"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" | ||||
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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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In this song, Tim McGraw is acknowledging the destructive and sometimes selfish side of his personality, which he identifies as "the cowboy in [him]."
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]
The music video was directed by Sherman Halsey and was released in early 2002.
"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 |
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US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 33 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[5] | 38 |
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[6] | 19 |
Chart (2002) | Position |
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US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 21 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000![]() |
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Tim McGraw singles | |
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Discography | |
Tim McGraw |
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Not a Moment Too Soon | |
All I Want | |
Everywhere | |
A Place in the Sun | |
Set This Circus Down | |
Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors | |
Live Like You Were Dying | |
Reflected: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | |
Let It Go | |
Southern Voice | |
Number One Hits | |
Country Strong | |
Emotional Traffic | |
Two Lanes of Freedom | |
Sundown Heaven Town | |
Damn Country Music | |
The Rest of Our Life | |
Here on Earth | |
Other songs |
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