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'm A Believer
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I couldn't leave her if I tried
No not if I tried
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What's the use in tryin'
All you get is pain
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I'm in love and I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
Not if I tried
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
What's the use of trying
All you get is pain
When I wanted sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I'm in love and I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
No not if I tried
Not if I tried, no
'Cause I'm a believer
Yes I'm a believer
The lyrics to Wanda Jackson's song "I'm A Believer" tell the story of someone who has given up on love, believing it only exists in fairy tales and is not meant for them. They have experienced disappointment and pain, feeling as though love is out to get them. However, when they see the face of the person they are in love with, all doubt disappears from their mind and they become a believer. They realize that love is not about giving in hopes of getting something in return, but rather a feeling that is unmatched and cannot be forced. They are so in love that they couldn't leave their partner even if they tried.
The lyrics speak to the power of love and the transformation that can happen when one finds the right person. The disappointment and pain that was once felt is replaced with happiness and fulfillment. The song also represents the common theme of hope and persistence, exemplifying the idea that even when things don't seem to be going our way, love can still find a way.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought love was only true in fairy tales
I used to think that love was something that only existed in stories and not in real life.
Meant for someone else but not for me
I believed that love could happen for other people, but not for me personally.
Love was out to get me
It seemed like love was intentionally trying to harm me or keep me from finding happiness.
That's the way it seemed
This is how I perceived and interpreted my experiences with love.
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
I was constantly let down and disappointed when it came to romantic relationships, even in my dreams.
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
But then I met someone special and everything changed. Now, I truly believe in love.
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I have no doubts or uncertainties about my feelings for this person, and about whether or not love is real.
I'm in love, and I'm a believer
I have fallen in love, and I wholeheartedly believe in the existence and power of love.
I couldn't leave her if I tried
I am so committed and devoted to this person that I couldn't imagine ever leaving them, no matter what.
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
I used to believe that in order to receive love, I had to give love first.
Seems the more I gave the less I got
But the more I tried to give love, the less love I seemed to receive in return.
What's the use in tryin'
This made me feel defeated and wondering what the point of trying was at all.
All you get is pain
Instead of happiness and love, all my efforts seemed to bring me was emotional pain and suffering.
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Whenever I was hoping for happiness and positivity, I ended up experiencing negativity and sadness instead.
Not if I tried
No matter how hard I may try, there is no way I could ever leave this person who has changed my entire view on love.
'Cause I'm a believer
I now have complete faith and trust in the power of love and its ability to transform a person's life.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Neil Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
carolyn keck
I love this song. I recently acquired this album from my grandparents when they cleaned out their records I love it.
musicsurvives
Cool song :D
Jruus1
Me too! I added that to the description now, thank you for telling me about it. :-) -Jonathan