Jackson was still in high school when country singer Hank Thompson heard her sing on an Oklahoma City radio show and asked her to record with his band in 1954. She dated Elvis Presley, who encouraged her to step away from the country-tinged gospel she had been performing since childhood and try her hand at rock and roll. She developed her own distinctive voice and performed in a variety of styles, from folksy traditional tunes to country twang and high yodels to throaty, suggestive ballads. She was a prolific singer of songs with wry lyrics such as "Fujiyama Mama," which contained many references to the World War II bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; ironically, it became a #1 hit in Japan. Her biggest hit was 1959's "Let's Have a Party."
Jackson achieved great and continuing success throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has never found the same level of fame in her native United States. She toured with rock and roll pioneers such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly. She has been nominated for two Grammys, and has been awarded the Oklahoma Native Daughter Award. She has been inducted into the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the International Hall of Fame, the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and the German Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 2009 was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence.
A born-again Christian, Jackson and her husband/manager Wendell Goodman abandoned rock and roll in 1971 and spent the next 25 years performing gospel in churches.
In 1996, Jackson was invited by alt-country singer Rosie Flores to duet with her on an upcoming album. The two were so pleased with the results that Jackson joined Flores on a handful of promotional club dates which were soon extended into a five-week North American tour. Jackson, plesantly surprised to discover that she and her songs were known by a generation of rockabilly fans her grandchildren's age, soon assembled her own band and returned to clubs and festivals, where she continues to perform.
In recent years Jackson has recorded with such artists as The Cramps, Lee Rocker, Dave Alvin, and Elvis Costello. 2006 saw the release of a new Jackson album, I Remember Elvis.
In 2009, it was announced that Jackson would start work on new recordings with Jack White. The resulting album, The Party Ain't Over, was released on January 25, 2011. It included a cover of the Bob Dylan rockabilly song, "Thunder on the Mountain" and the Amy Winehouse song "You Know I'm No Good". On January 20, 2011, she performed with Jack White on The Late Show With David Letterman and again on January 25, 2011, on Conan.
Fallin'
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a star up in the blue,
Like I was fallin' off Niagara
In a paddle-boat canoe.
Mmm, I got to feelin' I'm a'fallin'
And it's all because of you.
Like I was walkin' on a tightrope,
And though I try to keep my balance
Yeah I weaken in the knees.
I got to feelin' I'm a'fallin'
Lover, help me please.
Like a leaf falls from a branch,
Like a rock-slide avalanche,
Like the rain on a stormy day,
I never thought I'd fall this way.
I thought that love could never touch me,
Yeah I was ridin' high
And then my ivory tower toppled
And I tumbled from the sky.
Mm, I got to feelin' I'm a'fallin'
You're the reason why.
Like Goliath when he met his foe,
Just like the walls of Jericho,
Like Delilah's home in town
When Samson tore it down.
I thought that love could never touch me,
Yeah I was ridin' high
And then my ivory tower toppled
And I tumbled from the sky.
Mm, I got to feelin' I'm a'fallin'
And you're the reason why,
Oh you're the reason why,
Lover you're the reason why,
Lover, lover you're the reason why...
In Wanda Jackson's song "Fallin'," the singer expresses the feeling of falling in love like a star falling in the blue sky or falling off Niagara in a paddleboat canoe. She feels like she's walking on a tightrope and swinging in the breeze, struggling to keep her balance, but eventually weakening in the knees. Despite her fear of falling, she admits that she's falling in love with someone, seeking their help in keeping her upright. The chorus compares her fall to a falling leaf off a branch, a rock-slide avalanche, or rain on a stormy day. She expresses surprise at how love can touch her and how her ivory tower has come crashing down. She compares herself to Goliath meeting his foe, the walls of Jericho, and Delilah's home in town when Samson tore it down.
Line by Line Meaning
I got to feelin' I'm a'fallin'
Starting to fall deeply in love
Like a star up in the blue,
Feeling like a shooting star twinkling in the sky
Like I was fallin' off Niagara
Experiencing a love so strong that it feels like falling off a huge waterfall
In a paddle-boat canoe.
Falling so hard, it feels like tumbling from a small boat in a huge waterfall
Mmm, I got to feelin' I'm a'fallin'
The feeling of helplessness in the face of love
And it's all because of you.
The cause of this feeling is the lover
Like I was walkin' on a tightrope,
Feeling like walking on a thin rope where one can fall to either side at any moment
Swingin' in the breeze,
Feeling unbalanced and shaken
And though I try to keep my balance
Despite trying to stay in control, falling in love is inevitable
Yeah I weaken in the knees.
It feels like the world is spinning and the knees can barely hold the weight
Lover, help me please.
Asking the lover to hold and steady the heart
Like a leaf falls from a branch,
Love is like natural falling of things from trees and mountains
Like a rock-slide avalanche,
Love is like an unstoppable event that will inevitably happen
Like the rain on a stormy day,
Love can happen when one is least expecting it, like a heavy downpour on a stormy day
I never thought I'd fall this way.
Love can happen in unusual and unexpected ways
I thought that love could never touch me,
Believing love was not even possible
Yeah I was ridin' high
Feeling on top of the world
And then my ivory tower toppled
Expectations and presumptions about love turned out to be false
And I tumbled from the sky.
Feeling like being plummeted to the ground
You're the reason why.
The lover is the reason for realizing that love was never impossible
Like Goliath when he met his foe,
This love feels like facing a giant
Just like the walls of Jericho,
Love can bring down one's defenses, creating a vulnerable state
Like Delilah's home in town
Like being uprooted from one's comfort zone
When Samson tore it down.
One can feel defenseless and exposed like Delilah when uprooted from one's zone of comfort
Oh you're the reason why,
The love for the other is what gave rise to these previously unknown feelings
Lover, lover you're the reason why...
Love is what causes the vulnerability and the feeling of falling.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howard Greenfield, Neil Sedaka
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind