Jackson was born to Joseph Eugene Jackson and Ruth Musick in Newnan, Georgia, and has four older siblings. As a youth, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music. Otherwise he was not a major music fan. However, a friend of his introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson attended the local Elm Street Elementary and Newnan High School, starting a band after high school. After a time, he and his wife of six years, Denise Jackson, moved from Newnan to Nashville where Jackson hoped to pursue music full-time.
Jackson sang in church as a child. He, his father, mother, and four sisters lived in a small home. At one point, his bed was in the hallway for lack of room. His mother lives in the home to this day. His first job, at 12, was in a shoe store. He wrote his first song in 1983.
In Tennessee, Jackson got a job in The Nashville Network's mailroom. Denise got him connected to Glen Campbell, who helped him jumpstart his career. Jackson eventually signed with Arista.
His first album, 1989's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 album, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a success, spawning five major singles. Also in 1992, Randy Travis charted three singles co-written by Jackson: "Forever Together", "Better Class of Losers", and "I'd Surrender All". Conversely, Travis co-wrote Jackson's single "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)".
In 1994 Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton.
It was around this time that Jackson began also gaining fame for his song-writing skills. Other country music artists who have charted with songs co-written by Jackson, including Clay Walker ("If I Could Make a Living"), Chely Wright ("Till I Was Loved By You")[5] and Faith Hill ("I Can't Do That Anymore").
His first album, 1990's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 release, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a smash success, spawning five major singles with "Chattahoochee" being the most enduring and successful. After a few more hit albums, Jackson again rocketed to fame with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," a song about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight; the song was even the subject of parody on the popular animated series South Park, in the episode A Ladder To Heaven.
The Long Way To Go Songfacts states that on January 20, 2011 Alan Jackson and his record label, Sony, parted ways after over 20 years. Three months later a new joint venture between Capitol's EMI Records Nashville and ACR (Alan's Country Records) was announced. His debut single from the new deal was Long Way To Go, which was shipped to Country radio on June 13, 2011.
Although Jackson has been characterized as a "hat act", his influences go deep into the roots of country music and his songs have been recorded by some of the greats like Charley Pride, who recorded "Here In The Real World". He has sung with George Jones on the award-winning "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". His sense of humor comes through in "Gone Country" with the satirical description of the wannabes who cynically jumped on the country music bandwagon in the 1990s: "Everybody's gone country/Yeah we've gone country/The whole world's gone country."
He has been credited for popularizing a Neotraditional Country sound.
Away In a Manger
Alan Jackson Lyrics
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The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.
The song "Away in a Manger" is a classic Christmas hymn that describes the humble birth of Jesus Christ in a manger. The lyrics start by depicting the simple setting - a manger without any crib for baby Jesus to sleep in. Despite the lack of luxury, baby Jesus is nestled in a hay bed, and the stars in the night sky look down upon him. The second stanza reveals that the cattle nearby are lowing, which awakens baby Jesus. Surprisingly, despite the disturbance, Jesus does not cry; perhaps he knows that he is the Savior who carries on an important mission. In the final stanza, the singer expresses their love and devotion to Jesus and requests that he lingers with them until the break of dawn.
Overall, the song "Away in a Manger" symbolizes the idea that Christ’s birth was nothing special, only ordinary. However, his mission and ultimate sacrifice make his life extraordinary to Christians worldwide. The song encourages the listeners to reflect on the simplicity of the birth and realize the remarkable value it holds.
Line by Line Meaning
Away in a manger, no crib for his bed
The newborn Jesus had nowhere proper to rest
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head
Despite the lack of a comfortable bed, Jesus rested peacefully
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay
The bright stars shone, pointing to where Jesus lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay
The baby Jesus slept soundly on a bed of hay
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
The lowing of the cattle disturbed Jesus' sleep and woke him up
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes
Despite being woken up, Jesus did not cry
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky
The singer expresses their love for Jesus and asks him to look down from the sky
And stay by my side until morning is nigh
The artist asks Jesus to stay with them until morning comes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: . Traditional, Michael Philip McGlynn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind