"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Willie Nelson | ||||
from the album The Electric Horseman: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
B-side | "Rising Star (Love Theme)" | |||
Released | January 1980 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:06 | |||
Label | Columbia Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sharon Vaughn | |||
Producer(s) | Willie Nelson Sydney Pollack | |||
Willie Nelson singles chronology | ||||
|
"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" was recorded by Waylon Jennings on the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws , and further popularized in 1980 by Willie Nelson as a single on the soundtrack to The Electric Horseman . "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" was written by Sharon Vaughn and Nelson's version was his fifth number one on the country chart. The single stayed at number one for two weeks and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart. [1]
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. [2]
The narrator compares his childhood dream of becoming a cowboy to the reality he faces after he realizes the hard truth of cowboy life, finding a strong contrast between the two. [3]
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [4] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [5] | 44 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
Chart (1980) | Position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [6] | 13 |
"Pancho and Lefty", originally "Poncho and Lefty", is a song written by American country music singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Perhaps his most well-known song, Van Zandt recorded his original version of this song for his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. The song has been recorded by several artists since its composition and performance by Van Zandt, with the Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard version selling the most copies and reaching number one on the Billboard country chart.
"Crazy" is a song written by Willie Nelson and popularized by country singer Patsy Cline in 1961. Nelson wrote the song while living in Houston, working for Pappy Daily's label D Records. He was also a radio DJ and performed in clubs. Nelson then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, working as a writer for Pamper Music. Through Hank Cochran, the song reached Patsy Cline. After her original recording and release, Cline's version reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles, also crossing to the pop chart as a top 10 single.
"Always on My Mind" is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee, and first released by Gwen McCrae in March 1972. Lee's version was released three months later in June 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories. Elvis Presley's recording was the first commercially successful version of the song.
"You Don't Know Me" is a song written by Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker in 1955. "You Don't Know Me" was first recorded by Arnold that year and released as a single on April 21, 1956, on RCA Victor. The best-selling version of the song is by Ray Charles, who took it to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962, after releasing the song on his number 1 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The first version of the song to make the Billboard charts was by Jerry Vale in 1956, peaking at number 14 on the pop chart. Arnold's version charted two months later, released as an RCA Victor single, 47–6502, backed with "The Rockin' Mockin' Bird", which reached number 10 on the Billboard country chart. Cash Box magazine, which combined all best-selling versions at one position, included a version by Carmen McRae that never appeared in the Billboard Top 100 Sides listing.
"Let It Be Me" is a popular song originally published in French in 1955 as "Je t'appartiens" interpreted by Gilbert Bécaud. It became popular worldwide with an English version by the Everly Brothers and later with the duet by Betty Everett and Jerry Butler.
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" is a country music song first recorded by Ed Bruce, written by him and his wife Patsy Bruce. His version of the song appears on his 1976 self-titled album for United Artists Records. In late 1975 and early 1976, Bruce's rendition of the song went to number 15 on the Hot Country Singles charts. This song was featured on Chris LeDoux's album released January 20, 1976, Songbook of the American West.
Wanted! The Outlaws is a compilation album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released by RCA Records in 1976. The album consists of previously released material with four new songs. Released to capitalize on the new outlaw country movement, Wanted! The Outlaws earned its place in music history by becoming the first country album to be platinum-certified, reaching sales of one million.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1979 by RCA Records.
"A Little Bitty Tear" is a song written by the American country songwriter Hank Cochran. It has been recorded by many musical acts, the first being American recording artist Burl Ives. It has since been recorded by others, including Wanda Jackson, Bing Crosby, Chet Atkins, The Shadows and Cochran himself.
"On the Road Again" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Willie Nelson.
"Alabam" is a 1960 song written and performed by Cowboy Copas.
"Don't Take Your Guns to Town" is a song written and recorded by American singer Johnny Cash. It was released in December 1958 as the first single from the album The Fabulous Johnny Cash.
"After the Fire Is Gone" is a song written by L. E. White, and recorded by American country music artists Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty as a duet. It was released in January 1971 as the only single from the LP We Only Make Believe. "After the Fire Is Gone" was the first number one on the U.S. country chart for Lynn and Twitty as a duo. It spent two weeks at number one and a total of 14 weeks on the chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, the single peaked at number 56. It also won a Grammy for Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
"Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)" is a song written by David Allan Coe and recorded by American country music artist Tanya Tucker. It was released in December 1973 as the first single and title track from the album Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone). It topped the U.S. country chart on March 30, 1974, for one week and was Tucker's third number-one song on the chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 46. Only her 1975 number-one country hit, "Lizzie and the Rainman", performed better on the pop chart.
"I'm a Ramblin' Man" is a song written by Ray Pennington. He recorded the song in 1967 for Capitol Records and took it to number 29 on the country charts.
"Just to Satisfy You" is a song written by American country music singers Waylon Jennings and Don Bowman in 1963. Jennings included the song in his performing repertoire, and on radio, where the song became a local hit in Phoenix, Arizona.
The following is a detailed discography of all singles released by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. A total of 25 Nelson singles have reached number one on music charts in the US.
"Night Life" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson was inspired to write the song during one of his trips from his home in Pasadena, Texas, to his work, singing at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston.
"The Party's Over" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Willie Nelson during the mid-1950s. After arriving in Houston, Texas, Nelson was hired to play for the Esquire Ballroom band, where he would be allowed to close the shows singing the song. Guitar instructor and Nelson's friend Paul Buskirk forwarded the song to singer Claude Gray, who recorded the original version of the song, released as "My Party's Over" in 1959.
"Ain't Always the Cowboy" is a song written by Brandon Kinney and Josh Thompson, and recorded by American country music singer Jon Pardi. It is the second single from Pardi's third studio album Heartache Medication. (2019) The track is about a non-committal woman that uses Western iconography. "Ain't Always the Cowboy" peaked at numbers three and six on Billboard's Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively. It also reached number 55 on the Hot 100. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over one million units in the United States. The song achieved similar success in Canada, giving Pardi his fifth number-one hit on the Country chart, and peaked at number 52 on the Canadian Hot 100. The accompanying music video for the single, directed by Carlos Ruiz, features Pardi barrel racing.