Dwight Yoakam Reveals How His 4-Year-Old Son Inspired the Title Track from His New Album ‘Brighter Days’

Dwight Yoakam released Brighter Days, his first new album since 2016 today (November 15). Sonically, the 14-track collection showcases the sound that made the “Fast As You” singer a favorite among country fans. However, like most people, things have changed drastically for him over the last four years. Notably, Yoakam made the transition from a longtime bachelor to a family man in 2020. He and Emily Joyce tied the knot in May. They had their first son, Dalton, later that year.

As a songwriter, Yoakam gathers inspiration from his life, experiences, and surroundings. In a recent interview with Billboard, he revealed that a jam session with his toddler son inspired the title track from his new album. Dalton, who shares writing credit on the song, also made his recording debut on the track.

[RELATED: Dwight Yoakam Reveals That He Postponed the Release of ‘Brighter Days’ by ‘About Six Months’ to Accommodate a Last-Minute Post Malone Collaboration]

Dwight Yoakam Recalls Writing “Brighter Days”

Dwight Yoakam wasn’t looking to write a song when “Brighter Days” came to him. Instead, he was sharing a moment with his son and the song came to him. “He had a little Fender Telecaster-shaped ukulele he would wear,” he said of his son. “He came bouncing in the room one day and said, ‘Get your guitar.’ I picked it up and he would attempt to answer what I would play,” Yoakam recalled.

“I looked at him and said, ‘You know what? The future is you.’ And I started singing ‘Brighter Days,’ and he kind of sang it back to me,” Yoakam recalled. “I came up with the first verse just watching him and singing and having him sing back to me,” he added.

Without the context Yoakam offered in the interview, “Brighter Days” is the perfect song for these strange times. It’s a hopeful number about good times ahead. However, knowing more about the writing process behind the song gives it an extra weight. This isn’t just an optimistic look into the future. Instead, it is a song about every parent’s hope that their children will bring about a brighter future. It’s common for parents to want their children to have better lives than they did. “Brighter Days” buts that hope over a toe-tapping honky tonk song.

Even without the context, the final moments of the song are guaranteed to brighten the day of listeners everywhere. As the track comes to an end, Dalton sings a portion of the opening verse and it might be the cutest moment in country music history.

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