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.
Honky Tonk Bluegrass
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I can't seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
But when my money's all gone,
I'm on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
But I've got plenty of company
The moon comes up and the sun goes down
I can't wait to see the lights of town
'Cause I'm a honky tonk man
And I can't seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
And when my money's all gone,
I'm on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Well I'm a honky tonk man
And I can't seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
And when my money's all gone,
I'm on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Hey now, a pretty little girl and a jug of wine
Well that's what it takes to make a honky tonk time
With the jukebox moaning those honky tonk sounds
I can't wait to lay my money down
'Cause I'm a honky tonk man
And I can't seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
But when my money's all gone,
I'm on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
I'm a honky tonk man
And I can't seem to stop
I love to give the girls a whirl
To the music of an old jukebox
But when my money's all gone,
I'm on the telephone singing
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
The song "Honky Tonk Man" by Dwight Yoakam is a classic country tune that embodies the spirit of honky-tonk bars and the wild, carefree lifestyle of a man who loves to dance, drink, and flirt with women. The lyrics describe the singer, the titular honky-tonk man, as someone who is unable to resist the lure of the music coming from the jukebox and the women who flock to the bars to dance the night away.
The honky-tonk man speaks of his desire to live dangerously and his fondness for the company of others who share his love of wild behavior. He waits eagerly for the sun to set and the moon to rise, marking the beginning of the night's festivities. The mention of a "pretty little girl and a jug of wine" suggests that the honky-tonk man is not averse to getting a little drunk while dancing and flirting.
However, the honky-tonk man is not oblivious to the fact that his carefree lifestyle comes at a cost. When his money runs out, he is forced to call his lover and ask if she can help him out. Despite his dependency on others, the honky-tonk man remains unapologetic about his ways and continues to lead his life as he sees fit.
Overall, "Honky Tonk Man" is a fun, upbeat song that captures the energy and excitement of a night at a honky-tonk bar. The lyrics celebrate the joys of dancing, drinking, and flirting, but also acknowledge the consequences of living life on the edge.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm a honky tonk man
I am a person who enjoys the honky tonk lifestyle
And I can't seem to stop
I cannot resist the temptation of this lifestyle
I love to give the girls a whirl
I enjoy flirting with women
To the music of an old jukebox
I enjoy listening to classic country music
But when my money's all gone,
When I have spent all my money
I'm on the telephone singing
I resort to calling someone for financial assistance
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Asking someone if they can lend me some money
Well now I'm living wild and dangerously
I am living recklessly and without regard for consequences
But I've got plenty of company
There are others who share my lifestyle
The moon comes up and the sun goes down
The passing of time
I can't wait to see the lights of town
Excitement for the nightlife
'Cause I'm a honky tonk man
I am a person who enjoys the honky tonk lifestyle
Hey now, a pretty little girl and a jug of wine
The only things needed to have a good time
Well that's what it takes to make a honky tonk time
The essentials for a good time in a honky tonk
With the jukebox moaning those honky tonk sounds
The classic country music playing in the honky tonk
I can't wait to lay my money down
I am eager to spend my money
I'm a honky tonk man
I am a person who enjoys the honky tonk lifestyle
And I can't seem to stop
I cannot resist the temptation of this lifestyle
I love to give the girls a whirl
I enjoy flirting with women
To the music of an old jukebox
I enjoy listening to classic country music
But when my money's all gone,
When I have spent all my money
I'm on the telephone singing
I resort to calling someone for financial assistance
Hey hey mama can your daddy come home
Asking someone if they can lend me some money
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Howard Hausey, Johnny Horton, Tillman Franks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mairendee
The voice has deepened, he's lost his real twang but still the BEST - just love him. He's so much "looser" with his audiences now. Glad he's still playing, still singing, still writing - still one of the sexiest men in the world. Thank you so much for posting.
Justme77
His voice has gotten silkier now. I think he sounds better than ever.
Louise Rawle
Love him..He gives everything and never disappoints..go Dwight
isleJane
Aw, wish I could've been there. Thank YOU so much for sharing this!!!! Love Dwight and his music.
Sony Morrell
That voice....his 🎸....his dancing.....this is a taste of Heaven and I thank you for Sharing 🎸🎸🎸🎸
John Bell
I love Dwight live
Joan Jones
He is still the tops. the best. Mr. country. and still sexy too! wish I had been there! yes I miss a bit of his twang. he used to do that so well. he has been in CA for many years. I still love him!
Barbara Lilly
Stayed focused on his dream. Number 1.
debhart01498
No one can wear tight jeans like Dwight... mmm mmm mmm...
Norma Randolph
I love this man so much. His voice. So sexy sonice cant wait till he comrs to ohio again