"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]
| "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 | ||||
| ||||
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[2]
Content
editThe 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 performance
edit| 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 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1980) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 13 |
References
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 245.
- ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
- ^ Randall, Alice; Carter Little; Courtney Little (2006). My Country Roots: The Ultimate MP3 Guide to America's Original Outsider Music. Thomas Nelson, Inc. pp. 92. ISBN 1-59555-860-8.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 1980: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1980.
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