Music that Matters to Me.3 Dwight Yoakam

It turns out I have five Dwight Yoakam CDs: If There Was a Way (1990), This Time (1993), Last Chance for a Thousand Years (1999), Population Me (2003), The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam (2004). The crazy thing about this artist is how much one of my high school friends adored him and how opposed I was. I would groan every time he played Dwight or Elvis. Go figure. Was it pure rebellion or did it simply need to grow on me? Was I being contentious just for spite? It's hard to say, all I know is that somewhere in the decade that followed my initial distaste, I fell in love.

I went through a phase of country music in the early part of the 1990s but that didn't exactly stick. Of course there are some songs I still love, some current songs I enjoy, and a handful of bands I like. But when I hear that song "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" I am reminded of all that is wrong in this world or at least wrong with country today! Ugh. Yoakam's music reminds me of earlier days (and I suspect that is why some DON'T like him) when the country musicians were truly country and their sound was full of twang and lyrical heartbreak. I love you Patsy, Hank, Johnny, Connie and more.

Here is a glimpse into my thoughts on some of the songs on his 2004 Greatest Hits album: The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam and a couple extra faves just for good measure.

Honky Tonk Man
This is a favorite cover by nearly any artist. My favorite version is a Johnny Horton one probably because it's the one I knew first. In real life, I would warn any man not to use the term "mama" for his "little lady" but in this song it just works.

Two songs in which I love, love, love the bass line:
Guitars, Cadillacs Turn it On, Turn it Up, Turn Me Loose (I also like the reference to the Buck Owens song)

Little Ways
Why do I feel every song of his is sexy? This one is just that. It could be a strip tease or a song perfect for dancing in the arms of the man I love, swaying, laughing with my head thrown back. I am sure even the words aren't exactly sexy or romantic but it's the music... the "feel" of the song.

Suspicious Minds
This is my favorite song by Dwight. I think part of my attraction goes back to when I first fell in love with it. I was in ballroom dance class in college learning how to foxtrot. A guy named Paul was our teaching assistant and he was a terrific dancer and later a pretty good friend. He died about five years ago from brain cancer (a cancer he'd already been fighting for 11 years) and though this might seen odd, I think of this song as a personal memorial to my pal, Paul. It always makes me want to dance and it brings a smile to my face in his memory.

A Thousand Miles from Nowhere
Here's another one from dance class .... slow, slow, quick, quick, slow..... I can see why we used these songs in class... the beat is very clear and they are great traveling around the dance floor kinds of songs.

It Only Hurts Me When I Cry
See now this song is totally in the spirit of old country...
"The only time I feel the pain
Is in the sunshine or the rain
And I don't feel no hurt at all
Unless you count when teardrops fall
I tell the truth 'cept when I lie
And it only hurts me when I cry"

Fast as You
This one reminds me of my friends Beth Ann and Joell... I 'm not quite sure why but I guess we must have listened to this in college... There's a line where he says "Oh Sukey" or something like that we always used to say "Oh, Stokka" for one of our friends... that bit always brings a smile.

Ain't That Lonely Yet
This is actually another song that is decent to dance to, but the lyrics are fun too. Heartbroken and mean. You gotta love it.

"You keep calling me
On the telephone
You say you're all alone
Well that's real sad
And you keep leavin'
Notes stuck on my door
Guess you're hungry for some more
Girl that's too bad'

Cause I ain't that lonely yet"

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Yet another great cover.

I like some of the lyrics in the following songs:

Thinking About Leaving
"I've been thinking about leaving, long enough to change my mind"

The Late Great Golden State
"...I ain't old, I'm just out of date
In the late great golden state

I caught one last glimpse
Of a palomino
When I drove out west
To see the purple sage
Then as canyons burned
And the mountains crumbled
The last cowboy band
Left the stage...."

An Exception to the Rule
"Even though I should know better
I guess we could maybe try
There is the risk
Of looking like a fool
But I've got a lucky feeling
Just a hunch, don't ask me why
You might be an exception
To the rule."

I'd Avoid Me Too
"Here I sit all alone just a wonderin' why
You must have slipped out while I was high
I know just how it feels and I'm not blamin' you
'Cause if I had to choice I'd avoid me too."