Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, the son of Ruth Ann, a key-punch operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was raised in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Columbus's Northland High School in 1974. During his high school years, he excelled in both music and drama, regularly securing the lead role in school plays, such as "Charlie" in a stage version of Flowers for Algernon, honing his skills under the guidance of teacher-mentors Jerry McAfee (music) and Charles Lewis (drama). Outside of school, Yoakam sang and played guitar with local garage bands, and entertained his friends and classmates with his impersonations, such as Richard Nixon, who, at the time, was heavily embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended Ohio State University, but dropped out and moved to Nashville in 1977 with the intent of becoming a recording artist. Later on, Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, West Virginia awarded and presented Dwight with an honorary doctorate degree on May 7, 2005.
When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "urban cowboy" music, and Yoakam's brand of hip honky tonk music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles and worked towards bringing his particular brand of new Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he called it) forward into the 1980s. Writing all his own songs, and continuing to perform mostly outside traditional country music channels, Yoakam did many shows in rock and punk rock clubs around Los Angeles, playing with roots rock or punk rock acts like The Blasters (Yoakam scored a small video hit with his version of their song "Long White Cadillac"), Los Lobos, and X. This helped him diversify his audience beyond the typical country music fans, and his authentic, groundbreaking music is often credited with rock audiences accepting country music.
Yoakam's recording debut was the self-financed EP Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. on independent label Oak Records produced by lead-guitarist Pete Anderson; this was later re-released by Reprise records, with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. It launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man", a remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. His stylish video "Honky Tonk Man" was the first country music video ever played on MTV. The follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room, included his first No. 1, a duet with his musical idol, Buck Owens, on "Streets of Bakersfield". 1990's If There Was a Way was another best-seller.
Yoakam's song "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" pays tribute to his childhood move from Kentucky, and is named after a local expression describing the route that rural Kentuckians took to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S. Route 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus and Toledo, Ohio and through the automotive centers of Michigan.) Rather than the standard line that their elementary schools taught "the three Rs" of "Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic", Kentuckians used to say that the three Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and Route 23 North".
Johnny Cash once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak called him as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. Time Magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair declared that "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament." Along with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in 1999 and Presley's "Suspicious Minds" in 1992. He recorded a cover of The Clash's "Train in Vain" in 1997, a cover of the Grateful Dead song "Truckin'", as well as Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me". Yoakam has never been associated only with Country music; on many early tours, he played with Hardcore Punk bands like Hüsker Dü, and played many shows around Los Angeles with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 1960's, Blues-based "Boogie" like ZZ Top, and writing more adventurous songs like "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere". In 2003, he provided background vocals on Warren Zevon's last album The Wind.
In the 21st century, Yoakam released dwightyoakamacoustic.net, an album featuring solo acoustic versions of many of his hits; left his major label and started his own label.
2005 saw the release of Yoakam's well-reviewed album Blame the Vain, on New West Records. Yoakam also released an album dedicated to Buck Owens, Dwight Sings Buck, on October 23, 2007. His duet with Michelle Branch, a song titled "Long Goodbye", was released as a free download on Branch's official website in early 2011.
In July 2011, Yoakam re-signed with Warner Bros. Nashville and announced plans to release a new album. 3 Pears was released on September 18, 2012 with twelve new tracks. The album, produced by Yoakam, includes collaborations with Kid Rock, Beck, and Ashley Monroe. 3 Pears was released to resounding critical acclaim and earned Yoakam the highest-charting debut of his career on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Country Albums charts. 3 Pears reached #1 on the Americana Radio chart on October 29, 2012 and went on to break the 2012 record for most weeks at #1 on Americana Radio.[4] By the end of 2012, the album was named on annual best of lists by NPR, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, AOL's The Boot, Entertainment Weekly, The Village Voice, and Rhapsody, and has been included in more critic's "best of 2012" lists than any other artist in the country genre.
Yoakam won the Grammy Award for "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" in 1993 for the song "Ain't That Lonely Yet". He was also named "Artist of the Year" by CMT Europe in 1993 and given the International Touring Artist Award by CMA in 2007.
In 2011, Yoakam received the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award for his trailblazing achievements in the country music genre.
3 Good Reasons
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Number one is that I've forgotten number two
Number three is in a place that's been kept hidden
For so long I can't remember but it's true
Then I'll give you three more reasons for leavin'
Where the first no, weren't so bad as the next two
But rest assured that the third will leave you grieving
Every night, all night long
I sit and count alone
But every day, nothin's new
I can't find one and two
Every night, all night long
I sit right there and count alone
But every day, nothin's new
I can't find one and two
But I'll give you three good reasons for leavin'
Number one is that I've forgotten number two
Yeah, number one is that I've forgotten number two
Number one is that I've forgotten number two
The song "3 Good Reasons" by Dwight Yoakam is a melancholic country ballad that centers around the singer's decision to leave his lover. The opening lines of the song reveal that the singer cannot recall the second reason for leaving. However, the third reason is so painful that he has buried it deep inside himself. The ambiguity around the second reason indicates that the relationship may have become so damaged that the singer does not even remember why he wants to leave.
As the song progresses, the singer provides three more reasons to leave. The first two are less severe, but the third reason is hinted to be something terrible. The singer notes that the third reason is a story so tragic that it will make his lover grieve. The singer's inability to find "one and two" implies that he is struggling to understand his own emotions and motivations for ending the relationship.
The repetition of the lines "Every night, all night long, I sit and count alone. But every day, nothin's new" creates a sense of futility or stagnation in the singer's life, underscoring the emotional fatigue that has led him to this decision. Ultimately, the chorus repeats the opening lines of the song, emphasizing the singer's inability to recall the second reason for leaving. The circular structure of the song and the unresolved nature of the singer's feelings convey a sense of loss, regret, and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'll give you three good reasons for leavin'
I will provide you with three valid explanations for why I want to leave.
Number one is that I've forgotten number two
I cannot remember the second reason, which is a significant one.
Number three is in a place that's been kept hidden
The third motive is concealed somewhere and inaccessible.
For so long I can't remember but it's true
The third explanation is so old that I cannot recall it, but it is accurate.
Then I'll give you three more reasons for leavin'
I will present three additional justifications for my decision to depart.
Where the first no, weren't so bad as the next two
The initial motivation was not as terrible as the subsequent two reasons.
But rest assured that the third will leave you grieving
The third explanation will undoubtedly cause you great sadness.
From a tale that's as sad as it is true
The third reason originates from a tale that is both distressing and factual.
Every night, all night long
I spend each night for an extended period.
I sit and count alone
I sit by myself and ruminate.
But every day, nothin's new
There is no novelty or freshness each day.
I can't find one and two
I have no recollection or can't discover the first two reasons.
But I'll give you three good reasons for leavin'
Despite forgetting the first two reasons, I can still provide you with three valid explanations for leaving.
Number one is that I've forgotten number two
The primary reason is that I cannot recall the second reason.
Yeah, number one is that I've forgotten number two
Again, the primary explanation is my inability to remember the second one.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DWIGHT DAVID YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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