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.
Just Passin' Time
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just passin' time as I wander through the streets
Just passin' time, wrestlin' with thoughts that fight my sleep
She left behind, just passin' time
I'm just passin' time inside these empty rooms
I'm just passin' time where small lost hopes still loom
Just passin' time appears unlikely to heal any wounds
And time hangs around more every day
Why I keep searching
For a place that old thoughts might stay
And not just end up right back in my heart's way?
Time don't ever answer nothin' new
Least not here lately
In any way that I could use
For figurin' out what's left to lose
I'm just passin' time with everyone I meet
I'm just passin' time as I wander through the streets
I'm just passin' time wrestlin' with thoughts that fight my sleep
She left behind, I'm just passin' time
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's "Just Passin' Time" paint a picture of a man trying to navigate through life after a breakup or a loss. The first verse suggests that the singer is trying to distract himself by meeting people and wandering through the streets, but he is still grappling with his thoughts that keep him up at night. The second verse finds him immersing himself in empty rooms, surrounded by small lost hopes that don't seem to offer much solace. The third verse talks about how time seems to drag on, as he tries to find a way to move on from his heartache.
The chorus of "Just Passin' Time" reinforces the theme of the song, with the singer admitting that he is simply "passing time" with everyone he meets, as he tries to deal with his pain. He acknowledges that love is kind, but seems resigned to the fact that he is just trying to pass the time until he can move on.
Overall, the song is a melancholy reflection on the struggle of trying to overcome heartbreak and find a way to move forward. The singer seems trapped in a cycle of trying to distract himself with small pleasures, but unable to escape the grip of his painful memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Just passin' time with everyone I meet
I'm spending time aimlessly with anyone who crosses my path
I'm just passin' time as I wander through the streets
Without any specific destination, I'm wandering around, just passing time
Just passin' time, wrestlin' with thoughts that fight my sleep
Unable to sleep, I'm struggling with my thoughts, merely passing time
She left behind, just passin' time
Left alone by someone, I'm killing time without any specific purpose
I'm just passin' time inside these empty rooms
I'm spending my time in vacuous spaces, with no specific agenda or goals
I'm just passin' time where small lost hopes still loom
Despite my expectations being shattered, I'm still aimlessly passing time
Just passin' time appears unlikely to heal any wounds
I'm beginning to comprehend that mindless waiting won't aid in healing any wounds
Love is kind, I'm just passin' time
While love is gentle, I find myself wasting time, with no particular destination
And time hangs around more every day
As every day passes, I feel increasingly stagnated and bored
Why I keep searching
For a place that old thoughts might stay
I'm still searching for a place where my thoughts might reside, not leaving me alone without any recourse
And not just end up right back in my heart's way?
I don't want my thoughts to keep ending up back in my heart, causing me pain and worry
Time don't ever answer nothin' new
Time doesn't provide any new answers or solutions
Least not here lately
In any way that I could use
Recently, I cannot find any way to utilize time that would benefit me
For figurin' out what's left to lose
I'm unable to figure out what else I might lose if I keep wasting time this way
I'm just passin' time with everyone I meet
I am spending time idly with anyone who comes my way
I'm just passin' time as I wander through the streets
I'm wandering around, merely passing time with no particular destination
I'm just passin' time wrestlin' with thoughts that fight my sleep
I'm restless and unable to sleep, constantly fighting negative thoughts
She left behind, I'm just passin' time
Someone special is no longer present, and I'm now just killing time without any specific plans
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DWIGHT DAVID YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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