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.
Little Sister
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice
Tell me that it's nice and then you run
Yeah, yeah, little sister don't do what your big sister done
You know I dated your big sister
Oh, I took her to the show
Hey I went for some candy
And they slipped right out the door
Little sister don't you, little sister don't you
Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice
Tell me that it's nice and then you run
Yeah, little sister don't do what your big sister done, hup, hup, hup, hup
I used to pull down on your pigtails
Hey girl, and pinch your turned up nose
Oh, but baby you been growin'
And lately it's been showin'
From your head down to your toes
Little sister don't you, little sister don't you
Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice
Tell me that it's nice and then you run
Yeah, little sister don't do what your big sister done, hup, hup, hup oh get on
Every time I see your sister
Lord, she's with somebody new
Aw, she's mean and she's evil
Like a little ol' boll weevil
Think I'll try my luck with you
Little sister don't you, little sister don't you
Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice
Tell me that it's nice and then you run
Hey, little sister don't you do what your big sister done
Well, little sister don't you do what your big sister done
Aw, little sister don't you do what your big sister done
In Dwight Yoakam's song "Little Sister," the singer is addressing a younger girl, telling her not to repeat the same mistakes as her older, more experienced sister. The song is about the singer's failed relationship with the older sister, whom he took to the movie theater and bought candy for, only to have her leave with another man. He also reminisces about his childhood relationship with the younger sister, how he used to pull her pigtails and pinch her nose, but now he sees her in a different light, as she has grown up and become more attractive.
The message of the song is clear: don't make the same mistakes as others before you. The lyrics also hint at the idea that the singer has learned from his own experiences and is passing on his knowledge to the younger sister in order to save her from heartbreak. The line "Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice, tell me that it's nice and then you run" can be interpreted as a warning against leading someone on or stringing them along.
Overall, "Little Sister" is a cautionary tale about learning from the past and not repeating the same mistakes as those who have come before.
Line by Line Meaning
Little sister don't you, little sister don't you
The singer is warning the younger sister not to repeat the same mistakes as her older sibling.
Little sister don't you kiss me once or twice
The singer is cautioning the younger sister not to make advances towards him.
Tell me that it's nice and then you run
The singer is warning the younger sister not to lead him on and then leave him hanging.
Yeah, yeah, little sister don't do what your big sister done
The singer reiterates his warning and advises the younger sister to learn from her elder sibling's mistakes.
I used to pull down on your pigtails
The singer is reminiscing about how he used to tease the younger sister when she was a child.
Hey girl, and pinch your turned up nose
The singer is describing how he used to playfully annoy the younger sister by pinching her nose.
Oh, but baby you been growin'
The singer acknowledges that the younger sister has grown up and matured.
And lately it's been showin'
The singer notes that the younger sister's newfound beauty and attractiveness have become more apparent.
From your head down to your toes
The singer is emphasizing that the younger sister has grown in all aspects, both physically and emotionally.
Every time I see your sister
The singer is explaining that he has already had a romantic relationship with the older sibling.
Lord, she's with somebody new
The singer is expressing his frustration and hurt that the older sister has moved on to someone else.
Aw, she's mean and she's evil
The singer is describing the older sister as being cruel and unpleasant.
Like a little ol' boll weevil
The singer is comparing the older sister to an insect that destroys crops or other people's lives.
Think I'll try my luck with you
The singer is suggesting that he wants to pursue a romantic relationship with the younger sister instead.
Hup, hup, hup, hup
The singer uses these exclamations to emphasize his warning to the younger sister.
Oh get on
The singer is urging the younger sister to move on from her older sister's mistakes and to make her own choices in life.
Well, little sister don't you do what your big sister done
The singer repeats his warning one more time and advises the younger sister to make her own decisions and not to repeat the mistakes of her older sibling.
Aw, little sister don't you do what your big sister done
The singer emphasizes his warning one last time to ensure the younger sister understands the message.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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