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.
Wait a Minute
Alan Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did I hear you say you're goin'
Far away again?
Try to change it
I can't take the lonely nights
Without your love
Doin' the road
And move along
What good does it do
To play your songs for her
And hear her say
Wait a minute
Did I hear you say you're goin'
Far away again?
Try to change it
I can't take the lonely nights
Without your love
You're rollin' along
Life's been good to you
An even so
She comes to you
Late at night
The time you hear her say
Once again...
Wait a minute
Did I hear you say you're goin'
Far away again?
Try to change it
I can't take the lonely nights
Without your love
Try to change it
I can't take the lonely nights
Without your love
In Alan Jackson's song Wait A Minute, the singer is pleading with his partner not to leave him again. He explains how he cannot stand the lonely nights without her love. The next verse suggests that the singer is a musician who is always on the road performing and making music. Despite his busyness, he is still longing for his partner's presence. He expresses how playing music for her is of no use if she is not with him.
In the third verse, the singer points out that he has been blessed and fortunate in life, but his partner's absence still hurts him deeply. He says that his partner comes to him late at night, and he hopes she will stay, but she always leaves again. The chorus repeats in this last verse, conveying the pain of loneliness that the singer feels without his partner's love.
The lyrics of Wait A Minute showcase the emotional turmoil of someone who is struggling with the absence of a partner. Though life may seem great on the surface, the person's loneliness is still evident. The song is a heartfelt plea for love and companionship, which adds a layer of emotional depth to the country ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait a minute
Pause and listen carefully to what follows
Did I hear you say you're goin'
Am I right in thinking that you're leaving?
Far away again?
Going somewhere remote and leaving me alone?
Try to change it
Please reconsider your decision
I can't take the lonely nights
I miss you terribly when you're not here
Without your love
Without the warmth of your affection
Doin' the road
Traveling for work
Get the music done
Complete your work as a musician
And move along
Continue with your life and career
What good does it do
What's the point of playing music for someone who doesn't care?
To play your songs for her
To perform for the person who doesn't appreciate it
And hear her say
And then listen to her speak
You're rollin' along
You are successful and content
Life's been good to you
You have a good life
An even so
Despite it all
She comes to you
She appears in your life
Late at night
When it's dark and quiet
The time you hear her say
When she tells you
Once again...
Yet again, repeating the pattern
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JO ANN CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind