Introduction
With Dwight Yoakam – This Time, we find an artist who’s not only revisiting the familiar emotional terrain of love and regret but doing so with a maturity and introspection that sets the song apart from his earlier, more rambunctious material. Released in 1993 as the title track to his critically acclaimed album This Time, this song is less about heartbreak as spectacle and more about reflection, consequence, and quiet hope.
At first listen, “This Time” may seem understated—especially for a performer known for his sharp honky-tonk edge and Bakersfield swagger. But that subtlety is precisely what gives the song its staying power. From the opening notes, there’s a gentle, almost hesitant quality to the instrumentation. The production, guided by Pete Anderson (Yoakam’s longtime collaborator), leans into a restrained mix of acoustic textures, soft electric phrasing, and a steady, unobtrusive rhythm section. It’s music that gives space to the lyrics—room to breathe, to resonate.
Lyrically, this isn’t a song about wild declarations or dramatic turns. Instead, it’s a personal confession. Yoakam sings from the vantage point of someone who’s been here before—who’s made mistakes, perhaps more than once—and now faces a familiar situation with a little more clarity. The line “This time, I think I’m gonna make it” doesn’t come across as triumphant. It’s quiet, cautious, and tinged with the wisdom of someone who knows how fragile things can be.
Yoakam’s vocal delivery is central to the track’s impact. He has always had a voice that can bend between lonesome and defiant with remarkable ease, but in “This Time,” he opts for something more inward-looking. There’s a tremble in his tone—a kind of deliberate restraint—that reflects both vulnerability and resolve. It’s the voice of a man talking to himself as much as anyone else.
The beauty of Dwight Yoakam – This Time lies in its emotional ambiguity. It doesn’t guarantee redemption, nor does it wallow in defeat. It simply captures a moment of awareness—of trying again, not because the odds are better, but because the heart won’t let go of the possibility. That message, delivered with such quiet grace, is what makes this song resonate with listeners across generations.
Though often overshadowed by his flashier hits like “Fast as You” or “Guitars, Cadillacs,” “This Time” stands as a key moment in Yoakam’s evolution as an artist. It shows him not just as a throwback or revivalist, but as a thoughtful songwriter capable of crafting music that grows with you.
In a world full of country songs about endings, “This Time” is about what it takes to start again—with humility, hope, and a little more understanding than before. And that, in itself, is something truly worth listening to.