Wanda Jackson (born Wanda Lavonne Jackson, October 20, 1937 in Maud, Oklaho… Read Full Bio ↴Wanda Jackson (born Wanda Lavonne Jackson, October 20, 1937 in Maud, Oklahoma) is an American rock and roll singer. Having made her debut recordings at the age of nineteen, she became one of the first popular female rock and roll singers in history and as a result, a pioneering and influential figure in female musicianship. She is known as the "Queen (or First Lady) of Rockabilly."

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 Betcha My Heart I Love You
Wanda Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I betcha my heart I love ye I betcha my dreams are of ye
That's why I sing so loud I'm floatin' on the cloud I betcha my heart I love ye

I woke up this morning so early remembered your hair was curly
I rolled over and then I dreamed of you again I betcha my heart I love ye (yodel)
[ guitar ]
I'm out of this world I betcha it started the day I metcha
When you're close to me it's just like TNT I betcha my heart I love ye

Well I betcha my heart I love ye... (yodel)

Overall Meaning

The song "I Betcha My Heart I Love You" by Wanda Jackson And The Party Timers is a love song about the singer's love for someone. In the first verse, the singer expresses their love for the person and how their dreams and heart are filled with thoughts of them. The singer is so happy and in love that they sing about it loudly and feel like they are floating on a cloud.

In the second verse, the singer wakes up early and thinks about the person they love. They dream about them and yodel to express their happiness. The last verse is about how the singer feels out of this world because of their love for the person. They believe that the day they met was the day their world changed, and when they are close to each other, it feels explosive like TNT. The chorus repeats the same "I betcha my heart I love ye" line, emphasizing the singer’s deep affection for their loved one.

Overall, the song is a joyful and upbeat expression of love, and the carefree yodeling adds to the cheerful mood. The singer’s optimistic tone suggests that their love for this person is a source of happiness that makes them feel like they are floating on air.

Line by Line Meaning

I betcha my heart I love ye
I am absolutely sure that my heart is in love with you.

I betcha my dreams are of ye
My dreams are filled with thoughts of you, giving me happiness.

That's why I sing so loud
I express my love for you by singing loudly and joyously.

I'm floatin' on the cloud
My love for you makes me feel like I am floating on a cloud, with a sense of contentment with nothing else mattering.

I woke up this morning so early
I woke up very early in the morning.

Remembered your hair was curly
I remembered your curly hair in my thoughts.

I rolled over and then I dreamed of you again
I dreamt of you again, right after you were in my thoughts.

I'm out of this world
The love I feel for you is exceptional and unmatched.

I betcha it started the day I metcha
My love for you began on the day we first met.

When you're close to me it's just like TNT
When you are near me, there is an explosive energy between us that I feel in my heart.

Well I betcha my heart I love ye... (yodel)
My love for you is so strong and true, that I yodel to emphasize it.