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.
Run Run Rudolph
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run run Rudolph, Randolph ain't so far behind
[Chorus]
Run run Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town
Gotta make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round
Well Santa asked a boy child, "Whaddya longin' for?"
He said, "All I want for Christmas is a rock and roll electric guitar"
Then away went Rudolph, whizzing like a shootin' star
[Chorus]
Well Santa asked a girl child, "Whaddya want to get?"
"A little baby doll that'll cry sweet, drink and wet"
Then away went Rudolph, whizzing like a saber jet
[Chorus])
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's "Run Run Rudolph" convey the urgency of Santa Claus's need to make it to town to fulfill children's Christmas wishes. The song opens with Rudolph being addressed as the "mastermind," suggesting that he must lead the way to ensure Santa's timely arrival. The first line also implies that Rudolph is the one in charge - he has the smarts and necessary skills to outrun Randolph, another reindeer who is presumably slower in the pack. The chorus repeatedly states the command to "run run Rudolph" and emphasizes the need for speed to keep up with the demands of the season. The image of Rudolph reeling like a merry-go-round suggests that the race is intense, and the stakes are high.
The song's verses offer glimpses into the desires of two children whom Santa visits. The boy child's wish for an electric guitar reflects the cultural shift from traditional Christmas presents to more modern ones. The refrain plays while Rudolph speeds off to the next destination, reaffirming that time is of the essence. The girl child's wish for a baby doll that cries, drinks, and wets highlights a desire for realism and interactivity in toys. The final chorus repeats the need for Rudolph to run, almost like a mantra, as he speeds off like a saber jet. These lyrics offer a window into the cultural values and expectations surrounding Christmas gifts and the importance of getting them in time for Christmas Day.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to me Rudolph, you know you're the mastermind
Hey Rudolph, you're in charge here and you know what's up
Run run Rudolph, Randolph ain't so far behind
Get a move on Rudolph, your buddy Randolph is right behind you
Run run Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town
Hurry up Rudolph, Santa needs to get to town
Gotta make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
He needs to get there fast, so tell him to take the freeway
Run run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round
Rudolph is going so fast, it's like he's on a spinning ride
Well Santa asked a boy child, 'Whaddya longin' for?'
Santa asked a little boy, 'What do you want for Christmas?'
He said, 'All I want for Christmas is a rock and roll electric guitar'
The little boy said that all he wants is an electric guitar
Then away went Rudolph, whizzing like a shootin' star
Rudolph took off at lightning speed like a shooting star
Well Santa asked a girl child, 'Whaddya want to get?'
Santa asked a little girl, 'What do you want for Christmas?'
'A little baby doll that'll cry sweet, drink and wet'
The little girl asked for a baby doll that can cry and pretend to drink and wet
Then away went Rudolph, whizzing like a saber jet
Rudolph raced away like a fast-moving military jet
Run run Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town
Hurry up Rudolph, Santa still needs to get to town
Gotta make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Santa is still in a rush, remind him to take the freeway to save time
Run run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round
Rudolph is still going super fast like a spinning ride
Lyrics © ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Marvin Brodie, Johnny Marks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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