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.
This Drinkin Will Kill Me
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know, oh Lord, it might be true
If I stop I'll just die from your leavin'
So either way that I go, it's 'cause of you
Chorus:
Death can come from this broken heart
Or it can come from this bottle
Hey, bartender, I think I'll hit the throttle
I don't care how the preacher might preach to me
About the evils of being drunk with wine
I don't care how the doctor might warn me
'Cause since you left, it's just a matter of time
Chorus:
Death can come from this broken heart
Or it can come from this bottle
So why prolong the agony
Hey, bartender, I think I'll hit the throttle
I don't care that my friends have all left me
'Cause they swear that I have gone insane
And I don't care anymore about livin'
Without you, just the grave can ease the pain
Chorus:
Death can come from this broken heart
Or it can come from this bottle
So why prolong the agony
Hey, bartender, I think I'll hit the throttle
Yeah, they say this drinkin' will kill me
I don't know, oh Lord, it might be true
If I stop I'll just die from your leavin'
So either way that I go, it's 'cause of you
Either way that I go, it's 'cause of you...
Dwight Yoakam's song "This Drinkin Will Kill Me" is a powerful ballad that delves into the destructive effects of heartbreak and alcohol addiction. The song's lyrics are steeped in desperation, as the singer struggles to deal with the aftermath of a painful breakup. The chorus tackles head-on the question of whether or not his drinking will lead to his demise, or if his broken heart will ultimately be the cause of his death.
The first verse opens with the singer acknowledging the potential harm alcohol consumption can cause. He admits that it "might be true" that his drinking could kill him. However, he also recognizes that, in his current state of heartbreak, he feels as though he will die whether he drinks or not. In a sense, he views alcohol consumption as a way of coping with his intense emotional pain. The second verse explores this idea further, portraying a sense of hopelessness and resignation. The singer ultimately concludes that death is an inevitability, be it from heartbreak or alcoholism. The final verse features a resigned and fatalistic tone, with the singer professing that his only comfort will be found in the grave.
Interestingly, the song's pacing is slow and melancholic, fitting perfectly with the song's melancholic themes. Combined with Yoakam's emotive delivery, the track leaves a significant impact on the listener. This song has become a favorite among Elvis Presley fans, and Yoakam has cited Presley as his primary influence as well.
Line by Line Meaning
They say this drinkin will kill me
People warn me that my heavy drinking could lead to my death
And I don't know, oh Lord, it might be true
I acknowledge the possibility that my drinking could kill me
If I stop I'll just die from your leavin
If I quit drinking to deal with your absence, it feels like the pain will kill me instead
So either way that I go, it's cause of you
My heartbreak and the urge to drink both stem from my love for you
Death can come from this broken heart
Heartache can be just as deadly as alcohol addiction
Or it can come from this bottle
Excessive drinking can be fatal
So why prolong the agony
There's no need to drag my suffering out any longer
Hey, bartender, I think I'll hit the throttle
I'll drink as much as I can to numb my pain
I don't care how the preacher might preach me
I'm not interested in preaching about the dangers of alcohol
About the evils of being drunk with wine
I'm aware of the risks, but I don't want to hear about them
I don't care how the doctor might warn me
Even medical professionals can't convince me to stop drinking
Cause since you left, it's just a matter of time
My heart has been broken since you left, and it feels like I'm just waiting to die
I don't care that my friends have all left me
I'm aware that my behavior is isolating me, but I don't care about their disapproval
Cause they swear that I have gone insane
My friends think I've lost my mind because of my drinking
And I don't care anymore about livin
Without you, life has lost its meaning to me
Without you, just the grave can ease the pain
I feel like death is the only escape from my heartache
Yeah, they say this drinkin will kill me
People keep warning me that my heavy drinking could be lethal
I don't know, oh Lord, it might be true
I can't deny the possibility that my drinking could lead to my death
Yeah, either way that I go, it's cause of you
No matter whether death comes from drinking or heartbreak, it's because of my love for you
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sduke39
Pete Anderson is a monster guitar player!
@elainesmith7136
Love the song Dwight is amazing
@stevemerrell3481
I'm
@diamond6719
I do too wish he’s out out some more. Of this kind of pure country it’s been awhile
@lindarenslow8057
Dwight you’re one of the one’s left. Will be praying for you. You will be missed so much.
@sis779
Damn he's great at playing that guitar--Awesome👍👍👍
@jeffcollom7945
Dang dude can really emulate the banjo on that intro he’s amazing picker.
@anthonysanchez3275
He doesn't even look like he wants to be up there playing... I love Dwight. Not hating at all! Great tune.
@Jef-sj6zc
Pete Anderson : AMAZING !!!!!!
WITH TOTALLY HIS OWN STYLE .........👋👋👋👋👋👋
@Nearly225
Llove you 🎉❤❤❤papi