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.
Somewhere
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere tonight, each one all alone
Somewhere tonight, a chance for them pleading
Somewhere tonight, soon could be gone
Somewhere they might still try
Somewhere to claim love's right
Somewhere even frail trust can survive
So I don't wanna be
Somewhere tonight with my heart still needing
Somewhere tonight, a chance that is gone
Somewhere at sometime there won't have to be
A look that we take back or touch we can't mean
Somewhere tonight it's waiting inside of you and me
Oh, I don't want to be
Somewhere they might still try
Somewhere to claim love's right
Somewhere even frail trust can survive
Oh, I don't wanna be
Somewhere tonight with my heart still needing
Somewhere tonight, a chance that is gone
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
Oh, baby somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
The lyrics of Dwight Yoakam's song "Somewhere" describe the yearning of two hearts searching for each other. The singer acknowledges that there are two hearts out there, both needing love and companionship. However, they are each alone and seeking a chance to connect with someone who will make them feel whole.
The song speaks to the common human desire for love and the fear of missing an opportunity for romance. It reiterates that there is potential for love to blossom, but time is short and the opportunity for connection may soon be lost.
The lyrics emphasize the importance of taking a chance on love, even if it means risking vulnerability and potential hurt. The singer expresses his desire to avoid being in a situation where he's searching for love, only to find that chance has already passed him by.
Overall, "Somewhere" is a heartfelt plea for two hearts to come together and find love, reminding us that there is always a chance for connection, even when we feel alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere tonight, two hearts both needing
Two people who are desperately longing for love are out there somewhere tonight.
Somewhere tonight, each one all alone
Both of them are struggling with loneliness and feeling isolated.
Somewhere tonight, a chance for them pleading
There could be an opportunity for love, and they are both hoping for it.
Somewhere tonight, soon could be gone
This opportunity could disappear just as quickly as it appeared.
Somewhere they might still try
Even though they have both been hurt before, they are willing to give love another chance.
Somewhere to claim love's right
They believe that they have a right to love and be loved in return.
Somewhere even frail trust can survive
Despite their past hurts, they still have hope that they can trust someone again.
So I don't wanna be
The singer is afraid of missing out on this chance for love.
Somewhere tonight with my heart still needing
He doesn't want to be alone with unfulfilled desires for love.
Somewhere tonight, a chance that is gone
He doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity for love that could be lost forever.
Somewhere at sometime there won't have to be
He hopes for a time in the future where love can be trustworthy and pure.
A look that we take back or touch we can't mean
He wants to be able to look back on his love with happiness and without regret.
Somewhere tonight it's waiting inside of you and me
The potential for love is already within both the singer and his partner.
Oh, I don't want to be
He doesn't want to miss out on this chance for love.
Somewhere they might still try
He and his partner are willing to take a chance on love.
Somewhere to claim love's right
They both believe that they deserve to find love and happiness.
Somewhere even frail trust can survive
They still have hope that they can trust each other with their hearts.
Oh, I don't wanna be
He doesn't want to miss out on love.
Somewhere tonight with my heart still needing
He doesn't want to be left unfulfilled in his desire for love.
Somewhere tonight, a chance that is gone
He doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity for love that could be lost forever.
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
He continues to hope and pray for a chance at love.
Oh, baby somewhere
He dreams of finding someone to share his love with.
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
He will keep searching until he finds love.
Contributed by Cole G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Susan
on Fast As You
Who is Sookie? I gotsta know!