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'll Be Gone
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then I turn and kick the boots off my feet there's no need to speak
Girl, beauty like yours is hard to beat
But I'll be gone in the morning, in the morning I'll be gone
'Cause I'm not one for hanging on
Please don't think that you done something wrong
In the morning when you wake and find me gone
The memory of any other's face
And the passion they unleash could cause me to misplace
And lose all track of time without a trace
But I'll be gone in the morning, in the morning I'll be gone
'Cause I'm not the one for hanging on
Please don't think that you done something wrong
In the morning when you wake and find me gone
The sun intrudes and throws across the room its golden tracks
Shake the dreams, now it's back to facts
As I turn to leave I know you had what so many lack
Maybe some day that'll bring me back
But I'll be gone in the morning, in the morning I'll be gone
'Cause I'm not one for hanging on
Please don't think that you done something wrong
In the morning when you wake and find me gone
But I'll be gone in the morning, in the morning I'll be gone
'Cause I'm not one for hanging on
Please don't think that you done something wrong
In the morning when you wake and find me gone
In the morning when you wake and find me gone
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's song "I'll Be Gone" depict a one-night stand that is ephemeral in nature. The singer observes as the woman undresses and slips under the sheets, but cautions that he will be gone in the morning. He admires her beauty, but he's not one for sticking around for long. The woman's passionate nature has the ability to shake him from his senses and cause him to lose sight of time. Nonetheless, when morning comes, he will have departed without a word.
The singer acknowledges that the woman possesses an allure that surpasses that of anyone he's encountered before. Her fiery gaze can eradicate the memory of past lovers, and her passion can make him lose track of time. However, despite the attraction, he knows that he cannot stay. He turns to leave, conscious that she might be one of the few people who possess the qualities that could make him return. But for now, he must be gone in the morning.
Overall, the lyrics of the song explore the complexities of one-night stands and their ephemeral nature. They depict the realization that despite the allure, some connections cannot be maintained beyond one night. The singer acknowledges the impact of the experience but remains aware that this is all that it is; an ephemeral experience that he cannot hold onto.
Line by Line Meaning
I watch as you take off your clothes and slip under the sheets
I observe as you undress and crawl into bed
Then I turn and kick the boots off my feet there's no need to speak
I take off my boots and remain silent
Girl, beauty like yours is hard to beat
Your attractiveness is difficult to surpass
But I'll be gone in the morning, in the morning I'll be gone
I will depart in the morning, without hesitation
'Cause I'm not one for hanging on
I am not inclined to stay behind
Please don't think that you done something wrong
Do not believe you made a mistake
Just a look from those fiery eyes can all but erase
A mere gaze from your intense eyes has the power to obliterate
The memory of any other's face
The recollection of anyone else's appearance
And the passion they unleash could cause me to misplace
The fervor they unleash could lead me to misplace
And lose all track of time without a trace
And lose count of time unnoticed
The sun intrudes and throws across the room its golden tracks
The sun interrupts and casts its gleaming rays into the room
Shake the dreams, now it's back to facts
Awaken from dreams, now facing reality
As I turn to leave I know you had what so many lack
As I depart, I acknowledge that you possess what many lack
Maybe some day that'll bring me back
Perhaps one day that will entice me to return
In the morning when you wake and find me gone
Upon waking in the morning, you will discover my absence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRAD DELSON, CHESTER CHARLES BENNINGTON, DAVE FARRELL, JOSEPH HAHN, MIKE SHINODA, ROBERT G. BOURDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DLMusante
LOVED THIS IN CONCERT 7/14/17 biloxi, MS. Amazing night. Thanks for the beautiful memory, Dwight.
@buelroberts3759
Saw this live last night!
@jwhite1016aol
Great song!
@tim81239
in the morning when your gone dont forget your work boots
@fernandorocha6486
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
@terrymabry1499
Real country.
@christopherbyerly1084
I will be gone! going across the country on a bike.... crazy right? mCcheeZe
@64JBran
From "A Town South Of Bakersfield Vol. I".