Mary Frances Penick was born on December 30, 1931 in the small Appalachian town of Dry Ridge, Kentucky. As a child, her grandfather nicknamed her "Skeeter" because she was always active and buzzing around like a mosquito. She got her start in music as part of the duo, The Davis Sisters, along with childhood friend, Betty Jack Davis. Thus, Skeeter Davis was born to the rest of the world.
The Davis Sisters sang in the local Lexington, Kentucky area and appeared on local radio WLAX in 1949. From there, they earned radio and television appearances in Detroit, Cincinnati and Wheeling, WV, where they were part of the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree.
In 1952, Skeeter and Betty Jack recorded for Fortune, but won a recording contract with RCA the following year and achieved their first chart success. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" went to number one on the U.S. country chart and number eighteen on the U.S. pop chart.
Sadly, on August 23, 1953, Skeeter and Betty Jack were involved in a serious car accident in which Betty Jack died and Skeeter was critically injured. It took Skeeter more than a year to recover both physically and mentally. With great difficulty and a lot of persuasion, Skeeter returned to singing with Betty Jack's sister, Georgia Davis, to briefly resume the Davis Sisters' act. But, within a year, the duo broke up and Skeeter pursued a solo career.
She continued to record on the RCA label where she worked with Eddy Arnold and Elvis Presley. In 1955, she toured for RCA on the Caravan of the Stars. Davis teamed up with producer, Chet Atkins and scored her first solo country chart hit in 1958 with "Lost To A Geisha Girl." This was during a time when the female acts were surging forward with "response" songs to some of the biggest hits by male artists. As Kitty Wells had answered Hank Thompson's "Honky Tonk Angels," with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" in 1952, Skeeter Davis put out this answer to Hank Locklin's "Geisha Girl."
A few years later, Davis recorded another answer to a Hank Locklin song and gained another huge hit. Locklin sang "Please Help Me I'm Falling" and Davis' response was, "I Can't Help You, I'm Falling Too."
In 1959, Davis achieved one of her greatest ambitions when she moved to Nashville and became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1960, she married WSM personality, Ralph Emery, but the tumultuous marriage ended in 1964.
During the 1960's, Davis was one of RCA's most successful country artists. She harvested 26 U.S. country hits, 12 of which crossed over to the U.S. pop charts. Among these was what was to become her trademark song, the million-selling record "The End Of The World" which peaked at number two in both the U.S. country and pop charts in 1963. She also earned her only UK chart presence with "The End Of The World" which topped out at number eighteen in only thirteen weeks on the chart.
Davis has also acheived songwriting success. Her co-written song "Set Him Free" became her first country Top 10 hit in 1959. She also co-wrote "My Last Date" with Boudleaux Bryant and Floyd Cramer. Cramer, famed pianist and member of the original A-team, recorded it as an instrumental solo and had a million-selling record on it in 1960.
During the 60's and 70's, Davis toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Far East. Her solo career started to wane in the 70's, but she still had several more hits such as "Bus Fare To Kentucky," "I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter," and "One Tin Soldier." Her duets with Bobby Bare, George Hamilton IV, and The Bee Gees gave her a few more hits, but by the mid-70's, Davis was reaching the end of her illustrious career. She ended her twenty-two year relationship with RCA in 1974 and charted her last hit for Mercury in 1976 with "I Love Us."
In 1967, Davis recorded a tribute album to Buddy Holly, which featured Waylon Jennings on the guitar. Later in 1972, she also did a tribute album to her friend, Dolly Parton. In 1985, she re-recorded an old Davis Sisters' hit, "May You Never Be Alone," with the group NRBQ. She married Joey Spampanito of NRBQ, but this marriage ultimately ended in divorce as well.
In 1973, Davis was dropped from the Grand Ole Opry's roster due to her strong criticisms of the Nashville Police Department during one of her performances. Her membership was later reinstated.
Davis has also taken to writing about her real life experiences. Her autobiography, "Bus Fare To Kentucky," was published in 1993. Davis pulls no punches in this brutally honest account of her life. She tells how she endured a family history of alcoholism, incest and murder. She also tells her side of the story regarding her four year marriage to Ralph Emery, following the heavy criticism which she received in Emery's autobiography. In 1997, she co-wrote a children's Christmas book, entitled "The Christmas Note," based on her own childhood.
Skeeter Davis passed away September 19th 2004 after a long battle with cancer.
Written by Sherry Anderson. June 2001
* Article appears courtesy of www.countrypolitan.com
I Honestly Love You
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Actually, "If I'm Still In Love With You" is not a part of Skeeter Davis's song "I Honestly Love You." "If I'm Still In Love With You" is a song originally recorded by American country musician George Jones, then later covered by Wanda Jackson and various other artists. However, I can still provide some interpretation on the lyrics.
The lyrics of "If I'm Still In Love With You" explore the complicated emotions of moving on from a failed relationship. The singer is trying to start over with someone new, but they can't help wondering if they're truly over their previous love. The line "It's just the memories that linger on" shows how difficult it is to move on when the past keeps coming back to haunt you. The singer then asks for forgiveness from their new partner if they can't fully commit yet, saying "I'm sorry if I can't forget..."
The song speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move on from it. Even when we think we've left the past behind, memories can pop up unexpectedly and make us second-guess ourselves. It also highlights the importance of communication and honesty in new relationships; the singer admits their lingering feelings instead of pretending everything is fine.
Line by Line Meaning
If I'm still in love with you
If I'm still feeling the same way towards you as I did before
When I look into your eyes
When I gaze deeply into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
I can sense a love that is held back or controlled
But darlin', when I hold you
But my love, when I embrace you
Don't you know I feel the same
Don't you understand that my love for you remains unchanged
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Because nothing stays constant or eternal
And we both know hearts can change
And we both recognize that emotions can shift or transform
And it's hard to hold a candle
And it's difficult to compare or match
In the cold November rain
During the chilly and gloomy month of November
We've been through this such a long, long time
We have experienced this situation for a considerable period of time
Just tryin' to kill the pain
Just attempting to alleviate or lessen the hurt
But lovers always come and lovers always go
But romantic partners frequently appear and disappear
An no one's really sure who's lettin' go today
And nobody knows for sure who is ending the relationship today
Walking away
Moving on from the situation
If we take the time to lay it on the line
If we take a moment to be honest and forthright
I could rest my head just knowin' that you were mine
I could have peace of mind just knowing you are my partner
All mine
Exclusively mine, belonging to me
So, if you want to love me
So, if you want to have a romantic relationship with me
Then darlin', don't refrain
Then my love, don't hold back or resist
Or I'll just end up walkin'
Otherwise, I will eventually move on from this situation
In the cold November rain
During the chilly and gloomy month of November
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GravityAngel
0:14 Maybe I'll hang around here
A little more than I should.
We both know I got somewhere else to go.
But I got something to tell you
That I never thought I would,
But I believe you really ought to know
I love you
I honestly love you
0:58 You don't have to answer,
I see it in your eyes.
And maybe it was better left unsaid.
This is pure and simple,
And you must realize
That it's coming from my heart and not my head.
I love you
I honestly love you
1:41 I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable,
I'm not trying to make you anything at all,
But this feeling doesn't come along everyday,
And you shouldn't blow the chance
When you've got the chance to say...
I love you
I love you
I honestly love you
2:32 If we both were born
In another place and time
This moment might be ending in a kiss.
But there you are with yours
And here I am with mine.
So I guess we'll just be ending it at this.
I love you
I honestly love you
I honestly love you