How David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” Influenced Dwight Yoakam

Inspiration comes from anywhere. It crosses genres and breaks boundaries. At its core, it does not discriminate. That being said, musicians have regularly pulled inspiration from outside their respective genres. One musician who has unexpectedly done so is Dwight Yoakam, and one of his largest influences outside of country music was Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie.

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Nothing about David Bowie relates to country music. Frankly, in some people’s eyes, he’s the antithesis of the genre. However, Dwight Yoakam seemingly didn’t care about that, as he cited David Bowie and his hit single “Rebel Rebel” as a major influence. Unexpected, yes, though beneficial, without a doubt, as David Bowie’s wisdom is completely priceless.

Dwight Yoakam’s Deep Affinity for David Bowie

In a 2016 interview with the Orange Country Register, Dwight Yoakam spoke very freely about his musical inspiration in David Bowie. Like most people, Yoakam praised Bowie and cited just how many contributions he has made to music as a whole. Despite the genre difference between the two, Yoakam still found a thread of connection, and he thanked Bowie extensively.

“He was an artist all the way until the end, purely and truly in every sense of the word,” Yoakam said, regarding Bowie’s character. “He should be an inspiration for all musical artists, he showed a lot of respect to the audience and was grateful for the gift that the artists are given in being able to make music and continue to have the opportunity to express themselves, of course in David’s case, to a massive and wide audience. […] It’s a lesson in just remembering to be grateful.”

Concering the profound impact of “Rebel Rebel,” Yoakam simply said, “I love the guitars on that and took inspiration from that.”

Yoakam may have had a favorite Bowie song, though he also had several others. In the interview, the country singer divulged that his five favorite Bowie songs are “Rebel Rebel”, “Golden Years”, “Heroes”, “Jean Genie”, and “Round And Round”.

Given that the two musicians seemingly had nothing in common musically, this story proves that influence and inspiration truly have no bounds. After all, if you want to be a great musician, you have to open yourself up to every genre and try to obtain some beneficial knowledge. Dwight Yoakam clearly did it, and look how it served him in his decorated career!

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