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.
Off Your Mind
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't have to say hello
The way you never said goodbye
So long ago
If you wonder
How I am just fine
Alone right where you left me
Off your mind
When I heard the news
About your life
I never doubted you
Became his wife
But I can safely tell you
I'm okay
Right here where I've stayed
Out of your way
Sometimes I wonder
How I do
This without you
Then sometimes I wonder
If you wonder too
Could that be true
If you wonder
How I am just fine
Alone right where you left me
Off your mind
If you have dreams
About someone like me
Just take those pills of yours
And try to get some sleep
You'll never have to hear
My voice no more
It stopped making sound
When you walked out the door
If you see me
You don't have to say hello
The way you never said goodbye
So long ago
If you wonder
How I am just fine
Alone right where you left me
Off your mind
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's song "Off Your Mind" convey a sense of acceptance and moving on after a relationship has ended. The singer is addressing their former lover, telling them that they don't have to acknowledge them if they see each other. The reference to the former lover never saying goodbye "so long ago" indicates that the breakup was abrupt and possibly hurtful. However, the singer appears to have distanced themselves emotionally from the situation and has accepted the reality of being left behind.
The second verse reveals that the former lover has moved on and gotten married. Despite this news, the singer maintains that they are okay and that they have stayed out of the former lover's way. The chorus repeats the message that the singer is doing alright without the former lover and has moved on just fine. The lyrics also suggest that the former lover may still think about the singer but the singer is prepared to let them go and move forward.
Overall, the lyrics of "Off Your Mind" are about finding closure after a relationship ends. It highlights the importance of accepting the past and moving on without bitterness or resentment, and focusing on the present and what lies ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
If you see me
If we happen to cross paths
You don't have to say hello
You don't have to acknowledge me
The way you never said goodbye
Just like you left without a word before
So long ago
It's been quite some time already
If you wonder
If you happen to think of me
How I am just fine
I'm doing well
Alone right where you left me
Being in the same place where you left me
Off your mind
Not being a concern to you anymore
When I heard the news
Upon learning about you
About your life
Regarding your life and recent events
I never doubted you
I never questioned your choices
Became his wife
Married someone else
But I can safely tell you
However, I can assure you
I'm okay
I'm totally fine
Right here where I've stayed
In this same place I've remained
Out of your way
To avoid bothering you
Sometimes I wonder
Occasionally I ponder
How I do
How I survive
This without you
This life without you
Then sometimes I wonder
But then also sometimes I wonder
If you wonder too
If you also wonder about me
Could that be true
Perhaps that's the case
If you wonder
If you do think of me
How I am just fine
How I'm doing really well
Alone right where you left me
Being alone in the same place you left me
Off your mind
Not a bothersome thought for you anymore
If you have dreams
If you dream
About someone like me
About someone similar to me
Just take those pills of yours
Take your medication
And try to get some sleep
So you can rest well
You'll never have to hear
You won't ever have to listen to
My voice no more
My voice anymore
It stopped making sound
It fell silent
When you walked out the door
When you left
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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