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.
My Destiny
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Full of feeling I can't show
Hopeless love, what else for me?
Is this my destiny?
At night I toss and wonder
Why I must live while others die
The grave would be escape for me
I know God surely made for every man
Somewhere a maid
Someone stole my love from me
Is this my destiny?
At night I toss and wonder
Why I must live while others die
The grave would be escape for me
From this my destiny
Songwriters
CARTER
Published by
In Wanda Jay's song "My Destiny," the lyrics express a sense of despair and hopelessness in the face of life's challenges. The repeated line "Is this my destiny?" suggests a sense of fatalism and a belief that one's fate is predetermined. The singer feels cursed with sorrow, pain, and woe, unable to fully express the depth of her emotions. She has experienced a heartbreaking loss of love, and wonders why she must continue to live while others die. The idea of escape through death is present in the line "The grave would be escape for me."
The song also touches on the idea that every person is meant to find their soulmate, or "someone God surely made...somewhere a maid." The singer feels that this destiny has been stolen from her, perhaps through circumstances beyond her control. The overall mood of the song is one of resignation and melancholy, with a sense of longing for things that may never be.
Line by Line Meaning
Cursed with sorrow, pain and woe
I am burdened with an immense amount of sorrow, pain, and misery.
Full of feeling I can't show
I am overwhelmed by emotions that I cannot express outwardly.
Hopeless love, what else for me?
I am filled with despair and hopelessness as love seems impossible for me.
Is this my destiny?
I am uncertain if this is the predetermined course of my life.
At night I toss and wonder
During the night, I am restless and plagued with contemplation.
Why I must live while others die
I wonder why I must continue living while others have passed away.
The grave would be escape for me
I see death as a way to escape the troubles of my life.
From this my destiny
I believe that my current state is tied to my predetermined destiny.
I know God surely made for every man
Somewhere a maid
I believe that God has created a partner for every person.
Someone stole my love from me
Someone has taken away the love that I once had.
Is this my destiny?
Again, I question if my circumstances are predetermined.
At night I toss and wonder
My thoughts and worries keep me restless at night.
Why I must live while others die
This question still haunts me.
The grave would be escape for me
Death is still seen as an escape from my troubles.
From this my destiny
I cannot find a way to escape my predetermined fate.
Contributed by Cole C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tonylupo1764
Written by the great Helen Carter and was first released as a beautiful duet with Helen with her sister Anita Carter on Columbia records.