Songs on this list are important for various reasons, and one of them is what they started. That's what's going on here. When Dwight Yoakam released this single, country was desperately looking for a new direction that would be the next great phase and hopefully put us on a far more successful path. And this single was a very big part of that. This launched the career of Yoakam and his sound and look helped reinvent the format, opening the door for a far more traditional sound, and showing the fading and faded "pop country" the door. I have always contended that Randy Travis and Yoakam really helped save the format, as they showed up about the same time and were both incredibly successful right from the get-go. They each had a very distinct vocal sound that separated them from the pack at the time. This was a #3 hit off the Guitars And Cadillac's album (EP) and was exceedingly popular with fans. His image, style, and stage presence was also very new and fresh as he stirred up a lot of new fans with that as well. The class of 1989 gets a lot of credit for country's massive popularity and it's deserved. But this era a few years earlier without any question opened the door for them. This song turned a lot of heads and helped to set us on a new and exciting road for years to come.
My Full Profile On Dwight Yoakam
