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.
The Sounds
Alan Jackson Lyrics
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It seams a little strong
I can hear the things I did wrong
I can hear her thoughts
By looking in her eyes
I can hear her all the times she cried
I can hear the memories
As they echo off the wall
I can hear regret
Building up in side of me
And I can hear all the things
I could not see
Those are the sounds of a woman leaving
Stronger then the wind in a willow tree
Those are the sounds of a heart breaking
You can't hear it
But the noise is killing me
I should of heard it coming
But I chose to pretend
I should of recognizes that sound
Way back then
But I just wouldn't listen didn't want to all those years
Now the truth is ringing clear
In my ears
Those are the sounds of a woman leaving
Stronger then the wind in willow tree
Those are the sounds of a heart breaking
You can't hear it
But the noise is killing me
Those are the sounds of a heart breaking
You can't hear it
But the noise is killing me
I can hear it
And the silence is killing me
Alan Jackson's song "The Sounds" is a poignant reflection on the aftermath of a relationship breakup. The opening lyrics describe the intimacy of a relationship, as the singer can hear his former partner's heartbeat and their unsaid thoughts. However, instead of feeling like a comforting reminder of their relationship, these sounds are now a reminder of his shortcomings, both in the relationship and as an individual. The sounds of her crying and memories echoing create a sense of loss and regret, which build up inside the singer. The repetitive chorus gives the song a haunting quality and emphasizes the emotional impact of these sounds.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear her heart beat
I am still in tune with her body's rhythm even though she's leaving
It seams a little strong
Her heartbeat is a little abnormal and shows signs of emotional distress
I can hear the things I did wrong
I am aware of my faults that contributed to her leaving
I can hear her thoughts
I can read her emotions through her eyes
By looking in her eyes
Her eyes reveal a lot about how she feels
I can hear her all the times she cried
I am reminded of the pain and sadness she experienced while with me
I can hear the memories
I am haunted by the past experiences we shared
As they echo off the wall
The memories are difficult to silence despite trying to forget them
Falling from the pictures down the hall
The imagery from photos around the house reminds me of times that were once happy
I can hear regret
My feeling of remorse is loud and clear
Building up in side of me
The regret is growing stronger within me
And I can hear all the things
I see clearly what I could have done differently
I could not see
I was blinded by my own failures
Those are the sounds of a woman leaving
All of the emotional disturbances I'm experiencing are the aftermath of my partner leaving me
Stronger then the wind in a willow tree
The emotional turmoil I am experiencing is overwhelming and powerful
You can't hear it
This situation is only affecting me
But the noise is killing me
The agony I'm feeling is slowly destroying me inside
I should of heard it coming
I should have been more aware of my partner's feelings and actions leading up to her leaving
But I chose to pretend
I intentionally ignored the warning signs of our relationship falling apart
I should of recognizes that sound
I should have realized that the emotional stress in our relationship was too much for her to bear
Way back then
I should have addressed the issues in our relationship sooner
But I just wouldn't listen didn't want to all those years
I was in denial about the issues in our relationship and chose not to address them
Now the truth is ringing clear
Now that it's too late, I realize that I was wrong
In my ears
The truth is loud and deafening
And the silence is killing me
The emptiness of her absence is equally painful as the noise of the emotional turmoil
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALAN JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind