Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People's Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first hit with Ride, Ride, Ride. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the late 1960s, Anderson signed with Columbia Records in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. In addition, the song also went to No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Chart and reached the top of the charts in several countries, an unprecedented achievement at the time. CMT ranks "Rose Garden" at No. 83 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History". Anderson continued to record and remained a popular concert attraction until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers and theaters.
She grew up in Sacramento, California with her mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Liz Anderson who wrote "The Fugitive" and "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", both Merle Haggard hits, among others. She began her solo career in 1966 with "In Person", followed by a hit with her mother's "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)".
In 1968 she married Glenn Sutton, a future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa. (They divorced in 1977.)
Consistent hits followed, and she was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show during the 1967-68 season. In 1969 Anderson signed to Columbia where her work veered a bit more toward a polished, pop sound. She released her signature song, "Rose Garden" in late 1970. The song, written by Joe South, won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance reached number 1 on the U.S. country charts, and also hit number 3 on the pop charts, as well as being a hit in fifteen countries. Anderson also received Grammy nominations for her recordings "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1968), "That's a No No" (1969), and "How Can I Unlove You" (1971)> Anderson's other hits during this period included "You're My Man", "Listen to a Country Song", "Top of the World" (a number 1 country record for Anderson before becoming a pop hit for The Carpenters), "Cry", "Keep Me in Mind", "What a Man My Man Is" and "Smile For Me". In 1971, she was voted Top Female Vocalist of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Anderson charted eight no.one singles, 18 Top-Tens and earned a total of 17 international Gold records. She was perhaps the most in-demand country female vocalist on network television throughout the 1970's but after 1975 her records usually peaked in the top 20 as opposed to her earlier top ten success.
Anderson married a Louisiana businessman in 1978. The second marriage produced two more children, and she was divorced in 1982.
Anderson remained one of the top female country singers into the 1980's. Her last top ten record was 1984s "You're Welcome to Tonight". During the late 1980's and early 1990s, she received much press for her disputes with her now-divorced second husband. After spending time on her ranch, raising horses and participating in equestrian events, she began recording again in 1992.
"The Bluegrass Sessions", released in 2004, earned Anderson her first Grammy nomination in over 30 years.
That same year Anderson was arrested in Denton, Texas, for drunk driving.
The American Rose Society created and named in her honor a white and raspberry hybrid tea rose.
Anderson released a new CD of original songs entitled "Cowgirl" in 2006, all of the songs penned by her mother, the acclaimed songwriter Liz Anderson.
He Even Woke Me To Say Goodbye
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like the dawn my heart is silently breaking
With my tears it goes tumbling to the floor
Once again the whole town will be talking Lord I've seen the pity that's in their eyes
They could never understand it's his sorrow not another woman
And no matter what they say I know he tried
Baby's packed everything and he's left me he's left me
And I know he didn't mean to make me cry
Why he even woke me up to say goodbye
It's not his heart Lord it's his mind he didn't mean to be unkind
Why he even woke me up to say goodbye goodbye baby
The lyrics of Lynn Anderson's song "He Even Woke Me To Say Goodbye" depict the sorrow and heartache of a woman who has just been left by her partner. The song starts with the morning coming and the sunshine standing quietly at her door, signaling the start of a new day, but her heart is silently breaking as tears go tumbling to the floor. The woman knows that the whole town will be talking, just like they always do when something like this happens, but she also knows that they could never understand that it was her partner's sorrow and not another woman that caused him to leave. Despite what anyone says, she knows that he tried.
As the woman reflects on her partner leaving her, she notes that he packed everything and left, but she knows that he didn't mean to make her cry. She understands that it's not his heart but his mind, and he didn't mean to be unkind. In fact, he even woke her up to say goodbye, which shows that he didn't want to hurt her any more than he already had. Despite the pain that the woman is feeling, she knows that her partner didn't have any ill intentions and that he didn't want to leave her.
The lyrics of "He Even Woke Me To Say Goodbye" are raw, emotional, and heart-wrenching. They depict the pain that comes with losing someone you love, even if it's not their fault. This song is a testament to the fact that sometimes, even when we don't understand why someone has to leave, we must accept it and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning comes and Lord my mind is aching sunshine standing quietly at my door
As the morning arrives, I wake up with a heavy heart, feeling distressed and lonely, and the sun shines silently through my door.
Just like the dawn my heart is silently breaking
My heart is as broken and shattered as the dawn which silently marks the beginning of a new day.
With my tears it goes tumbling to the floor
I'm crying so much that my tears are falling to the floor, reflecting the state of my heart on the outside.
Once again the whole town will be talking Lord I've seen the pity that's in their eyes
The townsfolk will gossip about my sorrow, and I've already seen the pity in their eyes, which only add to my pain.
They could never understand it's his sorrow not another woman
The people in town will never understand that my partner left me because of his own pain and struggles, not because of another woman.
And no matter what they say I know he tried
Despite what people say or think, I know in my heart that he tried his best to stay and make things work.
Baby's packed everything and he's left me he's left me
My partner has left me and packed all of his things, leaving me to face the heartbreak and loneliness on my own.
And I know he didn't mean to make me cry
I'm sure my partner didn't intend to hurt me or make me cry, but his personal struggles were too much to bear.
It's not his heart Lord it's his mind he didn't mean to be unkind
His actions were not a reflection of his heart, but of his mental and emotional struggles, and he never meant to hurt me or be unkind.
Why he even woke me up to say goodbye goodbye baby
My partner even woke me up just to say goodbye, maybe because it was the only way he could bring himself to leave, but it still adds to my pain and heartbreak.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOUGLAS GILMORE, MICKEY NEWBURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Neely
Amazing!!! always love her voice :)
latokatn506
Super Job & Talent RIP
Richard Jimro
FINE JOB OF A TRADITIONAL SONG!!!
leon thecanteen
Micky Newbury wrote it mate
Avian
This is heart churning. ;'(