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.
Home For Sale
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's much too large
Too many rooms
Big ole empty yard
Far more space
Than the owner needs
Price includes
All memories
Home for sale
Restored like new
Just a place
Two lives outgrew
A change in heart
Forces move away
Would like to keep, oh Lord
But just can't stay
Listen close and you might hear the sound
Of what you think is rainfall leaking down
The roof is fine set aside your fears
It's just a few remaining tears
Listen close and you might hear the sound
Of what you think is rainfall leaking down
Oh the roof is fine set aside your fears
It's just a few remaining tears
Home for sale
Not all that old
A family's dream
Stands dark and cold
Scenic views
That go for free
Of all the love
That used to be
Home for sale
That's much too large
Dwight Yoakam's "Home for Sale" is a song about a person selling their house that is much larger than they need. The lyrics describe a house with too many rooms and a big empty yard. The owner is forced to sell the home due to a change in heart that causes them to move away. The price includes all the memories that were made in the home.
The song is emotional and melancholic and makes the listener feel nostalgic for the memories that were created in the home. The lyrics describe the house as restored like new, but it's just a place where two lives outgrew. The owner would like to keep the home, but they just can't stay.
The repetition of the line "Listen close and you might hear the sound" emphasizes the sadness of the situation. The sound of rainfall leaking down is a metaphor for the owner's tears. The line "the roof is fine set aside your fears" reassures the listener that everything is okay, and they shouldn't worry. However, the tears are still present, and they make the home feel empty and dark.
In conclusion, "Home for Sale" is a song about the emotional weight of leaving a home behind. It highlights the memories that are created in a space and how difficult it is to leave behind those memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Home for sale
A house is on the market and is available for purchase.
That's much too large
The house is too big for a single person as it has an excessive number of rooms.
Too many rooms
The house contains an overwhelming number of rooms.
Big ole empty yard
The outdoor area of the house is large and currently vacant.
Far more space
The size of the house is much larger than what the owner needs.
Than the owner needs
The house is bigger than what the owner requires for their living needs.
Price includes
The cost of the house includes some additional features.
All memories
The price of the house includes all the memories and experiences that were created while living in the house.
Restored like new
The house has been fixed up to its previous condition and is in great shape.
Just a place
The house is just a physical structure and no longer holds any sentimental value to its owners.
Two lives outgrew
The owners of the house have grown apart and moved on with their separate lives.
A change in heart
The owners had a change of heart regarding their living situation.
Forces move away
Circumstances beyond the owners' control necessitated that they have to move away from the house.
Would like to keep, oh Lord
The owners would have preferred to keep the house.
But just can't stay
The owners cannot stay in the house any longer despite wanting to.
Listen close and you might hear the sound
If you listen attentively, you might perceive the auditory sounds.
Of what you think is rainfall leaking down
What might appear to be the sound of rainwater seeping into the house.
The roof is fine set aside your fears
The roof is not leaking and there's nothing to be worried about.
It's just a few remaining tears
The sound that is heard is only the homeowners' remaining tears from feeling sad about leaving the house.
Not all that old
The house is not of an advanced age.
A family's dream
The house was once the dream home of a family.
Stands dark and cold
The house remains abandoned and unlit presently.
Scenic views
The view from the house is gorgeous and spectacular.
That go for free
The beautiful view is free and included in the price of the house.
Of all the love
The house used to be the recipient of all the affection and care from its former owners.
That used to be
The love and fond memories that were once associated with the house are now just a thing of the past.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan
on Fast As You
Who is Sookie? I gotsta know!