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 Win Again
Wanda Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know that I should not complain I love you still you win again
This heart of mine could never see what everybody knew but me
Just trusting you was my great sin what can I do you win again
[ steel ]
I'm sorry for your victim now for soon her head like mine will bow
She'll give his heart but all in vain and someday say you win again
You have no heart you have no shame you take true love and give the blame
In Wanda Jackson's song, "You Win Again," the singer is expressing her heartbreak and resignation after learning that her partner has been unfaithful. The opening lines reveal that the news of her partner's infidelity has spread throughout the town. The singer acknowledges that she shouldn't complain about her partner's actions, despite her deep love for them. She then reflects on her own blindness to her partner's deceit: "This heart of mine could never see / what everybody knew but me."
The singer's trust in her partner proves to be her "great sin" because it ultimately leads to her heartbreak. Despite this pain, the singer still loves her partner and cannot bring herself to hate them. The steel guitar that accompanies the song reinforces the melancholic and regretful tone of the lyrics. The closing lines reveal that the singer empathizes with her partner's other victim, who will soon experience the same heartbreak, and implies that the cycle of betrayal will repeat itself: "She'll give his heart but all in vain / and someday say you win again."
Overall, the song is a reflection on the destructive power of infidelity and the pain that it can inflict on those involved. The singer acknowledges her own mistakes in trusting her partner blindly but ultimately remains somewhat resigned to her fate.
Line by Line Meaning
The news is out all over town that you've been seen out running round
Everyone in town knows that you have been unfaithful
I know that I should not complain I love you still you win again
Even though I love you, I know I shouldn't complain because you keep breaking my heart
This heart of mine could never see what everybody knew but me
I was blinded by love and didn't see that you were cheating on me, although everyone else knew
Just trusting you was my great sin what can I do you win again
I trusted you, but that was a mistake. You keep winning by betraying my trust
[ steel ]
Instrumental
I'm sorry for your victim now for soon her head like mine will bow
I feel sorry for the next person you hurt, because she will also suffer the same way I did
She'll give his heart but all in vain and someday say you win again
She will love you, but it will be a wasted effort because you will betray her as well, causing her to say 'you win again'
You have no heart you have no shame you take true love and give the blame
You have no compassion and take real love for granted, while making others feel like they're at fault
Just trusting you was my great sin I love you still you win again
Even though my mistake was trusting you, I still love you, but you continue to hurt me
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@miltonmoore7898
Stopped by to
love me a little
Wanda Jackson! All
these great songs she rec-
corded are bit-
tersweet because I think
of so many great ones she
never recorded,
and she has not
the great voice
she once had, so it's over.(sniff.)
@johnsey6269
This song has been done by soooo many - but Wandaβs version is a classic - you go girl !!!!
@hillbillymusic
Great songwriter. Great song. Great voice. Simple arrangement that compliments and does not drown out her performance. A lesson for today's artists perhaps. Keep it simple. This is great stuff!
@samvonshmam625
Would love to hear a duet with Hank and Wanda - Both having such strong melodic voices...what could have been
@edwardpeterson1634
Wanda is so fantastic.
@Morten_Nielsen1979
Music does not get any better than this.
@samvonshmam625
Not many can do justice to a song of Hanks...what a voice...
@jweaver9242
What a tremendous voice!
@michaelsix9684
I gotta learn this song, it's incredible and so moving for our times--so glad Wanda recorded it
@najponkjazz9111
Great record!!!! Wanda and Hank Williams forever!!!!
@patkeeler6645
Agree