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.
Does It Show
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Does it show that I'm trying not to cry?
Does it show that he's the reason why?
Does it show that every smile is a lie?
Does it show even when I am discreet?
Does it show I fall right down at her feet?
All on its own, my heart lets me know I'm love's biggest clown
Please, tell me honestly
Am I fooling anyone
Or is the truth kinda hard not to see?
In ways that I'll never know, does it show?
Please, say it's not too late
So I can stop while there's still time
An' avoid me some small bit of ache
Does it show with each flickering memories final glow?
As night's cold shadows wrap around where hope let go
An' I sit there in the dark, does it show?
In this song, Dwight Yoakam portrays the inner turmoil of a person who is hiding their pain and heartbreak behind a facade of outward calmness. The repetition of the lyrics "Does it show?" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's anxiety and self-doubt, as they wonder if their true feelings are evident to others despite their efforts to conceal them. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and resignation, as the singer acknowledges that their love is unrequited and they are unable to escape the pain it brings.
The line "All on its own, my heart lets me know I'm love's biggest clown" speaks to the universal experience of feeling foolish and vulnerable when in love, while "Does it show even when I am discreet?" conveys the desperation and futility of trying to hide one's true emotions. The chorus's plea to "tell me honestly" highlights the doubt and uncertainty that the singer feels, wondering if they are fooling anyone or if their heartache is painfully obvious to everyone around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Does it show as I watch her walking by?
Am I visibly affected as I watch her pass by?
Does it show that I'm trying not to cry?
Is it evident that I'm struggling to hold back tears?
Does it show that he's the reason why?
Is it clear that he's the reason for my pain?
Does it show that every smile is a lie?
Can people see that my smiles are insincere?
Does it show even when I am discreet?
Is it apparent even when I'm trying to be subtle?
Does it show I fall right down at her feet?
Is it obvious that I'm completely infatuated?
All on its own, my heart lets me know I'm love's biggest clown
My heart tells me that I'm foolishly in love.
Do you think that shows even when no one is around?
Is it possible that my feelings are evident when no one else is present?
Please, tell me honestly
I need you to be truthful
Am I fooling anyone
Do you believe that I'm successfully hiding my emotions?
Or is the truth kinda hard not to see?
Is it unlikely that anyone could overlook the truth?
In ways that I'll never know, does it show?
Could there be signs that I'm completely unaware of?
Please, say it's not too late
I hope it's not too late to change things
So I can stop while there's still time
I want to stop before it's too late
An' avoid me some small bit of ache
To prevent myself from experiencing more pain
Does it show with each flickering memories final glow?
Can people see that my memories still haunt me?
As night's cold shadows wrap around where hope let go
When darkness falls and I'm left feeling hopeless
An' I sit there in the dark, does it show?
Is it obvious that I'm feeling lost and alone?
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DWIGHT DAVID YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan
on Fast As You
Who is Sookie? I gotsta know!