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.
Give Back The Key To My Heart
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Throw it down or just let it fall so that you can watch me crawl
Take back your T.V. it don't mean that much to me
But before the room goes dark give back the key to my heart
Give back the key to my heart
Give back the key to my heart
While your old friend cocaine avoids the slightest blame
He drained the life from your face and then he slowly took my place
But before what's over starts give back the key to my heart
Give back the key to my heart
Give back the key to my heart
Give back the key to my heart
Give back the key to my heart
Take my picture off the wall it don't matter to me at all
Throw it down or let it fall so that you can watch me crawl
Take back your T.V. it don't mean that much to me
But before the room goes dark give back the key to my heart
To my heart
[Repeat: x13]
Give back the key to my heart
Dear
Reader,
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's song Give Back The Key To My Heart speak of a relationship on the rocks, where the singer is pleading with their partner to return the key to their heart. The first verse talks about how the singer is willing to let go of material possessions, such as a picture on the wall and a TV, but requests that their partner give back the key to their heart before the relationship comes to a complete end.
In the second verse, the singer suggests that they will be blamed for the demise of the relationship, while their partner's addiction to cocaine caused their downfall. The metaphor of cocaine taking the singer's place and draining the life from their partner's face illustrates the devastating impact drug addiction can have on relationships. The chorus reiterates the plea to give back the key to the singer's heart as a final plea to save their relationship.
The song is a powerful depiction of the emotional turmoil and devastation that can occur when drug addiction enters into a relationship. It also highlights the importance of communication and the significant impact relationships have on our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my picture off the wall it don't matter to me at all
Removing my picture from the wall will not affect me emotionally
Throw it down or just let it fall so that you can watch me crawl
If it pleases you, you can discard the picture and enjoy seeing me suffer
Take back your T.V. it don't mean that much to me
Your television is of low value to me
But before the room goes dark give back the key to my heart
However, I implore you to return the key to my heart before our relationship ends
Give back the key to my heart
The key to my heart is a metaphor for an emotional connection or commitment, which I am requesting back
I'm sure that I'll be the one to stand accused of what's been done
I know that despite any wrongdoing, it will be me who is held responsible
While your old friend cocaine avoids the slightest blame
Your drug addiction is not held accountable for the deterioration of our relationship
He drained the life from your face and then he slowly took my place
Your addiction has affected both your physical appearance and our relationship, as I have been replaced as a priority
But before what's over starts give back the key to my heart
I am pleading for the return of the emotional connection or commitment before our relationship officially ends
To my heart
Emphasizing the importance of returning the key to his heart
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DOUG SAHM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary Ward
I really like this song-great music- great vocals
Shell HonkyTonk
Love it, thank you for posting.
Margie Shanaman
Never heard this! Thank you!
Ramona Cabral
Such a talented and beautiful gorgeous amazing man my obsession 🖤💋🖤💋🖤💋🖤