"Cowboy" is a song by

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

from his album '' Devil Without a Cause,'' and his first single to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 82, while reaching number 10 on the Mainstream Rock charts. With its lyrics about pimping and traveling to California, the song is considered to be one of Kid Rock's best works, and has been claimed as influencing modern

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

, and as the first country rap song.

Artistry

"Cowboy" is a fusion of

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, southern rock and heavy metal. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', and Kid Rock himself, described the song as a cross between

Run DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jam Master Jay, Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as ...

and Lynyrd Skynyrd. AXS called it the first country rap song, but its also been described as rap rock and

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. The instrumentation includes Jew's harp,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

harmonica and a

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

solo which quotes

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

song " L.A. Woman". The lyrics feature Kid Rock

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

about moving to California to become a pimp, and start an escort service "for all the right reasons", located at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel, as well as getting thrown out of bars and buying a yacht.

Lawsuit

In 2002, new wave band Boys Don't Cry filed suit against Kid Rock, claiming that "Cowboy" was derivative of their 1986

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

" I Wanna Be a Cowboy". They alleged Kid Rock, while DJing in Detroit, had played the song; the suit claimed that he took the bassline and adapted his chorus from the track.

Reception

"Cowboy" was named one of "The Ten Worst Songs About Cowboys" by the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...

'', while other critics and journalists have called it one of Kid Rock's best songs, including writers for AXS and ''Billboard''. ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' writer Chaz Kangas called "Cowboy" a classic song, writing, "in the Clinton era, when your most viable pop stars were pristine teen-pop sensations, raucous

nu-metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guita ...

antagonists or alternative-to-alternative-to-

weirdos, Rock stood alone. It's been a surprising 15 years since, but 'Cowboy' remains one track from this era that's timeless without even trying to be."

Legacy

"Cowboy" is considered to be the first country rap song, and was influential on the music styles described as " hick-hop" and " bro country". '' Cowboys & Indians'' claims that "Cowboy" had a major impact on the country music scene; the magazine alleges that artists Jason Aldean and Big & Rich, among others, were influenced by the song's country rap style. Kid Rock performed the song at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Country singer Kenny Chesney has covered the song in concert in 2009 and 2016, the latter with Kid Rock on Chesney's Spread the Love Tour. In 2017, Kid Rock joined country singer Chris Janson on stage for mashup of Janson's song "Buy Me A Boat" and "Cowboy".

Personnel

* Kid Rock – vocals, banjo, acoustic guitar, piano, harp * Bobby East – slide guitar, electric guitar * Matt O'Brien – bass guitar * Stefanie Eulinberg – drums * Misty Love – background vocals * Shirley Hayden – background vocals

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowboy (Song) 1998 singles Kid Rock songs Country rap songs Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director) Songs involved in plagiarism controversies Songs written by Kid Rock Songs about cowboys and cowgirls Atlantic Records singles