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.
I'd Avoid Me Too
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You must have slipped out while I was high
I know just how it feels and I'm not blamin' you
'Cause if I had to choice, I'd avoid me too
I've heard tell people say, I'm half worth nothin' at all
While that may not be true
Dead to rights
There's little question or none
Wasn't much you could do
And if I had the choice, I'd avoid me too
Now I'm having fears and doubts
Right along with everyone else
And here lately, I'm not so sure
I should even be seen with myself
But here I sit all alone, just a wonderin' why
I guess you slipped out while I was high
I know just how it feels and I'm not blamin' you
'Cause if I had the choice, I'd avoid me too
If I had the choice
If I had the choice
If I had the choice
I'd avoid me too
In Dwight Yoakam's "I'd Avoid Me Too," the singer reflects on the end of a romantic relationship, admitting that they wouldn't want to be with themselves either. The opening lines set the stage: the singer is alone, wondering why their significant other left them. The line "you must have slipped out while I was high" suggests that the relationship may have been strained due to drug use or other unhealthy behaviors.
The singer then acknowledges that they are not an easy person to be with. They have heard people say that they are "half worth nothin' at all" and that assessment "sure ain't landin' far wrong." The lines "there's little question or none / wasn't much you could do" suggest that the relationship was doomed from the start. The singer seems to understand why their significant other left, saying "if I had the choice, I'd avoid me too."
The final verse reveals the singer's deep uncertainty and self-doubt. They worry that they are not even fit to be alone with themselves. Despite this self-loathing, the singer ultimately accepts that their significant other made the right choice in leaving. "If I had the choice, I'd avoid me too" becomes a refrain, underscoring the singer's understanding that their own flaws and unhealthiness led to the end of the relationship.
Overall, "I'd Avoid Me Too" is a candid and poignant reflection on the aftermath of a difficult relationship, with lyrics that capture the complex emotions of self-doubt, self-loathing, and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I sit all alone just a wonderin' why
I am sitting here by myself and wondering why I am always alone and why people avoid me.
You must have slipped out while I was high
I am assuming that you left while I was high on drugs or alcohol, which is why you avoid me.
I know just how it feels and I'm not blamin' you
I understand why you choose to avoid me and I do not blame you for it.
'Cause if I had to choice, I'd avoid me too
If I had the option, I would avoid myself too because I am aware of how unbearable I can be.
I've heard tell people say, I'm half worth nothin' at all
I have heard people say that I am worthless and not even half valuable.
While that may not be true
Although that may not be entirely true, there might be some truth to it.
Dead to rights
That statement is probably accurate and true.
It sure ain't landin' far wrong
That statement is close to being entirely true.
There's little question or none
There is no question about it, I might really be worth nothing at all.
Wasn't much you could do
I understand that it was difficult for you to stay around me or help me in any way.
And if I had the choice, I'd avoid me too
If you had the option, you probably would avoid me because it is only natural to stay away from someone who is worthless or miserable.
Now I'm having fears and doubts
I am currently experiencing anxiety, worry, and uncertainty.
Right along with everyone else
I am not the only one feeling this way; many other people do too.
And here lately, I'm not so sure
Recently, I have started to lose my confidence and certainty.
I should even be seen with myself
I am starting to doubt whether it is wise or even safe to be around myself.
If I had the choice
If I had the option,
I'd avoid me too
I would choose to avoid myself too because of how negative, unpleasant, or worthless I can be.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DWIGHT DAVID YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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