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.
Waiting
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for your world to turn around is less likely to be found
As I watch it moving past
Than any other hope that I might hold that someday you
Might know what it's like to slowly drown
Waiting for your world to turn around
Waiting for the the thought to cross your mind that 2 hearts might
Or even just be looking for a chance to take advantage of
One glance and live inside it one more time
Waiting for the thought to cross your mind
How long will it be
'Til these blind eyes can finally see
I don't know, time goes so slow
While your love, like a river, flows right by me
Waiting for your world to turn around is less likely to be found
As I watch it moving past
Than any other hope that I might hold that someday you
Might know what it's like to slowly drown
Waiting for your world to turn around
The song "Waiting" by Dwight Yoakam is a reflection on the feelings of longing and hopelessness that come with waiting for someone to change their mind about a relationship. The singer is resigned to waiting for the other person to come to a realization that they want to be with him/her, but acknowledges the slim odds of that happening. The opening line encapsulates this feeling of futility- "Waiting for your world to turn around is less likely to be found as I watch it moving past." The singer recognizes that he/she is essentially standing still while the world continues to move forward.
The second verse of the song provides a glimmer of hope that the other person may come around to the idea of being together. The singer imagines the possibility of the other person realizing that they've been missing out on something special and wanting to take advantage of it. However, this hope is accompanied by a sense of resignation- the singer acknowledges that this may never come to fruition, as the other person may be content to simply let things go as they are.
The chorus of the song reinforces the sense of waiting and longing that permeates the lyrics. The singer is left wondering how long it will be until things change, and is left feeling helpless as time passes inexorably by.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting for your world to turn around is less likely to be found
Hoping that your life will improve is not a practical expectation.
As I watch it moving past
I observe your life progressing without me.
Than any other hope that I might hold that someday you
Might know what it's like to slowly drown
My hope that you will understand my pain is the least likely possibility.
Waiting for the thought to cross your mind that 2 hearts might
Be inclined to commit an act that's bold
Hoping that you will consider a daring romantic act is my desire.
Or even just be looking for a chance to take advantage of
One glance and live inside it one more time
Even a fleeting moment of connection would be a significant experience.
Waiting for the thought to cross your mind
Anticipating a change in your emotional state that will lead to action.
How long will it be
'Til these blind eyes can finally see
I wonder how much time will pass before I can perceive the truth of our situation.
I don't know, time goes so slow
I am uncertain, but time seems to move at a sluggish pace.
While your love, like a river, flows right by me
Your love is abundant, and I am not part of it.
Waiting for your world to turn around is less likely to be found
Hoping that your life will improve is not a practical expectation.
As I watch it moving past
I am a bystander as your life progresses without my involvement.
Than any other hope that I might hold that someday you
Might know what it's like to slowly drown
My hope that you will experience what I am dealing with is unlikely.
Waiting for your world to turn around
Anticipating a change in your life that will impact our relationship.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DEANA KAY CARTER, DWIGHT DAVID YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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