Gretchen was born in Pocahontas, Illinois to a 16-year-old mother. Her father left before she was two years old, and she and her mother lived in trailer parks and relative poverty. Gretchen's mother worked as a waitress, and Gretchen herself dropped out of the 8th grade at age 15 to work as a cook and bartender in rural Illinois.
After a failed marriage to former Baywolfe bandmate Larry Rolens, Gretchen moved to Nashville and began dating Mike Penner. They have a daughter, Grace Frances Penner, who was born November 9, 2000.
Gretchen, who had sung for Kmart as a child, sang in two bar bands by the age of 20. In 1996 she moved to Nashville to sing back-up and record sample songs. In 2000, she met John Rich, a former member of Lonestar, who invited her to become his song-writing partner. Wilson signed with Epic Records in 2003 and recorded Here for the Party within the year.
Her first single, "Redneck Woman", was released in early 2004 and reached the top of the Hot Country Songs charts and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of "Redneck Woman" prompted an earlier-than-planned release for Here for the Party -- May 11, 2004 -- and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard country chart. It also reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Internet album sales charts. She performed as a support artist for Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery Gentry.
She released the title track Here For The Party as the second single. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard country chart. Two other songs were released as singles, and both reached the top 10. Released in markets outside the U.S., the album hit #2 on the Australian country charts (behind Kasey Chambers) and the top 50 of the Australian charts. As of July 5, 2004, "Redneck Woman" was #1 on a world composite country chart (based on the U.S., UK, and Australia charts). The album went on sell more than 4 million copies in the U.S. and 5 million worldwide and was certified four times platinum.
On September 27, 2005, Gretchen released her second album, All Jacked Up, which peaked at #1 on both the Top 200 and Country album charts, but, after initial decent sales, the album quickly fell off the charts. It was certified Platinum and sold 1 million copies. The title track, All Jacked Up, peaked at a disappointing #8 on the Country singles chart and was the only song from the album to reach the top 10. The second single, I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today, peaked at #22. The third and the fourth singles were Politically Uncorrect and California Girls, which peaked respectively at #23 and #25 on the Country chart. Kid Rock appeared on "The Other Side of Me," an exclusive track that Target released with the album.
On February 28, 2006, Gretchen appeared on Kid Rock and The Twisted Brown Trucker Band's "Live" Trucker, as she performed "Picture" recorded at Detroit's Cobo Hall, 3/26/04. On November 2006, she released a new single called Come To Bed, a song produced by her friend John Rich, who also sings the background vocals. The song's suggestive video received a TV-14 S rating when aired on CMT.
Gretchen's "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today" was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song. In 2006, Wilson contributed a well-received cover of Kris Kristofferson's Sunday Mornin' Coming Down on the tribute CD The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson. In 2007, Wilson displayed her rock and roll vocals on the cable TV special VH1 Rock Honors, singing Heart's hit Barracuda, along with Alice in Chains and Heart member Nancy Wilson on guitars.,
On May 15, 2007, Gretchen released her third album, One of the Boys. The album debuted at #5 on the Top 200 and at #1 on the Country album chart. After 11 weeks, it exited the Billboard Top 200, having sold just 178,220 copies at that point. "Come To Bed" and "One Of The Boys", the first two singles released, both failed to enter the top 30 and missed the Hot 100 completely. The third single, "You Don't Have to Go Home", was even less successful, peaking at #53.
Good Morning Heartache
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You old gloomy sight
Good morning heartache
Thought we said goodbye last night
I turned and tossed until it seems you had gone
But here you are with the dawn
Wish I'd forget you, but you're here to stay
It seems I met you
Now everyday I start by saying to you
Good morning heartache what's new
Stop haunting me now
Can't shake you no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
You're the one
Who knew me when
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Good morning heartache
Sit down
Stop haunting me now
Can't shake you no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
You're the one
Who knew me when
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Good morning heartache
Sit down
The song "Good Morning Heartache" by Gretchen Wilson portrays the feelings of a person who is constantly dealing with heartbreak. The lyrics express the despair the singer feels as they wake up to yet another day of heartache with the personified "heartache" haunting them. Despite trying to push the heartache away, it always comes back to their life like a recurring nightmare. The line "Might as well get used to you hanging around" suggests a sense of resignation and acceptance that this pain will always be a part of their life. In the end, the song seems to suggest that the singer has given up all hope of escaping their heartache and is forced to live with it every day.
The lyrics are expressed against a slow, melancholy melody that augments the somber mood of the song. The use of minor chords and the slow rhythm add to the sadness the song conveys. The song's lyrics were written by Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake, and Dan Fisher, and it was first recorded by Billie Holiday in 1946. The song has been covered by several artists over the years, including Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, and most recently by Gretchen Wilson.
Line by Line Meaning
Good morning heartache
Addressing the feeling of sadness and despair that the singer wakes up with every morning
You old gloomy sight
Referring to heartache as a familiar and unwelcome visitor
Thought we said goodbye last night
Assuming that the feeling of heartache would disappear after a night's rest
I turned and tossed until it seems you had gone
Trying to get rid of the feeling of heartache by tossing and turning to no avail
But here you are with the dawn
Realizing that the feeling of heartache is still present in the morning
Wish I'd forget you, but you're here to stay
Expressing a desire to move on from the feeling of heartache, but acknowledging that it's not that easy
It seems I met you when my love went away
Associating heartache with a lost love
Now everyday I start by saying to you
Addressing heartache as a constant companion
Good morning heartache what's new
Asking heartache what struggles or pain it will bring today
Stop haunting me now
Desperately asking heartache to leave and to stop tormenting the artist
Can't shake you no how
Expressing frustration at the inability to overcome the feeling of heartache
Just leave me alone
Making a direct plea to heartache to go away
I've got those Monday blues
Comparing the feeling of heartache to a sense of sadness that lingers over the course of days
Straight through Sunday blues
Emphasizing the all-encompassing nature of the feeling of heartache
Here we go again
Acknowledging the cyclical nature of experiencing heartache
You're the one who knew me when
Reflecting on heartache as a recurring feeling that has been present throughout the artist's life
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Recognizing that heartache will likely continue to be present in the artist's life
Sit down
Addressing heartache directly and attempting to make peace with its presence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERVIN DRAKE, DAN FISHER, IRENE HIGGINBOTHAM PADELLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milica Jankovic
Good morning heartache
You old gloomy sight
Good morning heartache
Thought we said goodbye last night
I turned and tossed until it seems you had gone
But here you are with the dawn
Wish I'd forget you, but you're here to stay
It seems I met you
When my love went away
Now everyday I start by saying to you
Good morning heartache what's new
Stop haunting me now
Can't shake you no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
You're the one
Who knew me when
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Good morning heartache
Sit down
Stop haunting me now
Can't shake you no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
You're the one
Who knew me when
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Good morning heartache
Sit down
sharron Innes
This gal has it - what a great voice that moves between genres effortlessly. Come back Gretchen!
Silver S. Parnell
Great voice. Love it with this song. One talented lady.
blmlb63
A whole album like this would be great. Thanks
Jack Hanson
Wow. What an excellent performance, thank y'all.
Texas rose
Loving this 🎵
Barbara Tatton
Soo glad to have let this CD play through while driving to hidden track ❤️
Warren Cain
Beautifully done…
Reality Check In real time
You have the most purest voice I've ever heard. You make a man melt.
Anas Atassi
Love it
Dan63
Awesome!