| Population Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 24, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 31:51 | |||
| Label | Audium Records | |||
| Producer | Pete Anderson | |||
| Dwight Yoakam chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Population Me is the 13th studio album by Dwight Yoakam. It was released in June 2003 via the Audium Records label. The album spawned two singles, "The Back of Your Hand" and "The Late Great Golden State".
After fulfilling his contract with Reprise, Yoakam moved to Warner Bros. and released the soundtrack to South of Heaven – West of Hell, a film he wrote, directed, and ultimately financed, much to his own detriment; the movie was panned by critics and went largely unseen. Yoakam then signed with Audium and became a top priority, but the budget for recording was scaled down considerably and the independent label did not have the muscle to get Yoakam the radio play necessary for a return to his commercial heyday at Reprise.
Although unquestionably a country record, Population Me offers a wider array of musical colors than the straight country sound on Yoakam's 2000 studio release Tomorrow’s Sounds Today. Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs plays banjo on the reworked cover of Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes," and banjo is also prominently featured on the Los Angeles singer-songwriter Mike Stinson's "The Late Great Golden State," which features Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles on background vocals. Thom Jurek of AllMusic enthuses, "…on the title track driven by guitar ace Pete Anderson and pedal steel, banjo, and dobro king Gary Morse, Yoakam weaves a perfect blend of driving rockabilly, Chuck Berry, and honky tonk." [2]
Yoakam's seven original songs are full of disgruntled lovers, confusion, and longing. The minor key title track evokes Hank Williams's "Ramblin' Man" with bleak lines like, "This place will tell you lies with each passing shadow…" while "No Such Thing" is a disillusioned post-mortem of a broken relationship that reflects "We never laughed, we never cried/That’s not true, it's better to lie…" Similarly, on the punning "Fair to Midland" the narrator laments "I'm only closer to how far away can be." The poetic lyrics and descending chorus on "An Exception to the Rule" sounds like Gordon Lightfoot filtered through Bakersfield, while "Stayin' Up Late (Thinkin' About It)" and "I'd Avoid Me Too" are more blatant tips of the hats to the Bakersfield honky-tonks.
Population Me is arguably best remembered for two reasons. First, it contains the duet "If Teardrops Were Diamonds" with outlaw legend Willie Nelson, adding a gorgeous pop sensibility to Yoakam's hillbilly moan. [2] Second, it would be the last Yoakam studio album of new material to be produced by bandleader Pete Anderson. The pair split acrimoniously after a near-twenty year musical partnership when Yoakam decided to cut costs and tour without him, which lead to a lawsuit that was settled out of court.
AllMusic: "Yoakam's songwriting continues to grow and transform itself into an accurate reflection of American culture as felt through the poetic heart of a country musician. The songs are right there: lean, tough, raw, and drenched with hooks as well as emotions -- check out the honky tonk stroll of ‘I'd Avoid Me Too.’ This is stellar, kickin' impure country." [2]
All tracks are written by Dwight Yoakam unless otherwise indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Late Great Golden State" | Mike Stinson | 2:26 |
| 2. | "No Such Thing" | 3:19 | |
| 3. | "Fair to Midland" | 3:26 | |
| 4. | "An Exception to the Rule" | 2:20 | |
| 5. | "Population Me" | 4:42 | |
| 6. | "Stayin' Up Late (Thinkin' About It)" | 2:50 | |
| 7. | "Trains and Boats and Planes" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 3:21 |
| 8. | "If Teardrops Were Diamonds" (duet with Willie Nelson) | 3:20 | |
| 9. | "I'd Avoid Me Too" | 2:59 | |
| 10. | "The Back of Your Hand" | Gregg Lee Henry | 3:08 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Year | Single | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| 2003 | "The Back of Your Hand" | 52 |
| "The Late Great Golden State" | 52 | |
Dwight David Yoakam is an American country singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. Yoakam had considerable success throughout the late 1980s onward, with a total of ten studio albums for Reprise Records. Later projects have been released on Audium, New West, Warner, and Sugar Hill Records.
Will the Circle be Unbroken is the seventh studio album by American country music group The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with collaboration from many famous bluegrass and country-and-western players, including Roy Acuff, "Mother" Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Merle Travis, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, and others. It also introduced fiddler Vassar Clements to a wider audience. The album was released in November 1972, through United Artists Records.
If There Was a Way is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on October 30, 1990. Five of its tracks would rise into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1991 and 1992. They were "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" at No. 11, "You're the One" at No. 5, "Nothing's Changed Here" at No. 15, "It Only Hurts When I Cry" at No. 7 "Send a Message to My Heart", at No. 47, and finally the No. 18 "The Heart That You Own".
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room is the third studio album by American country music singer Dwight Yoakam, released on August 2, 1988. The album contains Yoakam's first two No. 1 Hot Country Singles singles. The first was "Streets of Bakersfield," a duet with country music veteran Buck Owens, who had originally released a version of the song in 1973. The second was an original composition of Yoakam's titled "I Sang Dixie." A third song on the album, "I Got You," also an original composition, peaked at No. 5. The title song, "Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room ," also charted, but only to the No. 46 position.
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is the debut studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. This was Yoakam's first time working with long-time collaborator, record producer-guitarist Pete Anderson. The album became the first of three consecutive albums by Yoakam to reach number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Hillbilly Deluxe is the second studio album by American country music singer-songwriter, Dwight Yoakam. Released in 1987, it was Yoakam's second consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Four tracks were released as singles with each becoming Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1987 and 1988.
This Time is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released by Reprise Records on March 23, 1993. Three of its tracks barely missed the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, each peaking at #2: "Ain't That Lonely Yet", "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" and "Fast as You", the latter being his last Top 10 single. Two other tracks also rose into the charts: "Try Not to Look So Pretty" at #14 and "Pocket of a Clown" at #22. The album itself peaked at #4 on the Top Country Albums chart. Yoakam wrote or co-wrote all except for one of the tracks on this album.
Gone is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on October 31, 1995, by Reprise Records. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Nothing" at #20, "Gone " at #51, and "Sorry You Asked?" at #59. The final single, "Heart of Stone", failed to chart in the United States. This was also the first album of his career not to produce a Top Ten country hit.
A Long Way Home is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on June 9, 1998. It reached No. 11 on the Billboard Country Album, with two of its tracks charting on the Hot Country Singles chart. "Things Change" reached No. 17, while "These Arms" peaked at No. 57. Yoakam wrote all the songs on the album himself.
Tomorrow's Sounds Today is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. This album was released on October 31, 2000. It rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. There were two charting singles among its tracks: "What Do You Know About Love" at No. 26 and "I Want You to Want Me" at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Also included are two duets with Buck Owens, who was a big influence on Yoakam's musical style. It was also Yoakam's last studio album for the Reprise label. After that album's release, Yoakam left Reprise for Warner Bros. in 2001.
Blame the Vain is the 16th studio album by country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released in June 2005, and his first not to be produced by guitarist producer Pete Anderson. Yoakam wrote all the songs and produced the album himself. He also directed the videos for "Intentional Heartache" and the title track.
South of Heaven, West of Hell is country singer Dwight Yoakam's 12th studio album, and the first soundtrack album to the motion picture of the same name in which he starred, co-wrote and directed. Yoakam portrays a lawman in the early 1900s in the "wild west" of the Arizona Territory. Half of the tracks in the album are country music tracks. The other tracks are short snippets of straight dialog scenes from the film itself. There are many well-known co-stars in the movie, including Peter Fonda, Bridget Fonda, Paul Reubens, Billy Bob Thornton, Warren Zevon and Vince Vaughn. This was also Yoakam's only album for Warner Bros. after leaving Reprise.
Songs About Me is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Trace Adkins. It was released on March 22, 2005, via Capitol Records Nashville. His highest-selling album to date, it has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA and had sold 1.5 million copies. Singles from this album include the title track, "Arlington", and "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk". The title track and "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" both went to No.2 and "Arlington" went to No.16 on the U.S. BillboardHot Country Songs charts. "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" was also a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Pop 100 charts as well.
Dwight Sings Buck is country music artist Dwight Yoakam's 17th studio album, and a tribute album to Buck Owens. The album was released on October 23, 2007, by New West Records.
Just Lookin' for a Hit is the first compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It includes eight singles from his 1980s albums for Reprise Records, as well as two newly recorded cover songs: "Long White Cadillac," originally recorded by The Blasters, and "Sin City," originally recorded by the Flying Burrito Brothers.
The Bourbon Legend is Jason Boland & The Stragglers's fifth album. It was released in the fall of 2006. The song "Rattlesnakes" is a cover, co-written with Bob Childers. It was produced by longtime Dwight Yoakam collaborator Pete Anderson.
In Others' Words is a compilation album, and the second covers album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released on September 23, 2003 on Reprise Records and peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Dwight's Used Records is a compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released by Audium Records on June 29, 2004. The album peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
21st Century Hits: Best of 2000–2012 is the fourth greatest hits compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released by New West Records on October 1, 2013. It includes songs from the albums Tomorrow's Sounds Today, Population Me, Blame the Vain, Dwight Sings Buck and 3 Pears, as well as a previously unreleased duet with Michelle Branch and a cover of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" from his previous greatest hits collection, the 1999 Last Chance for a Thousand Years, that also appeared on the soundtrack to the 2006 film The Break-Up.
Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years is a 2002 box set of songs by American country musician Dwight Yoakam, highlighting his career on Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records, along with his initial 1981 demos and two new tracks. It has received positive reviews from critics.
