Summary
"The Cowboy in Me" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele, Al Anderson and Craig Wiseman, and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in November 2001 as the third single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down album. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts.[1] It reached Number One one week after McGraw's duet with Jo Dee Messina, "Bring On the Rain".
| "The Cowboy in Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tim McGraw | ||||
| from the album Set This Circus Down | ||||
| Released | November 26, 2001 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:04 | |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Tim McGraw singles chronology | ||||
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Content edit
In this song, Tim McGraw is acknowledging the destructive and sometimes selfish side of his personality, which he identifies as "the cowboy in [him]."
Critical reception edit
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B grade, saying that the song "might be an amoebic form of the country lifestyle anthems that have flooded the genre in the years since it was released." He goes on to say that it is "certainly subtler and more refined than what’s come out since, and McGraw’s hit doesn’t include the head-pounding loudness that sinks so many other 'country' anthems."[2]
Music video edit
The music video was directed by Sherman Halsey and was released in early 2002.
Chart performance edit
"The Cowboy in Me" debuted at number 48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the chart week of December 1, 2001. It reached a peak of number one on the chart dated March 16, 2002, remaining there for one week. During most of its chart run, it overlapped with McGraw's duet with Jo Dee Messina, "Bring On the Rain", which was the number one song one week earlier.
| Chart (2001–2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 33 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[5] | 38 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[6] | 19 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 21 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ CountryUniverse.net Song review
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ^ "Best of 2002: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2002. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – The Cowboy in Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 12, 2022.