Introduction
Dwight Yoakam – Heartaches by the Number: A Classic Reborn on the Roxy Stage
Dwight Yoakam – Heartaches by the Number (Live at the Roxy, Hollywood, CA, March 1986) is a prime example of how a timeless country standard can be both honored and reimagined in the hands of a gifted performer. Originally made famous by Ray Price in 1959, this Harlan Howard-penned classic has been covered countless times, yet Yoakam’s Roxy performance injected it with a spark that was entirely his own — a blend of Bakersfield snap, honky-tonk swagger, and youthful urgency.
The song’s structure is pure country: a waltz-like rhythm carrying lyrics that catalog heartbreak with a matter-of-fact resignation. It’s a perfect mix of melancholy and melody, a format that country fans know by heart. But Yoakam, just beginning his ascent in the mid-1980s, approached it not as a museum piece but as a living, breathing story. His Kentucky twang cut through the room with clarity, giving each “heartache” in the lyric a slightly different shade — some weary, some biting, some almost defiant.
The Roxy crowd that night got more than a note-for-note rendition. Yoakam’s band played with tight precision and infectious energy, anchored by crisp Telecaster leads and a steady rhythm section that leaned into the song’s danceable swing. You could almost picture couples in the crowd turning the theatre floor into a makeshift dance hall, swaying in time to a tune they’d likely known for years.
What set this performance apart was Yoakam’s instinct for balance — keeping the heart of Ray Price’s hit intact while framing it in the raw, lively textures that defined his early career. He didn’t try to outdo the original; instead, he translated it through his own musical language, shaped by the honky-tonks of California and the storytelling traditions of his Appalachian upbringing.
Nearly four decades later, this Live at the Roxy version of Heartaches by the Number still stands as one of those rare covers that earns its place alongside the original. It’s a reminder that great songs don’t age — they evolve, finding new life in the voices of artists who truly understand their soul. And on that March night in 1986, Dwight Yoakam made sure this one kept beating strong.