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.
Foolin' Around
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right from the start
So I'll take back my ring and I'll take back my heart
And when you're tired of foolin' around with two or three
Come on home and fool around with me.
I wasn't foolin' around the day I said I do
But many a night I wished that I had been a-foolin' too
I know it's foolish taking all this misery
I know that you've been foolin' around on me
Right from the start
So I'll take back my ring and I'll take back my heart
And when you're tired of foolin' around with two or three
Come on home and fool around with me.
[Instrumental]
So honey fool around. You know right where I'm at
Don't worry if I'm lonesome 'cause I'm used to that
And when you're tire of foolin' 'round with two or three
Then come on home and fool around with me
I know that you've been foolin' around on me
Right from the start
So I'll take back my ring and I'll take back my heart
And when you're tire of foolin' around with two or three
Come on home and fool around with me...
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's song Foolin' Around are about a man who knows his partner has been seeing other people, and he decides to leave her. He tells her he will take back his ring and his heart, but also that he will be waiting for her if she ever tires of "foolin' around" and wants to come back to him. The song has a melancholy yet hopeful tone, lamenting the situation but also leaving the door open for a possible reconciliation in the future.
The lyrics use the phrase "foolin' around" as a metaphor for infidelity, but also for the idea of being playful or carefree in a relationship. The singer acknowledges that he has not always been true to his partner either, and expresses regret for not allowing himself to have more fun and excitement. The chorus, with its repetition of the phrase "come on home and fool around with me," implies a desire to start over and rediscover the joy of being together, despite the difficulties that have come before.
The song has a traditional country sound, with twangy guitar and steady drums supporting Yoakam's smooth vocals. The instrumental break in the middle of the song is particularly notable for its playful, upbeat melody, which contrasts with the sadness of the lyrics. The song is a classic example of Yoakam's blend of classic country style and modern sensibility, with lyrics that are both heartfelt and sarcastic.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that you've been foolin' around on me
I am aware that you have been cheating on me
Right from the start
Since the beginning of our relationship
So I'll take back my ring and I'll take back my heart
I will retrieve both the wedding ring and my feelings from you
And when you're tired of foolin' around with two or three
When you are done cheating on multiple partners
Come on home and fool around with me
Consider continuing the relationship with me instead of cheating
I wasn't foolin' around the day I said I do
I was serious about being committed to you when we got married
But many a night I wished that I had been a-foolin' too
I have wished that I had cheated as well on several occasions
I know it's foolish taking all this misery
It may be foolish to continue being unhappy in this situation
But when it's you a fool I'll always be
I will always be foolish when it comes to you
So honey fool around. You know right where I'm at
If you want to cheat, you know where to find me
Don't worry if I'm lonesome 'cause I'm used to that
I am accustomed to feeling lonely, so do not be concerned
And when you're tire of foolin' 'round with two or three
When you are done cheating with other people
Then come on home and fool around with me
Return to our relationship instead of pursuing outside affairs
I know that you've been foolin' around on me
I am aware that you have been cheating on me
Right from the start
Since the beginning of our relationship
So I'll take back my ring and I'll take back my heart
I will retrieve both the wedding ring and my feelings from you
And when you're tire of foolin' around with two or three
When you are done cheating on multiple partners
Come on home and fool around with me
Consider continuing the relationship with me instead of cheating
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, TRAVELLERS HOLLOW MUSIC
Written by: Buck Owens, Harlan Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan
on Fast As You
Who is Sookie? I gotsta know!