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.
SWEET DREAMS
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Writer Don Gibson
Sweet dreams of you Every night I go through Why can't I forget you and start my life anew Instead of having sweet dreams about you You don't love me, it's plain I should know I'll never wear your ring I should hate you the whole night through Instead of having sweet dreams about you Sweet dreams of you Things I know can't come true Why can't I forget the past, start loving someone new Instead of having sweet dreams about you
In "Sweet Dreams," Wanda Jackson laments her inability to move on from a failed relationship. She dreams of her former lover every night, despite knowing that he no longer loves her and that their relationship will never work. The hopelessness of the situation is palpable in lines like "Things I know can't come true" and "I should hate you the whole night through." Despite her best efforts to forget about her ex and find someone new, she can't seem to let go of the past.
The song reflects a universal human experience: the struggle to move on from someone we once loved deeply. It's a poignant reminder that, no matter how much we want to forget the past and start fresh, some memories and emotions are hard to shake. The mood of the song is one of resignation and longing, tinged with a sense of regret and sadness. In the end, Jackson knows that she will have to continue living with her sweet dreams of her ex, unable to fully move on and start anew.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet dreams of you
I can't help but dream about you every night
Every night I go through
Every night, my mind is plagued with thoughts of you
Why can't I forget you and start my life anew
I want to move on and forget about you, but I can't seem to do it
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
I wish I could dream about something else
You don't love me, it's plain I should know
I know you don't love me, and it's obvious
I'll never wear your ring
I'll never be your wife
I should hate you the whole night through
I should hate you for how you've hurt me, but I can't help but think about you
Things I know can't come true
I know things between us could never work out
Why can't I forget the past, start loving someone new
I wish I could move on from you and find someone new to love
Instead of having sweet dreams about you
I wish I could dream about something else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Don Gibson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind