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 HΓΌsker DΓΌ, 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 Much I Know
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll never come back to me
This much I know
She meant what she said
This much I know
It's taught me all about misery
I just learn kinda slow
This much I know
This much I feel
I should have reached out to her
This much I feel
I tried it too late
This much I feel
How empty the world can be
And so painfully real
This much I feel
I've had second thoughts about
Every reason
We let love slip away
From our lives
And there's no place left to look
That I don't see some
Small reminder
Of all the chances
I just let go by
This much I need
To wake up once and find she's not gone
This much I need
But I'll never have
This much I need
Words to speak without missing her
Or just some new way to breathe
This much I need
In Dwight Yoakam's song "This Much I Know," the country star reflects on a lost love and the pain he felt from not fighting for it. The opening line, "This much I know, she'll never come back to me," sets the tone for the rest of the song. Yoakam acknowledges that he let go of his love too easily and that he should have tried harder to keep it alive. The chorus repeats the phrase "This much I know" with alternating measurements of pain and regret. He laments on the "misery" that he has learned too slowly and the "emptiness" that he feels.
In the second verse, Yoakam expresses that he has had "second thoughts about every reason we let love slip away." This introspective line shows that he recognizes that he contributed to the end of the relationship but wishes he had done things differently. He also acknowledges the omnipresent triggers that remind him of his former love. The last verse concludes with his deepest desires: to wake up and find that his lover has not left him, but he knows that those wishes will never be fulfilled. He also yearns for some solace in the words and the way he lives his life.
Overall, the song is a melancholic reflection on lost love and the pain that comes with it. It is a relatable subject that has been explored in many different genres and art forms. However, Yoakam's authentic country voice and the twang of the guitar elevate the song and make it unique.
Line by Line Meaning
This much I know
I am completely sure of this fact
She'll never come back to me
I have accepted that she will never return to me
She meant what she said
I believe that she was honest and truthful with me
It's taught me all about misery
I have learned a lot about sadness and pain from this experience
I just learn kinda slow
It takes me longer than others to learn from my mistakes
This much I feel
I am very certain of this emotion
I should have reached out to her
I regret not trying to communicate with her more
I tried it too late
I realized too late that I should have tried to reach out to her
How empty the world can be
I have come to realize how lonely and unfulfilling life can be without her
And so painfully real
This realization has been very difficult for me to accept
I've had second thoughts about
I have reconsidered and questioned every reason
Every reason
Every explanation for why our love fell apart
We let love slip away
We did not work hard enough to maintain our relationship
From our lives
Our love is no longer a part of our lives
And there's no place left to look
Everywhere I look, I am reminded of what we had
That I don't see some
I cannot find a place where I am not reminded of her
Small reminder
Something that brings back memories of our love
Of all the chances
Opportunities we had to make our love work
I just let go by
I overlooked or dismissed these opportunities, causing our love to end
This much I need
I am desperate for this
To wake up once and find she's not gone
To wake up and discover that she has returned to me
But I'll never have
I know that this is impossible
Words to speak without missing her
Being unable to talk about her without feeling sad
Or just some new way to breathe
Needing a new way to cope and deal with my sadness
Lyrics Β© CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JOHN LONGENECKER
"This Much I Know"
This much I know
She'll never come back to me
This much I know
She meant what she said
This much I know
It's taught me all about misery
I just learn kinda slow
This much I know
This much I feel
I should have reached out to her
This much I feel
I tried it too late
This much I feel
How empty the world can be
And so painfully real
This much I feel
I've had second thoughts about
Every reason
We let love slip away
From our lives
And there's no place left to look
That I don't see some
Small reminder
Of all the chances
I just let go by
This much I need
To wake up once and find she's not gone
This much I need
But I'll never have
This much I need
Words to speak without missing her
Or just some new way to breathe
This much I need
JOHN LONGENECKER
Dwight Yoakam
Nothing - the movie
https://youtu.be/UeuRMOkaohY -
Gone - the movie
This Much I Know
https://youtu.be/aIJLMGk84ec -
Dwight Yoakam
https://www.youtube.com/user/dwightyoakam -
This much I know
She'll never come back to me
This much I know
She meant what she said
This much I know
It's taught me all about misery
I just learn kinda slow
This much I know
This much I feel
I should have reached out to her
This much I feel
I tried it too late
This much I feel
How empty the world can be
And so painfully real
This much I feel
I've had second thoughts
About every reason
We let love slip away
From our lives
And there's no place left to look
That I don't see some small reminder
Of all the chances I just let go by
--- Instrumental ---
This much I need
To wake up once and find
She's not gone
This much I need
But I'll never have
This much I need
Words to speak without missing her
Or just some new way to breathe
This much I need...
Dwight Yoakam -
This Much I Know Lyrics
PC 3
This mans music touches the hurt in our souls,
Louise Rawle
WHAT A GLORIOUS VOICE THIS STAR HAS,I ADORE HIM.
Louise Rawle
Perfect description.
Cory Johnson
Dwight's all right.
Genilde Santos
Genilde
Virginia Allison
He sure does for sure. Keep it coming Dwight. Love Ya
Tammy Fincham
I love this song! It should have been released as a single! No voice on this earth compares to his!
Debby Sitzman Payne Payne
Canβt get any better than Dwight! Very Smart Man-Do your Producer and Do it Your Way Dwight!!! Love you for it All!!!!
janimarie
There are many of Dwight's songs that tug at the heartstrings... so many of them are full of heartache and lonliness. He is an amazingly talented singer/songwriter! His music and that sexy voice just touch me way down deep inside like no other.
JOHN LONGENECKER
"This Much I Know"
This much I know
She'll never come back to me
This much I know
She meant what she said
This much I know
It's taught me all about misery
I just learn kinda slow
This much I know
This much I feel
I should have reached out to her
This much I feel
I tried it too late
This much I feel
How empty the world can be
And so painfully real
This much I feel
I've had second thoughts about
Every reason
We let love slip away
From our lives
And there's no place left to look
That I don't see some
Small reminder
Of all the chances
I just let go by
This much I need
To wake up once and find she's not gone
This much I need
But I'll never have
This much I need
Words to speak without missing her
Or just some new way to breathe
This much I need