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.
The Back Of Your Hand
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you're still digging in the mind
And your staring out the window
Saying everything will be just fine
Keepin' with whole affair
Every word seems out of line
No matter what angle you get
It's polished till it shines
Take a guess at where I stand
Pick a number one to two
Take a look at the back of your hand
Just like you know it
You know me too
And when you say who the hell am I living with
What just went down
Where did this come from
Why are all my colors faded brown
When did it change
What's with the rage
Who's the dude with the extrall
What's the verse the line the chapter the page
Take a guess at where I stand
Pick a number one to two
Take a look at the back of your hand
Just like you know it
You know me too
You think you're lost without any place left to go
Like you need one of those kisses long and slow
First glance is not what it seems
But there's some things that I just know
Like you take two sugars with a splash of cream
You take a guess
Where I stand oh pick a number
One to two
Then take a look
Back of your hand
Just like you know it
You know me too
Yeah like you know it
You know me too
Just like you know it
You know me too
Dwight Yoakam's song The Back Of Your Hand is a poignant contemplation of a relationship that has gone awry. The opening lines talk about how the singer of the song has given up hope but is still grappling with the memories of the relationship. The lyrics "staring out the window, saying everything will be just fine" indicate a sense of denial and resignation to the situation. The following lines "keeping with the whole affair, every word seems out of line, no matter what angle you get, it's polished till it shines" suggest that the couple has been trying to maintain a facade of togetherness, but things are not as they seem.
In the chorus, the lyrics "Take a guess at where I stand, pick a number one to two, take a look at the back of your hand, just like you know it, you know me too" hint at the level of intimacy and familiarity that the couple shared. The singer is urging the other person to look at the back of their hand, as if to say that they know each other so well, they could even read their palm. However, the line "when you say who the hell am I living with" suggests a growing sense of distance and confusion.
The closing lyrics of the song continue the contemplative tone, but also add a hint of hope. The line "you think you're lost without any place left to go, like you need one of those kisses long and slow" suggest a longing for intimacy and connection. The lyrics "there's some things that I just know, like you take two sugars with a splash of cream" hint at the familiarity that comes with shared experiences, even if the relationship has hit a rough patch.
Line by Line Meaning
When you give it up for gone
Even though you feel like it's over, you're still holding on
But you're still digging in the mind
You're still trying to understand what's going on and why
And your staring out the window
You're looking for a way out or a sign of hope
Saying everything will be just fine
You're trying to convince yourself that things will work out
Keepin' with whole affair
You're trying to make sense of the situation
Every word seems out of line
Nothing makes sense, everything is confusing
No matter what angle you get
No matter how you look at it
It's polished till it shines
It looks good on the surface, but it's not what it seems
Take a guess at where I stand
Try to understand my position
Pick a number one to two
Choose between two options
Take a look at the back of your hand
Think about what you know, deep down
Just like you know it
As sure as you are of yourself
You know me too
You understand me as well
And when you say who the hell am I living with
When you question the person you're with
What just went down
What just happened in our relationship
Where did this come from
What caused this situation to occur
Why are all my colors faded brown
Why do I feel like I'm lacking vibrancy or joy
When did it change
When did things shift in our relationship
What's with the rage
Why are you so angry
Who's the dude with the extra
Who else is involved in this situation
What's the verse the line the chapter the page
What led us to this point in our relationship
You think you're lost without any place left to go
You're feeling hopeless and stuck
Like you need one of those kisses long and slow
You're craving intimacy and love
First glance is not what it seems
Things are not as they appear on the surface
But there's some things that I just know
There are certain truths that I understand
Like you take two sugars with a splash of cream
I know you well and your preferences
Where I stand oh pick a number
Tell me what you think of me
Then take a look
Reflect on what you already know
Just like you know it
As sure as you are of yourself
You know me too
You understand me well
Yeah like you know it
As much as you think you do
You know me too
You really do understand me
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: GREGG LEE HENRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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