In 2012, King released her debut EP "The Elle King EP" on RCA; one track from that EP, "Playing for Keeps", is the theme song for VH1's Mob Wives Chicago series.
She released her debut album "Love Stuff" in 2015. It produced the US top ten single "Ex's & Oh's", which earned her two Grammy Award nominations. King has also toured with acts such as Of Monsters and Men, Train, James Bay, The Chicks, Heart, Joan Jett, Michael Kiwanuka, and Miranda Lambert. She is the daughter of actor and comedian Rob Schneider and former model London King. King uses her mother's surname to distinguish her career and identity from her father's. "People know who my dad is," she told ABC News, "but I think that my voice and my music speaks for itself: that I am my own person."
King is a four-time Grammy Award nominee, two each in the rock and country categories, and received honors from the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards.
King was born on July 3, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, to then-Saturday Night Live cast member Rob Schneider and London King, a former model. Her parents divorced and her mother remarried. She grew up living in Ohio, between Wellston and Columbus. When she was nine, her stepfather, Justin Tesa, gave her a record by all-female hard-rock band the Donnas; she views this as the pivotal moment when she decided she wanted to be a musician. Around this time, she also started listening to the Runaways and Blondie, and she made her acting debut alongside her father in the movie Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
At the age of 13, King started playing guitar, immersing herself in the music of Otis Redding, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, AC/DC (she has the phrase "dirty deeds" tattooed on her biceps), and Earl Scruggs. Her interest in the country and bluegrass of Hank Williams and Earl Scruggs inspired her to learn the banjo. During her teenage years, she attended Buck's Rock camp in Connecticut, where she starred successfully in a number of musicals.
King spent her teenage years in New York City, but she has also lived in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Upon graduating from Elisabeth Irwin High School/Little Red School House, she moved to Philadelphia to enroll at University of the Arts, studying painting and film. During these college years, she had an artistic epiphany seeing a live show where the band onstage used a banjo purely for accompaniment purposes, eschewing the bluegrass and country musical vocabulary traditionally associated with the instrument. King then began to use the banjo as a compositional tool. After college, she briefly lived in Copenhagen and Los Angeles, before moving back to New York where she currently resides in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
In September 2014, King released "Ex's & Oh's", which serves as the lead single off her debut album. She released the album, Love Stuff on February 17, 2015. She performed "Ex's & Oh's" the next day on The Today Show to promote it. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming King's first top ten single in the United States. "Ex's & Oh's" received two nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. In July 2015, King supported Modest Mouse on their UK tour. "Under the Influence" and "America's Sweetheart" were later released as singles for rock radio and mainstream radio, respectively. In 2016, her single "Good Girls" featured on the Ghostbusters soundtrack and played over the movie's credits. In 2016, she teamed up with country singer Dierks Bentley for the song "Different for Girls". They performed this song at the 50th CMA Awards on November 2, 2016, when she and Bentley won the award for Musical Event of the Year.
On March 6, 2017, she premiered a new single "Wild Love" featuring a sparse electronic production, marking a slight departure from her previous style in music.
King released her second studio album "Shake the Spiri", on October 19, 2018, which she made with her band the Brethren. On August 3, 2019, she was featured singing on a version of Lindsey Stirling's "The Upside". Throughout 2019, King served as a guest co-host on the MTV series Catfish: The TV Show opposite lead host Nev Schulman.
In 2021, it was revealed she was pregnant with her first child with tattoo artist Dan Tooker. On September 1, 2021, she welcomed a baby boy. King has several tattoos, and worked at a tattoo company called East Side Ink.
Jackson
Elle King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Papa ain't there
Momma's dead and gone
And papa don't care
Brother buried his head
Pocket full of shotgun shells
It's just a merry man
Stuck in that whiskey well
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
Sister lays her head
She's just a little queen
She don't do many things
But she sure can sing
Your hopeless soul
Begging for more time
Grab a dive and get old
Too bad you ain't the killing kind
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
For this country wears me down
There's nothing left for me in this town
These dreams are made
Before I went
For I won't waste no more time
Yeah
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me?
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
Take Jackson out of me
Take Jackson out of me
The song "Jackson" by Elle King is a powerful and emotional ballad that tells the story of a broken family and a woman's struggle to break free from her past. The song starts with the lines "Momma's dead and gone, Papa ain't there," setting a dark and somber tone. The singer talks about her brother who buried his head, carrying a pocket full of shotgun shells, painting a picture of a man lost to addiction and despair. The song also touches on the singer's sister, who is described as a little queen and a talented singer.
Throughout the song, the singer talks about the painful experiences she has had to endure and the burden of the past that weighs her down. She talks about building a broken home and how her backbone is all that's left of her. The lyrics "Said he could change me, how could you blame me, not breaking the law to break free, so please take Jackson out of me" further emphasizes her struggle and desire for freedom.
The song's chorus is especially impactful, with the lyrics "What's left of my backbone is building this broken home, building it up just to leave me." These lines convey the heartache and pain of trying to rebuild a life, only to have it all fall apart. The song ends on a powerful note with the plea to take Jackson out of the singer, a call for a clean break from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Momma's dead and gone
Elle King's mother is dead and gone.
Papa ain't there
Elle King's father is not around.
Momma's dead and gone
Reinforces the fact that Elle King's mother is no longer alive.
And papa don't care
Elle King's father is not concerned about her or her siblings.
Brother buried his head
Elle King's brother is avoiding their family troubles.
Pocket full of shotgun shells
Elle King's brother is ready to defend himself and his family.
It's just a merry man
Despite all the problems, her brother still finds small ways to have a good time.
Stuck in that whiskey well
Alcohol is a way her brother copes with the difficulties he is facing.
What's left of my backbone
Elle King narrates that she had difficult experiences that made her stronger.
Is building this broken home
In spite of the struggles, Elle is trying to create a home for herself and the little sister.
Building it up
She is putting effort into creating a home of her own.
Just to leave me
However, the people she's with may leave her alone and abandoned.
Said he could change me
Elle may have been persuaded to believe that someone could make her different or more amenable.
How could you blame me
She's wondering why she should be faulted for trying to better her situation or herself.
Not breaking the law
Elle King is strong enough to avoid doing anything illegal to change her life.
To break free
She wants to be free from her current situation and start a new life for herself.
So please
She is calling out for help from anyone who's listening.
Take Jackson out of me
Elle wants to move on from the past and the influence of someone named Jackson.
Sister lays her head
Elle King's younger sister is resting or sleeping.
She's just a little queen
Her younger sister is her whole world and Elle treats her like royalty.
She don't do many things
Her sister may not be able to do many things, but she is loved.
But she sure can sing
Despite her young age, Elle's sister has a talent for singing.
Your hopeless soul
The person Elle is addressing is hopeless and helpless.
Begging for more time
Her acquaintance is trying to cling to a past or a time that they can no longer have.
Grab a dive and get old
They should take a leap and try to age gracefully.
Too bad you ain't the killing kind
Elle is saying that the person she is speaking has no real power to change their situation.
For this country wears me down
Elle is experiencing difficulty coping with life in America and its systems.
There's nothing left for me in this town
Elle has lost hope in the place where she is living and wants to leave.
These dreams are made
Elle has dreams for her future that have been created before she experienced such pain.
Before I went
Elle's dreams and aspirations existed before she was hurt and experienced so much disappointment.
For I won't waste no more time
She is determined to make the most of her future and not dwell on the past.
Take Jackson out of me
Once again, Elle expresses her desire to move past the influence of a person named Jackson.
Take Jackson out of me
The last line of the song reiterates Elle's hope to finally be rid of the toxic presence of Jackson.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AMANDA GHOST, DAVE MCCRACKEN, FILIPE APARICIO, TANNER SCHNEIDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vinividipepe
Lyrics:
Momma's dead and gone
Papa ain't there
Momma's dead and gone
And Papa don't care
Brother buried his head
Pocket full of shotgun shells
It's just a merry man
Stuck in that whiskey well
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
Sister lays her head
She's just a little queen
She don't do many things
But she sure can sing
Your hopeless soul
Begging for more time
Grab a dive and get old
Too bad you ain't the killing kind
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
For this country wears me down
There's nothing left for me in this town
These dreams are made
Before I went
For I won't waste, no more time
Yeah!
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
Take Jackson out of me
Take Jackson out of me
@bumblebee6686
Man her voice give me chills! I can imagine her is so many duo’s!
@ambernotsofierce605
Such a cool individual. You help me to just be me and not care what others think. Luv it.
@JonHeckendorf
Elle, girl, don't do this to me again!! I was turning BLUE because I stopped breathing. I can only breath until something new is released by you. Then, you take my breath away so I stop breathing :) This has been a continuing cycle created ever since I discovered you many years ago. Thank you so much for your sweet voice and sassy demeanor. Keep having fun is all I ask.
@jasonott5698
My gf introduced me to her music. Then we saw her perform with Heart and Joan Jett. I fell in love what a great performance. Stay in your groove Elle and we will all stay happier people😍😘
@vinividipepe
Lyrics:
Momma's dead and gone
Papa ain't there
Momma's dead and gone
And Papa don't care
Brother buried his head
Pocket full of shotgun shells
It's just a merry man
Stuck in that whiskey well
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
Sister lays her head
She's just a little queen
She don't do many things
But she sure can sing
Your hopeless soul
Begging for more time
Grab a dive and get old
Too bad you ain't the killing kind
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
For this country wears me down
There's nothing left for me in this town
These dreams are made
Before I went
For I won't waste, no more time
Yeah!
What's left of my backbone
Is building this broken home
Building it up
Just to leave me
Said he could change me
How could you blame me
Not breaking the law
To break free
So please
Take Jackson out of me
Take Jackson out of me
Take Jackson out of me
@lifeofatruckerswife
put this on repeat when Im traveling across country with my husband
f'n banger!!!
@heathermarie9235
Where has this woman been my whole life!!!
@TaraLei35
love this
@jeanniepentecost4574
My favorite 💘
@Andrea-pp7sw
WOW Good! 👍