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.
Here in the Real World
Alan Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good always wins, again and again
And love is a sweet dream that always comes true
Oh, if life were like the movies, I'd never be blue
But here in the real world
It's not that easy at all
'Cause when hearts get broken
And darlin' it's sad but true
But the one thing I've learned from you
Is how the boy don't always get the girl
Here in the real world
I gave you my love, but that wasn't enough
To hold your heart, when times got rough
And tonight on that silver screen
It'll end like it should
Two lovers will make it through
Like I hoped we would
But here in the real world
It's not that easy at all
'Cause when hearts get broken
It's real tears that fall
And darlin' it's sad but true
But the one thing I've learned from you
Is how the boy don't always get the girl
Here in the real world
No, the boy don't always get the girl
Here in the real world
In Alan Jackson's "Here in the Real World," he speaks about our perception of life if we were to compare it to the movies, where things always have happy endings. He highlights that in movies, cowboys never cry, heroes never die, and love always wins. However, in the real world, we experience heartbreak, pain, and disappointment, which often leads to tears. Life is not as easy as portrayed in movies, and we do not always end up with the people we love.
The song also speaks about his personal experience of giving his love to someone, but that was not enough for them. He hoped to overcome the rough times with love, just like in the movies, but that was not the case, and they went their separate ways. The boy did not get the girl in real life, which is a stark contrast to how things turn out in movies.
Overall, Jackson's song talks about the harsh realities of life, where love and happy endings are not guaranteed. It highlights how life can be challenging and real tears that fall when hearts get broken. The song reminds us of the importance of facing reality and accepting its ups and downs rather than focusing on what we see on the big screen.
Line by Line Meaning
Cowboys don't cry, and heroes don't die
In movies, heroes and cowboys are depicted as strong and invincible, never showing their emotions and always winning.
Good always wins, again and again
The movies always end with a happy ending where the good guys never lose, and justice prevails.
And love is a sweet dream that always comes true
In movies, love always triumphs over all obstacles and is portrayed as a perfect, eternal dream.
Oh, if life were like the movies, I'd never be blue
The artist wishes that life could be as perfect as in the movies, where everything seems to work out perfectly and without any hardships.
But here in the real world
The artist acknowledges that the movies are not a reflection of reality and that real life can be difficult.
It's not that easy at all
The realities of life, including heartache and disappointment, are not as simple and easy to overcome as in the movies.
'Cause when hearts get broken
When people experience heartache in real life, it is painful and difficult to recover from.
It's real tears that fall
The pain felt by people whose hearts are broken is genuine and often leads to tears.
And darlin' it's sad but true
The artist acknowledges that the truth hurts, and although they wish life could be perfect like the movies, it's not always the case.
But the one thing I've learned from you
Despite the heartache and difficulty, the artist has learned something important from a past relationship.
Is how the boy don't always get the girl
The singer has learned that in real life, happy endings are not necessarily guaranteed, and the boy does not always get the girl.
I gave you my love, but that wasn't enough
The artist has given their all in a past relationship but still was not enough to make it work.
To hold your heart, when times got rough
During difficult times, the singer's love was not enough to keep their partner's heart committed to the relationship.
And tonight on that silver screen
The singer watches a movie, hoping for an escape from the harsh realities of life.
It'll end like it should
The movies tend to have a predictable happy ending despite all obstacles that the characters face.
Two lovers will make it through
The artist expects that despite the difficulties faced by the characters in the movie, they will ultimately come out stronger as a couple.
Like I hoped we would
The artist wishes that their own relationship had a happy ending like the one depicted in the movie.
No, the boy don't always get the girl
The singer reiterates that in real life, things don't always work out the way one hopes, and happy endings are not guaranteed.
Here in the real world
The singer acknowledges the harsh realities of life and the challenges that come with them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK IRWIN, ALAN JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pollo Varela
rgue el teléfono.
Actualización postergada.
Wi-Fi network available
en Wi-Fi network available
Ajustes notificaciones Borrrgue el teléfono.
Actualización postergada.
Wi-Fi network available
en Wi-Fi network available
Ajustes notificaciones Borr
Lawrence Mclaughlan
Its hard to believe that alan Jackson has stated true to himself for well over 30 years this guy knows the meaning of true country music
joe Beck
One of my newer favorites by him is country music where have you gone really makes you think of how shit newer country is
Daly The Third
The best thing about Alan Jackson is how he constantly, throughout his career, honored and honors his country music heroes and the lineage that made him who he is. That’s a gentleman in my book.
Lawrence Lenerd
Stuck up for George Jones at trash cmas
Tina Scissor
What a Gentleman.
Fernando Guevara
Yes. And Mr. Strait, as well, of course.
Fernando Guevara
Yes. And Mr. Strait, as well, of course.
Stacey Chutskoff
Good Always Winns!...
Joyce Pruitt
This is a masterpiece..Alan has always stayed true to his country roots. One of the absolute best!
Lawrence Mclaughlan
So true he never turned way from the music that gave him a career