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.
I'd Be Ashamed
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let it ring but no one answered at all
I guess you were out with someone new
Did you forget I had a date with you
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
You're a little heartbreaker and you seem proud of it
Breaking hearts right left and you seem to just love it
Don't you know it might happen to you
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
Well I'd be ashamed for making me cry
I'd be ashamed for telling all the lies
But don't you know you can't play that game
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
You don't love me at all, you don't care if you show it
But I'm so much in love I don't care who knows it
You don't love me and it's plain to see
You're just a making a fool of me
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
Someday true love may come your way
But by then it might be a little too late
But they might leave you by yourself
They might leave you settin' on the shelf
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
Well I'd be ashamed
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
The song "I'd Be Ashamed" by Wanda Jackson is a classic example of a love song gone wrong. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who is calling her lover, but she receives no answer. She suspects that her lover is out with someone else and has forgotten their date. She states that if she were in her lover's place, she would be ashamed.
The song goes on to explain that the lover is a heartbreaker who is proud of it, and is breaking hearts right and left. The singer warns her lover that what goes around comes around, and one day she may find herself in the same situation. The singer is deeply in love with her lover, but it is not reciprocated. The lover does not care if she shows it, but the singer is in love and does not mind who knows.
The song ends with the singer warning her lover that someday true love may come her way, but it could be too late, and she may end up alone on a shelf. The lyrics are a classic example of a woman standing up for herself and warning her lover that the way she is treating her is not acceptable.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I picked up the phone to give you a call
I decided to call you on the phone
Let it ring but no one answered at all
I called you, but you didn't answer the phone
I guess you were out with someone new
I assume you were with someone else
Did you forget I had a date with you
You seem to have forgotten our agreed upon plans
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
I feel embarrassed and ashamed
You're a little heartbreaker and you seem proud of it
You have a habit of breaking hearts and it seems like you enjoy it
Breaking hearts right left and you seem to just love it
You break hearts often and you appear to take pleasure in it
Now don't you know it's not the same to do
You should know that it's not right to do so
Don't you know it might happen to you
You should be aware that it could happen to you too
Well I'd be ashamed for making me cry
I would feel ashamed for making me cry
I'd be ashamed for telling all the lies
I would feel ashamed for telling lies
But don't you know you can't play that game
You should know that you can't continue to act that way
You don't love me at all, you don't care if you show it
You don't love me and you don't care if it's obvious
But I'm so much in love I don't care who knows it
I'm deeply in love and I don't mind if anyone knows it
You don't love me and it's plain to see
It's obvious that you don't love me
You're just a making a fool of me
You're just making me look foolish
Someday true love may come your way
Perhaps one day you'll experience true love
But by then it might be a little too late
It might be too late by then
But they might leave you by yourself
Whoever you end up with might abandon you
They might leave you settin' on the shelf
They might leave you alone and unwanted
Ah ah ah oh yeah I'd be ashamed
I feel embarrassed and ashamed
Well I'd be ashamed
I would feel ashamed
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Davis
The first part of this tune is Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues