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.
Lonesome Roads
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I've never had a clue
I must have just been born no good
'Cause bad's the best that I can do
Was it just my fate in life
To end up here this way
Lost and all alone
That's gone astray
Lonesome roads are the only kind
I ever travel
Empty rooms are the only place
I ever stay
I'm just a face out in the crowd that looks
Like trouble
Poor ol' worthless me is the only friend
I ever made
Lonesome roads are the only kind
I ever travel
Empty rooms are the only place
I ever stay
I'm just a face out in the crowd that looks
Like trouble
Poor ol' worthless me is the only friend
I ever made
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's Lonesome Roads express a deep sense of loneliness, isolation, and hopelessness. The singer is reflecting on his life and wondering where he went wrong, but he has never been able to figure it out. He feels that he was born bad, and bad is the best he can do. In this way, the lyrics convey a sense of defeat, as if the singer has already given up on himself.
The singer also reflects on his fate in life, and how he has ended up lost and alone. He describes himself as one more black lamb that has gone astray, which is a powerful metaphor for someone who has lost their way and feels like they don't belong. The pain and loneliness in this verse are palpable, and the simple yet evocative lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's inner turmoil and sense of worthlessness.
The chorus of the song reinforces the themes of loneliness and isolation. The singer describes himself as someone who only ever travels lonesome roads and stays in empty rooms. He sees himself as trouble, and believes that poor ol' worthless me is the only friend he ever made. The lyrics suggest that the singer has given up on finding companionship or happiness, and has resigned himself to a life of solitude and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Where did I go wrong
I am filled with regret and confusion about the path my life has taken.
You know I've never had a clue
I am helpless and uncertain about what I could have done differently.
I must have just been born no good
I believe that my inherent nature is flawed and that I am incapable of doing anything worthwhile.
'Cause bad's the best that I can do
Despite my efforts, I am incapable of doing anything right; my best efforts always lead to bad outcomes.
Was it just my fate in life
I wonder if my fate is predetermined and if I am destined to suffer and struggle.
To end up here this way
I feel that my current situation is the inevitable result of my past actions and that I am powerless to change it.
Lost and all alone
I feel disconnected from others and without a sense of purpose or belonging.
One more black lamb
I see myself as an outcast or misfit, unable to fit in with others.
That's gone astray
I feel that I have lost my way and am unable to find my path in life.
Lonesome roads are the only kind I ever travel
I spend my life journeying alone and without companionship, never venturing from the solitary path that I have chosen.
Empty rooms are the only place I ever stay
I spend my time alone and isolated, seeking refuge in empty spaces where I can be by myself.
I'm just a face out in the crowd that looks like trouble
Despite my loneliness, I feel that I am perceived as a threat or danger to others, simply because of my appearance.
Poor ol' worthless me is the only friend I ever made
Despite my struggles, I am still my own closest companion, as I am the only one who truly understands the pain and suffering that I endure.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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