"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 just one week after McGraw's duet with Jo Dee Messina, "Bring On the Rain".[1]
| "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) |
| |||
| Tim McGraw singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
editKevin 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 added 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
editThe music video was directed by Sherman Halsey and was released in early 2002.
Commercial 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 and dethroning Jo Dee Messina's "Bring On the Rain", on which McGraw is a featured artist. This was the first time that an artist replaced themselves at the top based on country radio play, and would not happen again until July 2024 when Morgan Wallen reached number one back-to-back with the singles "I Had Some Help" and "Cowgirls".[3]
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2001–2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 33 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[6] | 38 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[7] | 19 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 21 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[9] | 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
- ^ Asker, Jim (July 19, 2024). "Morgan Wallen Claims Consecutive Country Airplay Leaders as 'Cowgirls' Follows 'I Had Some Help' to No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "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.