Wilson's solo career begin with 1957's "Reet Petite", written by the then unknown Berry Gordy, Jr. and recorded on the Brunswick Records label with whom Wilson would remain throughout his career. He had his first top 40 hit in 1958 with "To Be Loved". At the end of that year he had his first big success with "Lonely Teardrops" that went to #7 on the charts. The song, also written by Berry Gordy, Jr. became his signature tune. That same year saw Wilson release his first LP titled He's So Fine.
Wilson's brand of pop-soul and R&B helped him cross over to the mainstream, having several pop hits. His dynamic stage performances earned him the nickname "Mr. Excitement". His performance of "Lonely Teardrops" on the Ed Sullivan Show is considered one of its classics. In the 1960s, Wilson continued to record singles, many of them operatic, such as "Danny Boy" or "Night", others were up-tempo and exciting, such as "Baby Workout" in 1963. Although married to Frida Hood since 1951, Wilson was a notorious womanizer and was shot and wounded by one of his alleged lovers, Juanita Jones, on February 15 1961 in a jealous rage as he returned to his apartment with another woman, fashion model Harlean Harris, an ex-girlfriend of singer Sam Cooke. As a married man conducting extra-marital affairs, his management decided, as a way not to damage his career, to concoct a story that Jones was an obsessed fan who threatened to shoot herself, and that Wilson's intervention concluded in him being shot. Astonishingly, the story was accepted, and no charges were brought against Juanita Jones. He was divorced from Frida in 1965, and married Harlean Harris from 1967 until his death in 1984.
His career began to suffer in the mid-60s, though he managed a brief revival by collaborating with Carl Davis, a legendary Chicago producer. This resulted in two hits, "Whispers" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". The revival was short-lived, though, and Wilson rarely charted in the 1970s. Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage; he was singing "Lonely Teardrops". A comatose Wilson lived in a hospital until his death in 1984 at age 49. His medical costs were paid for by Dick Clark. In 1985, successful soul/funk band The Commodores, recorded "Nightshift" which was a song in memory of Wilson, as well as soul singer Marvin Gaye, who died in the same year as Wilson.
Van Morrison also recorded a tribute song called "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" on his 1972 hit album Saint Dominic's Preview. This song was later covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners. When the track was performed on the British TV show Top of the Pops, a picture of Wilson was intended to be used in the background - but an intentional joke by the band and the production staff meant that a picture of darts player Jocky Wilson was used instead. Wilson is mentioned in the rap song "thugs mansion" Tupac and Nas. The exact quote is, "Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night, it had me shook Drinkinn peppermint Schnapps, with Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke".
Wilson scored a posthumous hit when "Reet Petite" reached number one in the United Kingdom in 1986. The following year,he also hit the UK charts again with "I Get The Sweetest Feeling"(No.3), and "Higher and Higher"(No.11). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; that same year, he was portrayed in the Richie Valens biopic La Bamba by Howard Huntsberry.
Wilson is interred in the Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan.
You Got Me Walking
Jackie Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, baby
My heart's been broken so many times
That's where I begun to draw the line
But your cookin' is good, your kissin' is fine
Ain't no man so bad
That he cannot be bad
You got me walking, yeah (You got me walking)
Facing the floor
You got me knocking (Knock-knock-knock-knock)
On the wrong door
You got me talking, yeah (You got me talking)
To myself
I'm never seen
With nobody else
Oh, breakfast in the morning, right on time (Feels so good)
While you teach the little baby (La-la-la-la-la-la-la) a nursery rhyme
I look in the mirror and what do I see
A lucky, lucky, lucky man, you better believe
'Cause ain't no man so bad
That he cannot be bad
You got me walking, yeah (You got me walking)
Facing the floor
You got me knocking (Knock-knock-knock-knock)
On the wrong door, yeah
You got me talking, yeah (You got me talking)
To myself
I'm never seen
With nobody else
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You got me walking (Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Feels so good (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
You got me talking (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Feels so good
You got me walking, yeah (You got me walking)
Facing the floor (Feels so good)
You got me knocking (Knock-knock-knock-knock)
On the wrong door (Feels so good)
You got me talking, yeah (You got me talking)
To myself
I'm never seen
With nobody else
In the song "You Got Me Walking" by Jackie Wilson, he talks about how his heart has been broken multiple times but he is still drawn to this one individual. He mentions that her cooking, kissing, and love is right on time and it seems that this person has provided something that he has never found before. Wilson implies that she makes him feel lucky and exceptional, which is something that cannot be easily found.
The chorus repeats the phrase "You got me walking, yeah" several times and at first, it seems that he is just walking aimlessly, but later in the lyrics, he reveals that he is walking towards something. It appears that this person he is addressing has some power over him and he is willing to walk towards her no matter where it takes him. He even admits that he is talking to himself and is never seen with anybody else which highlights the level of obsession he has with this person.
Overall, the song showcases the vulnerability and desperation that can be experienced when someone falls deeply in love. It is clear that Wilson is drawn to this person's unique qualities and her love is something that he cannot easily let go of.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart's been broken so many times
I've had my heart broken many times in the past
That's where I begun to draw the line
That's when I decided to stop getting hurt
But your cookin' is good, your kissin' is fine
But your cooking and kissing are exceptional
And your lovin', baby, is right on time
And your love is exactly what I need at this moment in my life
Ain't no man so bad
There's no man who's beyond redemption
That he cannot be bad
That he can't change his ways
You got me walking, yeah (You got me walking)
You've got me feeling on top of the world and dancing
Facing the floor
Dancing with my head down and my feet moving to the beat
You got me knocking (Knock-knock-knock-knock)
You've got me knocking on the doors of new opportunities
On the wrong door
On the doors that might not be right for me
You got me talking, yeah (You got me talking)
You've got me chatty and sharing my joys with myself
To myself
Talking to myself about how happy you make me
I'm never seen
Nobody's ever seen me before
With nobody else
With anyone else as much as I'm with you
Oh, breakfast in the morning, right on time (Feels so good)
Having breakfast in the morning, at the right time feels so good
While you teach the little baby (La-la-la-la-la-la-la) a nursery rhyme
While you teach our child a nursery rhyme
I look in the mirror and what do I see
When I look in the mirror, this is what I see
A lucky, lucky, lucky man, you better believe
A very lucky man who's grateful for his good fortune
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing joy and enthusiasm
You got me walking (Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
You've got me feeling happy and carefree
You got me talking (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
You've got me talking about all the good things happening in my life
Feels so good
It all feels so satisfying and complete
Contributed by Lucas J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.