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.
The Earrings Song
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I could do some dancin' underneath them neon lights
Get out of the kitchen do a little catchin' up with my old man
And I couldn't help but notice girl that you keep slinkin' by
Stealin' his attention with the twinkle in your eye
You're causin' an involuntary clenchin' of the fingers on my hand
So honey move along and find a place to park yourself while you still can
Cause I'll show you what a catfight's all about
I'll throw you down and mop the floor
A man like mine's worth fightin' for
Don't make me take my earrings out
And I bet I spent an hour at the bathroom vanity
Tryin' to turn a mom into a ballroom beauty queen
I don't wanna mess it up but trust me honey I ain't scared to break a nail
Yeah and I'd be glad to spend a night in jail
(aw hell! )
So don't make me take my earrings out
Cause I'll show you what a catfight's all about
If you come waltzin' by once more
I'll drag your butt right out the door
So don't make me take my earrings out
(ah-haw! )
So don't make me take my earrings out
Cause I'll show you what a catfight's all about
I'll throw you down and mop the floor
A man like mine's worth fightin' for
Don't make me take my earrings out
If you come waltzin' by once more
I'll throw you down and mop the floor
And drag your butt right out the door
A man like mine's worth fightin' for
So don't make me take my earrings out!
The Earrings Song by Gretchen Wilson is a catchy country song that talks about how protective the singer is of her man. She found a sitter who could stay late on a Friday night so that she could go dancing with her old man. But while they were enjoying their time, a woman catches her attention as she tries to steal her man's attention. The singer cautions her to move along before she has to take her earrings out. The earrings symbolize her readiness to fight for the man she loves, and she is not afraid to show the other woman what a catfight is all about.
The lyrics also depict the singer's effort to look her best for her man. She spent an hour at the bathroom vanity to transform herself from a mom to a ballroom beauty queen. She is assertive, and she warns the woman not to mess with what is hers, or she will regret it. She is ready to fight for her man even if it means spending a night in jail. The song's title chorus "Don't make me take my earrings out" is repeated throughout the song to emphasize the singer's readiness to defend her man's honor.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I finally found a sitter who'd stay late on Friday night,
I've found someone who's willing to babysit late on Friday so that I can go out and have some fun.
So I could do some dancin' underneath them neon lights
I want to dance under the neon lights and have a good time.
Get out of the kitchen do a little catchin' up with my old man
I want to catch up with my husband and spend some time together.
And I couldn't help but notice girl that you keep slinkin' by
I've noticed that you keep walking by and stealing my husband's attention.
Stealin' his attention with the twinkle in your eye
You're getting his attention because you're flirting with him and making eyes at him.
You're causin' an involuntary clenchin' of the fingers on my hand
Your behavior is making me clench my fists involuntarily because I'm angry.
So honey move along and find a place to park yourself while you still can
I suggest you leave and find another place to be before things get ugly.
Don't make me take my earrings out
If you keep coming at me, I'll have to fight you.
Cause I'll show you what a catfight's all about
I'm not afraid to get into a physical altercation if I have to.
I'll throw you down and mop the floor
I'll beat you down so badly that the floor will need to be cleaned.
A man like mine's worth fightin' for
I'll fight for my man because he's worth it.
And I bet I spent an hour at the bathroom vanity
I spent a lot of time getting ready to look my best.
Tryin' to turn a mom into a ballroom beauty queen
I want to look like a glamorous ballroom dancer, even though I'm a mother.
I don't wanna mess it up but trust me honey I ain't scared to break a nail
I don't want to ruin my looks, but I'm not afraid to fight and possibly break a nail in the process.
If you come waltzin' by once more
If you come near me and my man again,
I'll drag your butt right out the door
I'll physically remove you from the situation.
So don't make me take my earrings out!
I really don't want to fight, but you're pushing me to my limit.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MELVERN RIVERS II RUTHERFORD, MONTY RUSS CRISWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind