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 Really Want You To Know
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many arms have held me
And hated to let me go
How many, I'll tell you the answer
'Cause I really want you to know.
Other arms have held me
But now they have all been forgotten
Since the day that I learned to love you.
I didn't know of true love
To me it was just a game
But I only belong to you love
So I am not ashamed.
No reason to keep a secret
What happened long ago
Don't wonder, my darling, don't wonder
'Cause I really want you to know...
In Skeeter Davis's song "I Really Want You To Know," the singer reflects on her past experiences with love and confesses her devotion to her current partner. She asks, "How many arms have held me and hated to let me go?" showing that she has had many relationships in the past. However, she wants to make it clear that her previous romantic experiences are in the past, as "now they have all been forgotten since the day that I learned to love you."
The singer admits that she used to view love as just a game, but her partner has shown her what true love is, and she belongs to them completely. She emphasizes that there is "no reason to keep a secret" about her past, as she wants to reassure her partner and make it clear that they are the only one for her.
Overall, "I Really Want You to Know" is a heartfelt declaration of love and commitment, acknowledging past mistakes but ultimately showing the importance of the current relationship. The song emphasizes the power of love to transform and inspire people, and the importance of being honest about one's past.
Line by Line Meaning
How many arms have held me
In the past, I have been with other people.
And hated to let me go
Those people were not happy about ending things with me.
How many, I'll tell you the answer
If you want to know how many people I've been with, I'll tell you.
'Cause I really want you to know.
I want to be honest with you about my past.
Other arms have held me
I've had other people touch me and hold me.
And others have kissed me too
I've also received kisses from other people.
But now they have all been forgotten
I don't think about those people anymore.
Since the day that I learned to love you.
I only think about you now that I've fallen in love with you.
I didn't know of true love
In the past, I didn't understand what it meant to truly love someone.
To me it was just a game
I treated love as something trivial and unimportant.
But I only belong to you love
Now that I'm with you, I'm committed to you and no one else.
So I am not ashamed.
I'm not embarrassed by my past and I want to be transparent with you.
No reason to keep a secret
I don't see any reason to hide the truth from you.
What happened long ago
The things that happened in the past are over and done with.
Don't wonder, my darling, don't wonder
I don't want you to speculate or worry about my past relationships.
'Cause I really want you to know...
I want to be honest with you and share everything with you.
Contributed by Anna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marfoburing155
I'm 70 years old now and this song it's my very sentimental song.
Thank you very much.
@TimoniumGuy
My favorite female country singer. Miss her
@chingin2245
She makes my day when I am lonely and blue.She is a great singer.
@everlynchenda3352
I love your songs
@johnkinsley742
What a wonderful country classic by Skeeter ,RIP.
@amedeovotta7885
Stupenda canzone e l'interprete
@romeonelwan
My childhood sweet memories with her songs...If only I could turn back the time..
@helenlahai8697
Never get tired of this singer song
@janetdorothyneoretnam4575
Me too
@ApaiSai
Really sentimental and touching. Melts my heart each time I listen to it. Beautiful to past an evening alone. Love it.