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.
Heartaches By The Number
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never knew that I could hurt this way
Heartache Number Two was when you came back again
You came back and never meant to stay
[Chorus]
Now I've got heartaches by the number
Troubles by the score
Each day I love you more
Now I've got heartaches by the number
A love that I can't win
But the day that I stop counting
That's the day my world will end
Heartache Number Three was when you called me
And told me you was coming to stay
With hoping heart I waited for your knock on the door
I waited but you must have lost your way
[Chorus]
Now I've got heartaches by the number
A love that I can't win
But the day that I stop counting
That's the day my world will end
Ah the day that I stop counting
That's the day my world will end
Dwight Yoakam's song Heartaches By The Number is a classic country tearjerker about the pains of love lost and the confusion of love found again. The song explores the different stages of heartache that the singer experiences, from the initial despair of being left to the bittersweet pain of being loved less each day. In the first verse, he laments the loss of his loved one, not realizing how much it would hurt. In the second verse, he highlights the pain of being brought back in and then abandoned once more. The chorus reveals that the singer is trapped in a cycle of hurt, as each day his love grows while his partner's fades. However, he refuses to give up on love because, for him, love is worth every heartache experienced.
The lyrics paint a poignant and relatable picture of the rollercoaster of love, the longing, the hope, and the hurt. Even when the relationship is falling apart, the singer is willing to endure the pain because he believes that the love is worth it. In the final verse, he waits eagerly for his lover to return, even though it seems unlikely, since she never arrives. He is unable to let go because the love has become so ingrained in his heart that it is a part of him.
Overall, Heartaches By The Number is a timeless ballad about a universal experience that has been felt by many, making it a song that will continue to resonate with listeners for generations to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Heartache Number One was when you left me
The pain of heartbreak started when you left me.
I never knew that I could hurt this way
The sadness felt from your leaving was completely unexpected.
Heartache Number Two was when you came back again
Pain returned when you came back and left again.
You came back and never meant to stay
Your return was fleeting, with no intention of staying.
Now I've got heartaches by the number
My heart has been broken so many times it's hard to count.
Troubles by the score
Problems and obstacles are piling up.
Everyday you love me less
Your love for me is diminishing with each passing day.
Each day I love you more
My love for you is increasing despite your decreasing affection.
A love that I can't win
I am unable to win your love back.
But the day that I stop counting
As long as I keep track of my heartaches, I'm alive.
That's the day my world will end
If I ever stop feeling the pain of heartache, it will mean the end of my existence.
Heartache Number Three was when you called me
Your call filled me with hope and anticipation.
And told me you was coming to stay
The idea of you staying with me gave me joy and excitement.
With hoping heart I waited for your knock on the door
I waited eagerly and impatiently for your arrival.
I waited but you must have lost your way
You failed to show up, leaving me disappointed and heartbroken once again.
Ah the day that I stop counting
The only way for me to forget about the pain is to stop keeping track of it.
That's the day my world will end
The end of the heartache will also mean the end of my world.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harlan Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
WR Rodwell
Heartache number one was when you left me
I never knew that I could hurt this way
And heartache number two was when you come back again
You came back and never meant to stay
Now I've got heartaches by the number
Troubles by the score
Everyday you love me less
Each day I love you more
Yes, I've got heartaches by the number
A love that I can't win
But the day that I stop counting
That's the day my world will end
Heartache number three was when you called me
And said that you were coming back to stay
With hopeful heart I waited for your knock on the door
I waited but you must have lost your way
Now I've got heartaches by the number
Troubles by the score
Everyday you love me less
Each day I love you more
Yes, I've got heartaches by the number
A love that I can't win
But the day that I stop counting
That's the day my world will end
Susan Ramp
NEVER get tired of listening to Dwight! He is soooo COUNTRY!!!!! GREAT to listen to and WATCH him sing!!!!! :)
Tango Bango
Dwight is one of the few great country artists left. He is helping to "fill their shoes."
Aramis419
Nice! Ain't much folks that'll get that reference.
Zach Faulkner
George Jones had a point. Dwight is one of the few that can fill their shoes.
Vanessa McCleskey Roden
Dwight is awesome, can't get any better than this man, except maybe Merle, or Buck! But who's gonna fill his shoes?❤
Clayton Lowry
My dad took me to the beer joint with him in the 60s n I remember these good tunes on the jukebox..damn
mtntime1
@Vanessa McCleskey Roden , Or Johnny, of course.
TJ STUDNIARZSR
This boy never made a bad song !! Keep up the great work, Dwight !! When the hair on my arms stand up, I call that EMOTION !!
Fernando Rocha
Dwight Yoakam is great singer of Country music. Fantastic and perfect voice since 1986
Sean OReilly
Listening to Dwight is like listening to someone read a love letter to the Bakersfield sound. From his channeling Buck on "Love's Gonna Live here." To the band doing their rendition of the big instrumental hit "Buckaroo" the elements and hearty all fall into place. If anybody ever tells you the Bakersfield sound is gone. You be sure and give this boy a listen.