Every #1 Single of the Nineties: Dwight Yoakam, “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”

“A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”

Dwight Yoakam

Written by Dwight Yoakam

Radio & Records

#1 (1 week)

September 3, 1993

Dwight Yoakam earns his final No. 1 hit to date.

The Road to No. 1

This Time launched with the Grammy-winning No. 1 single, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet.”  Its b-side was sent to radio next, and it repeated its chart-topping success.

The No. 1

Dwight Yoakam at his very best.

“A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” is eloquent in its heartache, with a literate and sophisticated lyric that is delivered with forlorn sincerity.

And if the songwriting proves his intellectual bona fides, then the song works even better as evidence of his singing.  Only an all time great could express so much emotion by simply repeating “Oh, I” three times as Yoakam does in the bridge.

If it isn’t the best single of his career, it’s part of that conversation.

Can we get him in the Hall of Fame already?

The Road From No. 1

This Time produced Yoakam’s final top ten hit, “Fast as You,” as well as two more top thirty singles.  Yoakam’s next studio set, Nothing, went gold and produced a solitary top twenty hit with its title track.  Yoakam’s last major hit was “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which powered its accompanying hits collection, Last Chance For a Thousand Years, to gold status.

Yoakam earned renown for his acting as the nineties progressed, and his music went on the back burner for many years.  However, his enduring legacy was reflected in his first full career retrospective, The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam, which was released quietly in 2004 but has since been certified platinum.

Most recently, Yoakam was featured in the PBS Country Music documentary.  His last three releases have charted in the top ten of the Billboard country albums chart, and he continues to be a draw on the road.

“A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” gets an A.

Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties

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Next: Billy Ray Cyrus, “In the Heart of a Woman”

 

3 Comments

  1. Simply a fantastic song and easily one of his very best! The lyrics and production combine perfectly to make you really feel the emotions of the song.

  2. This just might be my favorite Dwight Yoakam song of all time, though, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet” has been known to edge it out every once in a while. This is truly just a great song, from the beautiful unforgettable melody, Dwight’s aching vocals, and the excellent guitar playing from Pete Anderson. The bridge with the “Oh I’s” has always been one of my favorite parts, as well, especially when he hits those falsetto notes. I have to agree that this is, without a doubt, one of Dwight’s finest moments on record! I just love that songs like this could actually become big hits during the first half of the 90’s. It’s just too bad that it ended up being Dwight’s last number one.

    Of course, this is another one I didn’t hear until I got back into country radio in the mid 90’s. However, the first time I truly fell in love with it was when my step dad and I were watching the movie, Chasers, on TV one night, and this song was playing during one of the scenes. Then one other night in 1997 when my dad was driving me back home after visiting my relatives, it came on the radio, and I remember being so excited to hear it again. I also discovered that it was one of my dad’s favorites, as well, as he sang along to it. From that point on, it was always such a treat for me to hear it whenever it came on the radio, especially since it didn’t come on nearly as much as other recurrents.

    I’m actually quite surprised that “Fast As You” wasn’t a number one, since that was, hands down, the one that got the most recurrent airplay for us out of all the This Time singles. Of the other This Time singles, I also really love “Try Not To Look So Pretty.”

  3. Yoakam at his most poignant and poetic. The esoteric lyrical wonderings about time and space are anchored by his aching, mournful wandering vocals. This song appeals to both the heart and the head.

    An enduring classic!

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