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.
Wasted
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wasted a love so true I've wasted all the love I had for you
Wasted a lovin' heart my hands were tied right from the start
Your carefree heart will never see just what this wasted love has done to me
It's made me cry it's made me lonely it makes me sad why love's disarrayed
Wasted years and years wasted tears and tears
Wasted love that was to be now all I have is wasted memory
It's made me cry...
The lyrics to Wanda Jackson's song Wasted are about the pain of unrequited love and how it can lead to wasted time, wasted heart, and wasted memories. The singer laments about the nights spent alone, the tears cried, and the love that was true but not reciprocated. The singer feels like their hands were tied from the beginning because the object of their affection had a carefree heart and will never understand what their wasted love has done to them. The repeated line "it's made me cry" emphasizes the emotional toll that unrequited love can have on a person.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of time and how it can be wasted when investing in a love that doesn't come to fruition. The reference to "wasted years and years" and "wasted tears and tears" shows that the singer feels like they've lost precious time and energy on a love that was never going to work out. The song ends on a somber note as the singer realizes that all they're left with is a "wasted memory".
Overall, the lyrics to Wasted are beautifully written and evoke a strong emotional response in the listener. They remind us of the pain that unrequited love can cause and how it can lead to a sense of wasted time and energy.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasted lonely nights wasted times I cry
The countless empty nights and pointless times I've spent alone, crying over us
Wasted a love so true I've wasted all the love I had for you
I've completely squandered the genuine love I felt for you, leaving me with nothing left to give
Wasted a lovin' heart my hands were tied right from the start
My loving heart was wasted because I was unable to change the course of our doomed relationship from the very beginning
Your carefree heart will never see just what this wasted love has done to me
Your carefree heart will never comprehend how this wasted love has affected and hurt me
Wasted years and years wasted tears and tears
Countless years and endless tears have been squandered on a love that didn't work out
Wasted love that was to be now all I have is wasted memory
The love that was meant to be has now turned into nothing but a regrettable and heartbreaking memory
It's made me cry...
The pain caused by this wasted love has led me to tears and deep sadness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOM JACKSON, WANDA JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
blueputtee
Very nice!!!!
Thomas Roche
This (in my opinion) was her best.
kosabillys rockabilly
muy buen audio gracias saludos desde monterrey ,mexico
habsfan1236
one of her best along with I cried
Danny B
Pretty cool Wanda got the privilege of touring with Elvis Presley (1955)
Wade Raney
Like a Hank Williams song,sounds like such!!!!
Gaston 76
This song was written by Wanda Jackson and Tom Jackson : is Tom Jackson her father ?
Sharon Boyd
Patsy Cline