We’ve all been there: you’re spending time with a couple who are currently (or, in some cases, always) fighting, bickering, and picking at one another. There’s no way to call them out for their passive-aggressive behavior without making things worse, so you just sit there, hoping that they’ll stop their chiding soon. Edward Albee distilled this universally uncomfortable experience into the 1962 stage play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Shortly thereafter, songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler took that distillation and turned it into “Jackson”.
Although Wheeler was the first performer to record the track with Berea, Kentucky, singer Joan Sommer, the most notable version is undoubtedly Johnny Cash and June Carter’s red-hot duet from 1967. From their Southern drawls to their straightforward, biting vocals, Cash and Carter masterfully exemplified the trope of an exhausted, disillusioned couple trying their best to get through a rough patch.
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“We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,” the song begins. “We’ve been talking ‘bout Jackson ever since the fire went out.” From the first line, the listener knows that this isn’t about to be a romantic duet about how love can overcome all obstacles. And for that one-two punch lyrical choice, we have Jerry Leiber—one half of the iconic songwriting duo that came up with hits like “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock”, among others—to thank.
How ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ Turned Into “Jackson”
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which references the Three Little Pigs song, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf”, focuses on the stereotypical aforementioned couple—the one that can’t seem to put their bickering to the side, even when other people are present. Although Billy Edd Wheeler was “too broke” to watch the show when it came out on Broadway, he read the script, and the couple’s dynamic intrigued him. “You know, the way the man and woman go at each other,” Wheeler later wrote. This contentious dynamic lit the spark for “Jackson”.
Next, Jerry Leiber came in to stoke the fire some more. “When I played it for Jerry, he said, ‘Your first verses suck,’ or words to that effect. ‘Throw them away, and start the song with your last verse, ‘We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout.’ When I protested to Jerry that I couldn’t start the song with the climax, he said, ‘Oh, yes, you can.’ So, I rewrote the song. And thanks to Jerry’s editing and help, it worked.”
Cash and his wife, June Carter, released their version of “Jackson” in February 1967. The song became a staple in their live performances and even won the couple the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Performance Duet, Trio or Group. The song’s success proved that no matter how awkward watching two people fight may be, when the music hits just right—and the gossip becomes just juicy enough—people are willing to deal with the heat if it’s coming from some piping hot tea.
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