Messina debuted in 1996 with the single "Heads Carolina, Tails California". Her album was certifified Gold by the RIAA. Her second album, I'm Alright produced five Top 10 Country hits between 1998 in 1999 and sold over a million copies in America. Since her debut, six of her singles have peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country singles chart and five of her albums have received a certification by the RIAA or the CRIA.
She was raised in Holliston, Massachusetts, by Vincent and Mary Messina, and had two sisters, Terese and Marianne, as well as a brother named Vincent. Messina had a variety of Country music influences, which included Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, and The Judds. She soon started performing live, and by age 16 she was playing local clubs with a rhythm section made up of her brother and sister. The family band played up until Messina was in her late teens.
Realizing that living in the Northeast would limit her chances of achieving Country music stardom, Messina moved to Nashville at age 19. To support herself, Messina worked various temp jobs, including computer programming and accounting. In her spare time, she entered talent contests around Nashville.
One win led to a regular gig on the radio show Live at Libby's, which in turn caught the interest of producer Byron Gallimore, who helped her assemble a demo tape. Gallimore was also working with the young Tim McGraw around the same time, and Messina befriended him. Backstage at one of his concerts, Messina met an executive from his label, Curb, and jokingly suggested that they needed a redhead. With the help of fellow Curb producer James Stroud, Messina was then signed to the record label. Gallimore and McGraw would later become co-producers of Messina's studio albums under Curb.
In 2022, Cole Swindell had a major hit with a remake of "Heads Carolina, Tails California" entitled "She Had Me At Heads Carolina." In the music video, Jo Dee plays a small part as the bartender in a Karaoke bar.
Burn
Jo Dee Messina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you wanna be an actor up in lights
Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love
Do you wanna travel the world
Do you wanna be a diver for pearls
Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above
Be anyone you want to be
But I want something in return
I want you to burn
Burn for me, baby
Like a candle in my night (I want you to burn)
Oh, burn
Burn for me, burn for me
Are you gonna be a gambler and deal
Are you gonna be a doctor and heal
Or go to heaven and touch God's face
Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps
Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps
Or an angel under grace
I'll lay down on your bed of coals
Offer up my heart and soul
But in return
I want you to burn
Burn for me, baby
Like a candle in my night (I want you to burn)
Oh, burn
Burn for me, burn for me (me)
(Oh) I want you to burn, baby
(Oh) oh
Laugh for me, cry for me
Pray for me, fly for me
Live for me, die for us
I want you to burn
Burn for me, baby
Like a candle in my night (I want you to burn)
Oh, burn
Burn for me, burn for me, yeah
(Burn for me) oh yeah, I want you to burn
I want you to burn (like a candle) for me, baby, ooh yeah
(I want you to burn) burn for me, yeah
Yeah, I want you to burn, I want you to burn (like a candle)
For me, baby, (I want you to burn) oh yeah, burn for me
The song "Burn" by Jo Dee Messina is a powerful and passionate ballad about desire in a relationship. In the first verse, Messina asks if her lover wants to be a poet, actor, soldier, or traveler, encouraging them to pursue their dreams and fantasies. However, she wants something in return - for them to burn for her like a candle in her night, to be fully devoted and passionate in their love for her. The second verse continues with more options for the lover's aspirations, incorporating religious imagery with the idea of touching God's face. Messina proclaims that she is willing to offer up her heart and soul, but again asks for her lover's intense devotion and burning desire in return.
The chorus repeats the same request for the lover to burn for her, adding that it could be through laughter or tears, prayer or flight, even life or death. The repetition of the phrase "burn for me" reinforces the urgency and intensity of Messina's desire for her lover. The use of the candle metaphor is also significant, as it suggests the fragility and transience of such intense passion and love.
Overall, "Burn" is a song about a deep and all-consuming love, in which both partners are encouraged to pursue their dreams and desires but ultimately must be fully invested and passionate in their devotion to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you wanna be a poet and write
Do you desire to be an artist who can effortlessly express oneself through words?
Do you wanna be an actor up in lights
Do you fancy stepping into someone else's shoes and be under the spotlight?
Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love
Do you have the courage to defend your love against all odds?
Do you wanna travel the world
Do you aspire to experience different cultures by traversing the globe?
Do you wanna be a diver for pearls
Do you have the yearning to dive deep into uncharted depths in search of valuable treasures?
Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above
Do you have the determination to scale new heights and reach for the impossible?
I want you to burn
I want you to passionately desire me, to the extent that you feel like you're on fire.
Burn for me baby
Let your desire for me take over completely.
Are you gonna be a gambler and deal
Are you willing to take risks and gamble your fortunes?
Are you gonna be a doctor and heal
Are you willing to devote yourself to healing the world's ailments?
Or go to heaven and touch God's face
Or are you looking for spiritual enlightenment and divine guidance?
Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps
Will you be a person who dreams of grand ambitions and sleeps whilst others chase their dreams?
Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps
Will you be a sinner who repents and sheds tears for their sins?
Or an angel under grace
Will you be an angel, who under God's grace, inspires and influences others to do good?
I'll lay down on your bed of coals
I'm willing to risk it all and bear the pain to prove my love for you.
Offer up my heart and soul
I'm ready to give you all of me, emotionally and spiritually.
Laugh for me, cry for me
Be with me through life's highs and lows.
Pray for me, fly for me
Pray for me in my moments of weakness, and soar with me in my moments of triumph.
Live for me, die for me
Commit to me entirely, and be willing to go through life's toughest challenges.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Filippina Lydia Arena, Pamela P. Reswick, Stephen E. Werfel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tabea Kalimeris
Lyrics:
Do you wanna be a poet and write
Do you wanna be an actor up in lights
Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love
Do you wanna travel the world
Do you wanna be a diver for pearls
Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above
Be anyone you want to be
Bring to life your fantasies
But I want something in return
I want you to burn
Burn for me baby
Like a candle in my night
Oh burn
Burn for me burn for me
Are you gonna be a gambler and deal
Are you gonna be a doctor and heal
Or go to heaven and touch God's face
Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps
Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps
Or an angel under grace
I'll lay down on your bed of coals
Offer up my heart and soul
But in return
I want you to burn
Burn for me baby
Like a candle in my night
Oh burn
Burn for me burn for me
Laugh for me, cry for me
Pray for me, fly for me
Live for me, die for me
I want you to burn
Burn for me baby
Like a candle in my night
Oh burn
Burn for me burn for me
John Carroll
One of the most underrated women's singer of all time
Vinnie Axtell
i actually know jo and believe me this song hits close to home for her.she really put her all into this song!!
frank phelps
Absolutely my favorite song bt jd. top ten of all time could never get enough of her.
Lee Anne Pankey
I love this song ❤️
Susan Jordan
I usually party with Tim Mcgraw, Kenny (all), Oh and Carrie Underwood.
Wild Rice
Love some Jo Dee...she can really belt it out.....she's awesome
Linda Thetford
LUCKY I LOVE HER
Faith Alva
My first wife past away in 99
Before this song came out
She would ask me, Do you burn for me? I would tell her yes for the rest of our lives together. She told me to always burn for her no matter what.
when I hear this song the memory of her when she asked me to burn for her comes to the top of my mind.
Love miss and I still burn for you M.E.C 21 years later.
Twitchy Witch
😓🙏🏼
Dr Lynn Vitale
I lost my husband 10/27/2007 I still burn for his touch I was a doctor couldn’t save him.... hopefully he’s touched Gods face and is our Angel now