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.
Missing You
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Missing you missing you and only you what can I do missing you
In my dreams I feel you laying next to me
But the morning sun wakes up the loneliness in me
Missing you missing you and only you what can I do missing you
Was leaving me easy to do was someone somewhere waiting for you
If this is what you wanted to do all I ask is a reason from you
Walkin' the floor tryin' to keep my soul from wanting you
Missing you missing you and only you what can I do missing you hmm
The lyrics to Wanda Jackson's "Missing You" express the intense pain and longing that someone feels after a breakup. The opening lines, "Never knew what hurtin' was until today / never thought that I could ever feel this way" capture the shock and disbelief that the singer feels when they realize how much they are hurting. Despite the fact that they may have experienced heartbreak before, this time feels different.
Throughout the song, the singer talks about how much they miss their ex-partner, and how much they wish they could be together again. They dream of their ex lying next to them, but the morning only brings loneliness. Everywhere they look, there are reminders of their former love, making it impossible to forget. The chorus repeats the simple but powerful message: "Missing you, missing you, and only you / what can I do, missing you." The singer feels utterly helpless, unable to do anything but long for their lost love.
The second half of the song focuses more on the circumstances of the breakup. The lines "Was leaving me easy to do / was someone somewhere waiting for you" suggest that the singer is struggling to understand why their ex chose to leave. They want an explanation, some kind of closure, but are left with nothing. Despite all the pain and hurt they feel, they still long for their ex, unable to shake the memories and feelings that still linger.
Overall, "Missing You" is a heartfelt and deeply emotional song about the pain of heartbreak and the longing for a lost love. The lyrics capture the rawness and intensity of those feelings, making it a powerful and relatable song for anyone who has experienced a similar kind of loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Never knew what hurtin' was until today never thought that I could ever feel this way
I've never experienced such deep emotional pain before, and I never believed that I could ever feel this way.
Missing you missing you and only you what can I do missing you
I miss you so much that you're the only thing on my mind, and I don't know what to do without you.
In my dreams I feel you laying next to me
When I dream, I imagine that you're lying next to me so that I don't feel so alone.
But the morning sun wakes up the loneliness in me
When I wake up to the morning sun, the loneliness I feel is so profound, it almost hurts.
Was leaving me easy to do was someone somewhere waiting for you
Did you leave me because it was an easy thing for you to do, or was there someone else waiting for you?
If this is what you wanted to do all I ask is a reason from you
If leaving me is truly what you wanted, I just want an explanation from you so that I can understand.
Walkin' the floor tryin' to keep my soul from wanting you
I'm pacing back and forth, trying to distract myself from the overwhelming desire I feel for you.
And everywhere I look there's something else to remind me of you
No matter where I look or what I do, there's always something that reminds me of you, making the pain even worse.
Missing you missing you and only you what can I do missing you hmm
I can't shake the feeling of missing you, and I don't know what I can do to make it go away.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DALE E. NOE, RED SOVINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind