About The Song
“Fast as You” sprinted onto country radio in October 1993 as the third single from Dwight Yoakam’s triple-platinum set This Time. Written by Yoakam and produced by his longtime collaborator Pete Anderson, the track distilled his Bakersfield-by-way-of-L.A. recipe into one lean, radio-tough groove—telecaster bite, dry drums, and a melody that feels both honky-tonk and rock-ready. Issued on Reprise, it became one of the signature moments of Yoakam’s ’90s hot streak.
On record, the arrangement is economy itself: a circular riff that critics have compared to the snap of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” smoky organ coloring the edges, and Yoakam’s nasal-warm tenor riding just ahead of the beat. Anderson’s production favors presence over polish—guitars right up front, rhythm section tight and unfussy—so the storytelling carries the punch. Sequenced amid slower meditations on This Time, it supplied the album’s most immediate jolt.
Lyrically, “Fast as You” flips the breakup script. The narrator, burned by a partner’s games, vows to get over her “just as fast” as she got over him. The diction is plain, the hook conversational, and Yoakam sells the stance with a half-smirk in his phrasing—more swagger than sulk. It’s classic Dwight: a barroom taunt that doubles as a dance-floor magnet.
The single’s momentum was matched by its visuals. The music video—shot in a concert setting and directed by Carolyn Mayer Beug—leans into performance energy rather than storyboarded drama. Beug, who also collaborated with Yoakam on clips for “Ain’t That Lonely Yet” and “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” frames the song like a live charge: quick cuts, sweat, bright lights, and a band in full flight.
Radio and charts delivered a clean verdict. In the U.S., “Fast as You” became Yoakam’s third straight Top-Two hit from the album, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks and crossing to the Hot 100 (No. 70). North of the border it reached No. 5 on Canada’s RPM Country Tracks. It would stand as his final American Top-10 country single, even as his catalog kept a long tail on both country and classic-rock playlists.
The single also moved in the physical market with classic A/B savvy. U.S. pressings paired it with the album cut “Home for Sale,” while some international issues flipped in a cover of “Let’s Work Together,” underlining Yoakam’s habit of straddling roots country and roadhouse rock. Either way, the 45 played like a miniature tour of his influences, anchored by that unshakeable groove.
Three decades on, “Fast as You” still sounds immediate—quick on its feet, stubbornly hooky, and built to make a room move. It captures Yoakam at a commercial and creative peak: a writer with a sharp eye, a band that knows when less is more, and a producer who lets the air around the notes do half the work. If you want the essence of his ’90s appeal in four and a half minutes, start here.
Video
Lyrics
Maybe someday I’ll be strong
Maybe it won’t be long
I’ll be the one who’s tough
You’ll be the one who’s got it rough
It won’t be long and
Maybe I’ll be real strong
Maybe I’ll do things right
Maybe I’ll start tonight
You’ll learn to cry like me
Baby let’s just wait and see
Maybe I’ll start tonight
And do things right
You’ll control me
Oh so boldly
Rule me till I’m free
Till the pain that shakes me
Finally makes me
Get up off of my knees
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Maybe I’ll be fast as you
Maybe I’ll break hearts too
But I think that you’ll slow down
When your turn to hurt comes around
Maybe I’ll break hearts
And be as fast as you
Ahh
You’ll control me
Oh so boldly
Rule me till I’m free
Till the pain that shakes me
Finally makes me
Get up off of my knees
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Maybe I’ll be fast as you
Maybe I’ll break hearts too
But I think that you’ll slow down
When your turn to hurt comes around
Maybe I’ll break hearts
And be as fast as you
Maybe I’ll break hearts
And be as fast as you
Ahh suckie
Maybe someday I’ll be strong
Maybe it won’t be long
I’ll be the one that’s tough
You’ll be the one who’s got it rough
You’re gonna learn to cry like me
Baby let’s just wait and see
Yeah well maybe I’ll be fast as you
Maybe I’ll break hearts too