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.

You Don't Know Baby
Wanda Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You don't know how much I love you
You don't know how much I care
You don't know how much I need you
Without you life I can't bear

You don't know, baby, you don't know, baby
You don't know baby, no you don't
You don't know baby, no you don't

No you can't know how feel

The flame that you left is still burning
Burning down deep in my soul
When I think of all of your loving and kissing
It's you I wanna hold

You don't know baby

All of my friends say
I'm crazy for actin' the way that I do
But I just can't help myself
'Cause I'm still in love with you

And you don't know baby

No you don't, no you can't know how feel

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Wanda Jackson's song "You Don't Know Baby" express the deep love and need the singer has for her partner, despite feeling like he doesn't understand the extent of her emotions. The opening lines emphasize the depth of her feelings, saying that her partner doesn't know how much she loves them, cares for them, and needs them in her life. The repetition of the phrase "you don't know, baby" reinforces the idea that the singer's partner is not fully aware of her emotional state.

The second verse compares the lingering flame of the singer's love for her partner to a fire burning deep in her soul. She reminisces about past memories of their love, particularly holding and kissing each other, demonstrating her desire to be with him again. The final verse reveals that the singer's friends see her as crazy for still harboring these feelings, but she cannot help herself because she still loves him.

Overall, the song is a heart-wrenching ode to unrequited love and the pain of having deep feelings for someone who does not fully understand or reciprocate them.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't know how much I love you
You have no idea the extent of my love for you

You don't know how much I care
You don't realize how much I worry and look after you

You don't know how much I need you
I am dependent on you and can't be without you

Without you life I can't bear
My life is incomplete and unbearable without you

You don't know, baby, you don't know, baby
You have no clue, my dear, absolutely none at all

You don't know baby, no you don't
You aren't aware, no you aren't

No you can't know how feel
You are unable to grasp the depth of my emotions

The flame that you left is still burning
The passion you ignited in me still exists

Burning down deep in my soul
It's a fire that's consuming me from within

When I think of all of your loving and kissing
Memories of your affection fill my mind

It's you I wanna hold
You're the only one I yearn to embrace