I was forced to listen to country music at work around this time…but this one and other songs off of the album Time I really liked. It crossed over to pop/rock stations also. I always liked bitter breakup songs like this one.
It peaked at #2 in the Hot Country Songs Chart in 1993… It also peaked at #2 on the “US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles” Charts (way too many charts) and #3 on the Canada Country Tracks.
The song was written by James House and Kostas Lazarides.
From Songfacts
This tale of a girl trying in vain to win back her ex was written by Greek-born songwriter, Kostas (Patti Loveless’ “I Can Love You Better”) and country artist James House (Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing”).
House told American Songwriter the story of the song.
“We had already been working on another song idea for a couple of hours but it had gotten stale so we decided to take a break,” he said. “We started talking and Kostas asked me if I was going to get back together with my estranged girlfriend and I said, ‘I ain’t that lonely yet,’ and we looked at each other and said, ‘let’s write that’.”
“I grabbed my guitar and started singing the verse melody and Kostas was furiously writing lyrics,” House continued. “After 10 or 15 minutes he sang the first verse to the melody I was playing. The chorus fell out of him as we were jamming it out. I knew it was a special song when Kostas looked up with a smile and sang the lyric about the spider in my bed. You know you’re onto something when the lyrics are coming as fast as you can write them, I think there were four or five more verses that we didn’t use.”
The song was recorded by Dwight Yoakam and released as the lead-off single to his This Time album.
“Kostas was writing with Dwight a couple of weeks later and played him the cassette work demo we did,” House recalled. “If I remember right it was recorded fairly soon and released within a couple of months.”
The song earned Yoakam his first Grammy award, which he won for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Ain’t That Lonely Yet
You keep calling me on the telephone
You say you’re all alone
Well that’s real sad
And you keep leavin’
Notes stuck on my door
Guess you’re hungry for some more
Girl that’s too bad
‘Cause I ain’t that lonely yet
No I ain’t that lonely yet
After what you put me through
I ain’t that lonely yet
Once there was this spider in my bed
I got caught up in her web
Of love and lies
She spun her chains around my heart and soul
Never to let go
Oh but I survived
‘Cause I ain’t that lonely yet
No I ain’t that lonely yet
After what you put me through
I ain’t that lonely yet
There’s nothing left that you can do
To try and bring me ’round
‘Cause everything you do
Just brings me down
‘Cause I ain’t that lonely yet
No I ain’t that lonely yet
After what you put me through
I ain’t that lonely yet
‘Cause I ain’t that lonely yet
No I ain’t that lonely yet
After what you put me through
No I ain’t that lonely yet
‘Cause I ain’t that lonely yet
No I ain’t that lonely yet
After what you put me through
No I ain’t that lonely yet
‘Cause I ain’t that lonely yet
No I ain’t that lonely yet
I think I figured out why you like this song as I hear a little bit of George Harrison – Ding Dong, Ding Dong in it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s country that I actually like because yes…it does have that element in it you are correct.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Dwight Yokam. I’ve actually seen him in concert–one of only three country artist I’ve seen live. Well, I take that back. One of only three country artist I’ve PAID to see live. Saw more than I cared to when my husband worked in radio. To me, Yokam is very Bakersfield sound with Roy Orbison and Marty Robbins influences in the mix. He is also steeped Rockabilly and his original guitarist Pete Anderson is AMAZING!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’ve always liked him…I like the Bakersfield sound much better than the typical Nashville sound. Him I would pay to go see and you wouldn’t hear me say that about many country artists.
One funny thing…I always wished that Tom Petty and Dwight would have appeared just once together…I do double takes at some pictures early in their career.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Yeah, I never thought of that. True. I think it would have been a good collaboration musically as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It really would have been. I could see Tom writing Ain’t That Lonely Yet and a Thousand Miles from Nowhere.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Didn’t know of Pete anderson’s connection to Dwight… Anderson also produced Blue Rodeo’s third album, ‘Casino’ which likewise is a great kind of country-rock mix.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hmm…I’m a big fan of his. Dwight Yoakam’s career hasn’t been the same since they split up. I’m unfamiliar with Blur Rodeo. I’ll check them out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not much of a country fan but this is a good track
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m not either and I’m surrounded by it because of where I live… this is country that I like…it has pop elements.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I usually need those gritty alt-country elements to get me to the end of a track…mainstream country is just a little too clean and earnest
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t like mainstream country today….this song reminds me of a country Tom Petty… plus I like the jilted lover songs lol… I do like alt country.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah Tom petty had a bit of a twang didn’t he!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it makes since… he was from Florida…about as far south as you can get.
LikeLike
I like what I’ve heard from Dwight… I remember hearing “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” a bit on pop radio and thought it was an outstanding track.
LikeLiked by 2 people
He has elements of pop in it… this is country that I like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was really mellow. I enjoyed its sweet whistling melody. Good track.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dwight has had a lot of good songs, both originals and covers. I’ve got 3 of his CDs: this one, Just Lookin for a Hit, and Guitars, Cadillacs. The only one that’s gotten much play time is Guitars, Cadillacs. Dwight and Tom do look strikingly similar (at least they did.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
They did look alike and would have been cool doing something combined.
The one I heard the most was Time… I like his music though…. he disappeared since 2000
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s been that long??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since I’ve heard much from him yea…Now thats me but have you heard much?
Wiki said something about him losing his radio audience for some reason. The album Time went triple platnium in 93….I dont’ know what happened.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought he had done some acting since then but not on the music front. Hold on let me check… yes, he’s been doing a lot of movies and TV. The last thing I saw him in was Logan Lucky, which is a 2017 movie that’s really good. He plays a prison warden in it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes he was in Slingblade…I remember that one well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wasn’t he a stepdad or some bad guy Slingblade slingbladed?
LikeLiked by 1 person
He was a bad…mean guy…I think he was a step dad…
LikeLiked by 1 person
He played the boyfriend of the woman who had the boy that Carl befriended (does that read right?).
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh right, he earned that slingblade!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, Carl (Billy Bob Thornton) killed him (Yoakam/Doyle) with a sharpened lawnmower blade. The slingblade was what Carl used to kill his mother & her lover. Robert Duvall played Carl’s messed up father. I loved John Ritter as the gay guy. Hard to believe Lucas Black is on NCIS: New Orleans, now.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I need to re-watch Sling Blade, it’s been awhile. Was that John Ritter at the door with him in that clip? I didn’t recognize him, but the screen is so small.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Uh-huh
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes you are right…I gotta watch it again. I don’t remember Robert Duvall in it…I think that man has been in every movie since the 70s
LikeLike
Damn near…LOL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He was in a Twilight Zone episode…he goes back…my least favorite episode but still…
LikeLike
Lord. I definitely wouldn’t remember that. William Shatner, yes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was an hour-long episode…the one about the doll house in the museum.
My very least favorite…he was good of course but the story was plain…especially for the Twilight Zone.
LikeLike
Yeah. That is definitely not ringing any bells.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The one episode that is forgettable
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that is right Vic. It’s been about 5 years since I saw it…love that movie.
LikeLike
Ever seen the Molly Ringwald version (movie short prior to the actual movie):
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never seen this before….Molly was THE 80s.
LikeLike
More interesting stuff:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117666/trivia
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dang….Billy Wilder once told Billy Bob Thornton that he was “too ugly” to be an actor…that is just cold…
Also he “killed” Dwight in two movies.
Gotta watch this movie again soon.
LikeLike
Well, just learned something. I didn’t know that “Guitars, cadillacs” was him…my sweetie has that on a playlist on her phone. I quite like it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
He’s not the original artist, I’m sure, as I remember this song from way back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dave, I take that back, I just looked the song up and Dwight wrote it! I think I was thinking of “Honky Tonk Man” which was on the radio when I was a kid. Didn’t know Guitars, Cadillacs album was Dwight’s debut album either.
LikeLiked by 1 person
p.s. She must have been a bad one for him to call her a spider. Sheesh!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He didn’t write it but it was rumored at the time it was about Sharon Stone cause that is who he was going with… but he didn’t write it..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear. Sharon Stone?? You never hear of her anymore either. Whomever wrote that song musta got burned bad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea they said some stuff about each other in the press at the time…thats why everyone thought this song was about her but it wasn’t…
I love these kinds of songs… like Bob Dylan’s Positively 4th Street…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love his voice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do also… he is one of the few country singers I like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m behind on your posts …
This is a great track! One of his top 3 songs, in my opinion. Great feel, great vocal, and great lyric. One of his best albums.
I was actually listening to the iPod today and heard another Dwight song that I may post for Tune Tuesday – a lot more country – but a great lyric!
Funny story: I met Dwight at one of his shows. He was one weird dude! We all met in his bus. He walked around to each of us. Shook our hand. Asked our name. Repeated our name and said, “Hi,(your name). I’m Dwight.” I was thinking, “You have been making records for years…..you have a ton of hits…..we all have tickets to your show….we know who YOU are!!” It was one of the most awkward meet and greets I have ever been though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m way behind on yours also…work has limited my time. A while back I was doing 3 posts a day…of course mine are short ones. I have had to cut down to one.
That is strange of him…lol at least I guess he got a little personal…like he had to introduce himself.
He always reminded me of Tom Petty as far as looks.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike