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.
Please Please Baby
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's so cold and dark here all alone
If you come back I promise I'll be good
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
I laughed when you packed your bags and told me goodbye
I hollered, I don't need you, oh but honey, that's a lie
It's so cold and dark here all alone
If you come back I promise I'll be good
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
If you don't come home dear, I know I'll go insane
Sweetheart, I plead guilty, darlin I'll take all the blame
Please, please baby, baby come back home
It's so cold and dark here all alone
If you come back I promise I'll be good
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
Please, please baby, baby come back home
'Cause it's so cold and dark here all alone
If you come back I promise I'll be good
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
In "Please Please Baby," Dwight Yoakam sings about a lover who has left him, begging for them to return. He paints a picture of loneliness and desperation in his repeated plea for them to come back home, using the haunting image of cold and darkness to express his feelings of sadness and despair. The promise to be good and act like he should when they return is indicative of his awareness of his own shortcomings and the realization that he may have taken the person he loves for granted. He also confesses to lying when he told them he didn't need them and recognizes the guilt he feels for his behavior.
The lyrics of the song reflect the classic country theme of lost love and a desire to reconcile with a partner. However, Yoakam manages to infuse his own unique style and voice into the song, giving it an emotional depth that is palpable to his listeners. The simplicity of the melody and the straightforwardness of the lyrics make it easy for the listener to connect with the singer, making it a poignant and relatable song.
Line by Line Meaning
Please, please baby come back home
I am begging for you to forgive me and return to our home
It's so cold and dark here all alone
Without you, my life feels empty, cold, and miserable
If you come back I promise I'll be good
I realize my mistakes and vow to change and treat you better
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
I will be the loving partner you deserve and treat you with respect and kindness
I laughed when you packed your bags and told me goodbye
I didn't take your leaving seriously and foolishly thought I didn't need you
I hollered, I don't need you, oh but honey, that's a lie
My pride got in the way, but the truth is I need you and can't live without you
If you don't come home dear, I know I'll go insane
My mental and emotional well-being depends entirely on your return
Sweetheart, I plead guilty, darling I'll take all the blame
I am at fault for our problems, and I am willing to admit it and take responsibility for my actions
'Cause it's so cold and dark here all alone
I am emphasizing how hopeless and depressing my life is without you
If you come home, baby, I'll act like I should
Once again, I am promising to be a better person and treat you with the love and respect you deserve
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@donaldunderhill2631
Some young people that I work with have asked me who I thought was the greatest country music singer of all time was and I tell them Merle Haggard, but I start listing my Mt. Rushmore of country music and I put Dwight on it and they look puzzled. Not many, if any can match Dwight’s catalog of music. He’s one of the most underrated and undervalued talents of all time.
@sup393
I just saw him at Kentucky Rising. Straight old 🔥
@sclawman
Buck and Merle are my biggest country heroes-Dwight's two biggest influences.
@tiredofit4761
I agree 100%! I started listening to him when I was in high school 1986. My music at that time were hair bands and alternative rock. I have seen him twice in concert and he never fails to deliver! He is a legend and has that edge. I’ll always be a fan!
@louiserawle8999
He is one of the very few artists who has limitless talent...He only needs to tap a foot and he has the audience in the palm of his hand.He is super smooth in every way. Love him.
@user-nv3ne4ji4j
I really love him too❤ Lois hall❤love them legs❤
@jayneweaver8695
Dwight Yoakam, HANDS DOWN one of the best performers, JUST and ALWAYS being himself. With Pete Anderson and Dwight, that is HEAVEN!!!
@davidsneddon2242
I’m in Scotland and I brought my boys up on Dwight and they are now in their 30ies.Fabulous artist and I agree he never really gets the recognition he deserves. 👍
@louiserawle8999
Dwight has never looked sexier than in these concert clips,especially when he sings caught in a trap,broken guitar string hair limp from swest and he is giving his all to his adoring fans,love it
@evelynmulvaney173
God their Dad will always be with us. When I hear and look at Merle, s Sons. Such a talent to pass on. Bless him. 🇮🇪💚🍀