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.
Santa Can't Stay
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As he turns into the night and walks away
Lucille runs outside
Just to see if there might be a sleigh
Little Bobby stares down
At the plate where cookies still lay
And tries to understand
Why momma said Santa can't stay
[Chorus]
Momma said Santa can't stay
Said she told him that twice yesterday
Then a car just like Dad's
Pulled out and drove away
After mom said Santa couldn't stay
They both heard him coming
Saw Mom run down the hall and holler wait
Doug you're drunk don't come inside
I'm not joking I've had all this I can take
He threw a present really hard
That almost hit Mom's new boyfriend Ray
And yelled ho-ho lucky for you she's here
And said that Santa can't stay
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's "Santa Can't Stay" narrates the story of a young family's Christmas Eve that is abruptly interrupted by the father's (Doug's) arrival, already inebriated. While Santa Claus is visiting their home, the family is caught in the altercation between the father and mother, which results in Santa Claus ultimately leaving. The song emphasizes the disappointment of the children - Little Bobby and Lucille - who watch as Santa Claus leaves in the midst of family conflict. The lyrics also portray the mother's struggle to maintain the illusion of Santa Claus while also dealing with her unstable partner.
The opening lines, "Cold tears fall from his eyes, as he turns into the night and walks away," describes the emotional reaction of Santa Claus as he witnesses the unstable environment. Lucille runs outside, hoping to see the sleigh, which emphasizes the children's belief in Santa Claus. Little Bobby tries to process the situation by staring at the plate where cookies still lay. In the chorus, it becomes evident that the mother has established a firm rule prohibiting Santa Claus' stay, which the children struggle to understand - "Why momma said Santa can't stay."
Later, Doug arrives home drunk and throws a present that almost hits Mom's new boyfriend Ray. He yells "ho-ho" sarcastically, revealing his abhorrence of the Santa Claus tradition. This reveal further accentuates the discord in the family while underscoring the sacrifices the mother makes to uphold the fantasy of Santa Claus. The song ends on a sad note as Doug drives away in his car, following the family's distressing altercation.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold tears fall from his eyes
The character in the song is sad and crying
As he turns into the night and walks away
The character is leaving, likely Santa Claus
Lucille runs outside
One of the characters in the song named Lucille runs outside
Just to see if there might be a sleigh
Lucille is checking if Santa Claus arrived in a sleigh
Little Bobby stares down
Another character named Bobby is looking down
At the plate where cookies still lay
Bobby is looking at a plate of cookies that were left for Santa
And tries to understand
Bobby is attempting to comprehend the situation
Why momma said Santa can't stay
Bobby is wondering why his mother said Santa can't stay
Momma said Santa can't stay
Bobby's mom told him that Santa can't stay
Said she told him that twice yesterday
Bobby's mom repeated the message to Bobby
Then a car just like Dad's
A car that looks like Bobby's dad's
Pulled out and drove away
The car drove away
After mom said Santa couldn't stay
The car left after Bobby's mom said Santa can't stay
They both heard him coming
Bobby and his mom heard someone approaching
Saw Mom run down the hall and holler wait
Bobby and his mom saw his mother running and shouting to wait
Doug you're drunk don't come inside
The person coming is named Doug and he is drunk
I'm not joking I've had all this I can take
Bobby's mom is frustrated and is not joking around
He threw a present really hard
Doug throws a present violently
That almost hit Mom's new boyfriend Ray
Doug's present nearly hits Ray, Bobby's mom's new boyfriend
And yelled ho-ho lucky for you she's here
Doug sarcastically comments on Ray's presence
And said that Santa can't stay
Doug adds to the comment previously made by Bobby's mom, that Santa can't stay
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT DAVID YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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