John Marascalco on a song for Little Richard. Upon hearing Nilsson sing, Little Richard reportedly remarked: My! You Breach good for a white boy! Marascalco also financed some independent singles by Nilsson. One, Baa Baa Blacksheep, was released under the pseudonym Bo Pete to some small local airplay. Another recording, Donna, I Understand, convinced Mercury Records to offer Nilsson a contract, and release recordings by him under the name Johnny Niles. In 1964, Nilsson worked with Phil Spector, writing three songs with him. He also established a relationship with songwriter and publisher Perry Botkin, Jr. , who began to find a market for Nilsson s songs. Botkin also gave Nilsson a key to his office, providing another place to write after hours.