Chuck Jackson (born Charles Jackson in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on 22… Read Full Bio ↴Chuck Jackson (born Charles Jackson in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on 22 July 1937; died 16 February 2023) was an American soul and r 'n' b singer who was one of the first artists to have success with material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and whose hits included "I Don't Want to Cry", "Any Day Now", "I Keep Forgettin'", and "All Over the World". On 4 October 2015, Chuck Jackson was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Jackson startd out as a gospel singer in The Raspberry Singers. He was in the Dell-Vikings from 1957 to 1959.

After recording as Charles Jackson for the Clock label in 1959 he signed with Wand Records in 1961. He was immediately successful with his first single I Don't Want To Cry which reached No. 5 R&B, No. 36 Pop in the USA. He was with Wand through most of the sixties, scoring several R&B and Pop hits. In 1969 he moved to Motown but didn't do so well there. He continued to record throughout the seventies for labels like ABC, All Platinum and EMI America, scoring his last R&B hit in 1980.

Although never hugely successful his soulful voice resulted in 23 R&B top 100 singles in the USA and the same number of US Pop 100 hits over the course of 20 years.

Several of Jackson's songs later became hits for other artists including Ronnie Milsap, whose 1982 cover version of "Any Day Now" reached No. 1 on the Country and Adult Contemporary charts. Michael McDonald covered "I Keep Forgettin'" with much success. "I Keep Forgettin'" was also covered by David Bowie on his album "Tonight".

On 4 October 2015, Chuck Jackson was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Tears Of Joy
Chuck Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey, Chuck, why you crying
Well, I'll tell you 'bout it

When you see me crying
Don't worry about me, boy
When you see me crying
Don't worry about me, boy
'Cause these tears I'm crying

They are tears of joy

(Tears of joy) tears of joy
(Tears of joy) tears of joy
(Tears of joy) tears of joy
(Tears of joy) tears of joy
(Tears of joy)

Don't worry about me, boy
'Cause these are tears of joy
(Tears of joy)

My baby just told me
Everything was all right
And then she kissed me
So sweetly last night

Ha, so you don't have
To worry about me, boy
'Cause these are tears of joy
All right

(Tears of joy, tears of joy)
(Tears of joy, tears of joy)
(Tears of joy)

Don't worry about me, boy
'Cause these are tears of joy
(Tears of joy)

My baby, she kissed me
(Tears of joy)
So sweetly last night
(Tears of joy)

She said, Chuck, everything
(Tears of joy)
Is gonna be all right
(Tears of joy)

So that's why I'm crying, fellas
'Cause these are tears of joy

(Tears of joy) tears of joy
(Tears of joy) tears of joy
(Tears of joy) I can't help but cry
'Cause my baby said (tears of joy)
Everything is all right...

Overall Meaning

The song "Tears of Joy" by Chuck Jackson is about genuine and heartfelt emotions that come with experiencing joy so intense that you can't help but cry. In the first verse, Chuck explains that when he's crying, people shouldn't worry because he's crying tears of joy. The repetition of the phrase "Tears of joy" throughout the whole song emphasizes that he's crying tears of happiness, not tears of sadness or pain.

The second verse is more personal with Chuck sharing that the reason he's crying is because his significant other, whom he calls "my baby," reassured him that everything was all right and then kissed him sweetly the night before. The song's overall message is that intense emotions can lead to tears, but not all tears are from sadness. Sometimes feelings of pure joy can bring tears to your eyes, and that's okay.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey, Chuck, why you crying
Someone is asking Chuck Jackson why he is crying

Well, I'll tell you 'bout it
Chuck is willing to explain why he is crying

When you see me crying
When people see Chuck crying

Don't worry about me, boy
They shouldn't be concerned

When you see me crying
When people see Chuck crying

Don't worry about me, boy
They shouldn't be concerned

'Cause these tears I'm crying
The tears that Chuck is crying

They are tears of joy
Are due to being overwhelmed by joy

(Tears of joy) tears of joy
Chuck's tears are of joy

(Tears of joy)
Chuck's tears are of joy

My baby just told me
Chuck's significant other