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.
Don't Touch Me
Alan Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll take the black eye,
When I walk out,
You can slam the door,
I'll be the S O B,
If that's what you need from me,
So you don't have to love me anymore
Make it all my fault,
Tell 'em I'm rotten to the core,
I'll let it all slide,
Get 'em all on your side,
So you don't have to love me anymore
I will keep,
All those memories, of the good times
Yeah, there were some good times
So when you think,
Of you and me,
They won't even cross your mind
If the wine you're drinkin',
Leads you to thinkin',
That you want what we had before,
Girl you can call me,
I'll let it ring and ring,
So you don't have to love me anymore
Yeah, I will keep,
All those memories of the good times
Yeah, they were some good times
So when you think,
Of you and me,
They won't even cross your mind
If you need me to make you cry,
I don't want to but I'll try,
So you don't have to love me anymore
In the song "Don't Touch Me," Alan Jackson expresses his love and gratitude for his partner while acknowledging the pain and darkness he felt before they met. He likens her to sunshine, describing her ability to chase away the raindrops and ease his pain. He sees her as a source of happiness and peace of mind, and he doesn't want her to change. He admires her for being consistent and steady like a river, and he cherishes her just the way she is.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of his partner's steadfast nature, as he repeatedly asks her not to change. He sees her as a lucky star, someone whose presence in his life brings him good fortune and joy. He knows that he wants to spend his life with her, and he expresses the hope that they will meet in heaven someday and walk together in eternal sunshine.
Overall, the song is a testament to love, commitment, and gratitude. It celebrates the transformative power of love, as well as the importance of finding someone who can bring light to even the darkest of days.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl you're my sunshine
You bring light into my life and lift my spirits.
Chase away the raindrops
You make things better and help me through tough times.
Make it all worthwhile
You make everything in life seem worth it with your presence.
Make all the pain stop
You bring me comfort and joy, and ease any emotional or physical pain I may have.
Just like the river
Our love is a constant flow and we should keep it that way.
Keep love flowin'
We should continue to nurture and support our relationship.
Don't let our world stop
We shouldn't let anything get in the way of our love and happiness.
Keep it goin'
We should continue to work on our relationship and make it last.
I like it just the way you are
I love and accept you for who you are, without any changes.
Honey don't change who you are
I don't want you to change or lose any part of yourself for me or anyone else.
Don't change on me
Don't become someone different or change our relationship dynamics.
Girl you're my lucky star
You are my good luck charm, bringing positivity and happiness to my life.
I used to wonder
I used to worry and feel uncertain about finding love and happiness.
Where would I find
I didn't know where to look or how to find what I was looking for.
Some kind of happiness
I was seeking joy and contentment, but didn't know how to achieve it.
And peace of mind
I wanted to feel calm and secure in my relationship and in life.
Livin' in the darkness
I felt lost and alone in my search for happiness.
Then you came
You entered my life and changed everything for the better.
Bringin' sunlight
You brought light and positivity into my previously dark life.
Easin' my pain
You brought comfort and happiness, erasing any past pain or hurt.
If there's a heaven
Assuming the existence of an afterlife or higher power.
This is my prayer
Expressing a hope or desire for the future.
Lord knows I wanna know you
I want to get to know you on a deeper spiritual level.
We should meet there
I want to spend eternity with you.
And then forever
For all of eternity.
We'll walk together
We'll be together and support each other through anything.
Nothin' but sunshine
Only happiness and joy in our lives.
No more stormy weather
No more difficulties or hardships in our lives together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADAM WRIGHT, JAY KNOWLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Leon Walls
Awesome! First time I've heard a male singer tackle this one. Alan does an awesome job. Seems there's no end to this guy's talent.
Kate Cohu
I’ve played this album a few times now and every time my heart ❤️ just melts ❤️❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏👏👍
Kate Cohu
Sweet perfection always from our king Alan Jackson ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Kate Cohu
This man has one heck of a voice wow 🤩 ❤❤❤❤❤
Shirley Showalter
Great song Alan,your talents are so awesome.This reminds me of songs from the country music I listened to in childhood.Thanks for the memories cowboy
Cynthia's Channel
What a song... Love it...
Jennifer Dijames
ME TOO!
Lois Moreau
Love this but love George Jones singing it even more!
Connie Soles
Alan Jackson is in the same category as Merle and George. He s Great!!!
Wes Hunter
never heard this one....good ole classic country. Love Alan Jackson & the real guys (Merle, Cash, Robbins, Twitty & Hank) This is KC & I approve this song