Introduction
In the realm of country music, Dwight Yoakam has carved out a place not just as a torchbearer of the Bakersfield sound, but as an artist uniquely capable of expressing raw emotion with economy and grace. His song “Try Not To Look So Pretty (Official Video)” is a shining example of that gift — a subdued, heartfelt ballad that captures the uneasy space between lingering desire and inevitable departure.
From the opening bars, the song wears its emotional tension openly. A slow, aching tempo underscores the narrative — a farewell wrapped in tenderness, where words go unspoken not out of coldness, but out of the difficulty of letting go. Yoakam doesn’t need a heavy hand to communicate heartbreak. Here, it’s the soft delivery, the slight tremble in his voice, and the quiet plea at the heart of the song that do all the talking.
The refrain — “Try not to look so pretty / The next time that I see you” — is deceptively simple. On the surface, it might seem like a compliment or a moment of levity. But beneath that line lies a deep emotional pull. It’s a request born not of anger, but of vulnerability. The speaker knows that even a glimpse of this person, beautiful as ever, might be enough to undo all the emotional progress made since the parting. It’s a gentle, aching admission: “I’m not over you, and I might never be.”
Musically, the arrangement is stripped down and intimate. A quietly weeping steel guitar floats over understated rhythm guitar and sparse percussion, creating a soundscape that feels like a late-night drive or the last dance at a dimly lit bar. Yoakam’s vocals are perfectly suited to this atmosphere — controlled but emotionally bare, filled with the kind of heartache that doesn’t need to be shouted to be heard.
The official video matches this emotional tone with elegance. It’s visually restrained, letting Yoakam’s expressions and the subdued color palette carry the mood. There’s a visual stillness to it — long shadows, reflective glances, quiet settings — all of which emphasize the song’s emotional weight. The lack of dramatic flair is exactly what makes the video work; it doesn’t distract, it complements.
What’s especially poignant about “Try Not To Look So Pretty” is how it handles emotional complexity with maturity. There’s no bitterness, no accusation. Instead, it’s a song about the quiet sorrow that lingers after a relationship ends — not the explosive kind of heartbreak, but the one that seeps in slowly, carried on memories and moments that won’t quite fade. That kind of pain — the kind that’s tender, not bitter — is harder to capture, and Yoakam does it with rare finesse.
For listeners who’ve experienced the challenge of moving on from someone they still care deeply for, this song strikes a chord. It doesn’t wallow. It reflects. And that reflection is often where the deepest resonance lives. The song doesn’t offer resolution — just recognition. Recognition that love, even when it’s no longer shared, can still shape us long after the last goodbye.
In “Try Not To Look So Pretty (Official Video),” Dwight Yoakam gives us something more than just a sad song. He offers an intimate portrait of love’s lingering shadow — and a quiet reminder of how beauty, even when it hurts, can still bring us to our knees. It’s a song for anyone who has ever loved deeply and lost quietly.