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.
Turn It On Turn It Up Turn Me Loose
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of trying to break free from the sadness
That I can't lay to rest
This old honky tonk sure does feel like home
And the music with the laughter seem to soothe my loneliness
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
From her memories driving me lonely, crazy and blue
Hey mister turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Now if a tear should fall if I should whisper her name
To some stranger I'm holdin'
while we're dancin' to an old Buck Owen's song
I know she won't mind she won't even know
She'll be dancing with a memory crying teardrops of her own
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
From her memories driving me lonely, crazy and blue
It helps me to forget her so the louder the better
Hey mister turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
From her memories driving me lonely, crazy and blue
It helps me to forget her so the louder the better
Hey mister turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Hey mister turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
In "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" by Dwight Yoakam, the singer is once again at the honky-tonk, trying to cope with the sadness that he can’t seem to escape. He finds comfort in the music and laughter, and the more he can turn up the volume, the better he can forget his heartbreak. The singer begs the DJ to turn up the volume and set him free from the memory of his lost love. He admits that he might shed a tear or whisper her name to a stranger on the dance floor, but he hopes that she is doing the same, just like him.
The song is all about escapism, as the singer tries to distract himself from the pain of a broken heart. By immersing himself in the honky-tonk atmosphere, he can forget about his loneliness for a while. The music is a way of tuning out the world and all the troubles that come with it. The song is relatable to anyone who has tried to escape their problems by distracting themselves with music, parties, or social events. It’s a reminder that we all need an escape sometimes, but it’s only a temporary solution to a persistent problem.
In summary, "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" is a classic honky-tonk song filled with emotion and longing. It showcases Dwight Yoakam's signature sound, where he blends traditional country music with rock and roll. It’s a song that encapsulates the ephemeral nature of happiness and the importance of seeking joy wherever we can find it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm back again for another night
Returning to the same place to try to forget about a person
Of trying to break free from the sadness
Attempting to escape from the emotional pain caused by this person
That I can't lay to rest
Finding it difficult to overcome and move on from the memories of this person
This old honky tonk sure does feel like home
The familiar surroundings of the bar provide a sense of comfort
And the music with the laughter seem to soothe my loneliness
The combination of music and jovial atmosphere temporarily alleviate feelings of isolation
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Requesting the DJ to play music loudly to distract from thoughts of the person
From her memories driving me lonely, crazy and blue
Attempting to break free from the negative emotions brought on by thinking of this person
It helps me to forget her so the louder the better
Using loud music as a form of escapism from painful memories
Hey mister turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Reiterating the request for the DJ to play music loudly to aid in the process of forgetting
Now if a tear should fall if I should whisper her name
Acknowledging the possibility of feeling emotional and thinking of the person while at the bar
To some stranger I'm holdin' while we're dancin' to an old Buck Owen's song
Sharing a brief moment with a stranger on the dance floor but still thinking about the person
I know she won't mind she won't even know
Realizing that the person is not present to judge or feel hurt by this behavior
She'll be dancing with a memory crying teardrops of her own
Acknowledging that the person may also be struggling with feelings of loneliness and heartbreak
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KOSTAS LAZARIDES, WAYLAND PATTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
superblasted
Well, I'm back again for another night
Of trying to break free from this sadness that I can't lay to rest
This old honky-tonk sure does feel like home
And the music with the laughter seem to soothe my loneliness
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
From her memory that's driving me lonely, crazy and blue
It helps me forget her, so the louder the better
Hey mister, turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
If a tear should fall if I should whisper her name
To some stranger I'm holdin' while we're dancin' to an old Buck Owens song
I know she won't mind, she won't even know
She'll be dancing with a memory crying teardrops of her own
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
From her memory that's driving me lonely, crazy and blue
It helps me forget her, so the louder the better
Hey mister, turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
From her memory that's driving me lonely, crazy and blue
It helps me forget her, so the louder the better
Hey mister, turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Yeah, mister turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose
Dwight Yoakam
Thanks to you all, I call my fans, I appreciate all the support and love you have been given to me all these years. You all made me whom I am today, so I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind gesture towards me and am most grateful to have you as my fans💖💖💖
James Dielissen
You are a true legend sir :)
Paul Earwood
Your Songs helped me thru some bad times. Thank you.
Wes Walls
Hey that guy awesome in movies too
Dwight Yoakam
@James Dielissen thank you so much for the love you show me
John Daniels
Youre the man Dwight yoakam!
Clevermx
Words cannot express how much I love this song. The guitar and his voice soothes my soul!
Claudia Heinowski
clevermx, Right ! I really enjoy listing to it. I dance on my toes as I can tap it out better that way. I dance fast, and "Dance" (tap out) to the rythem (sp??). *see comments above.
Brett Crumley
29 years later, it's still one of the all-time great country songs!
daniel taylor
Indeed.