"Cowboys Like Us" is a song written by

Bob DiPiero Robert John DiPiero (born March 3, 1951) is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 US number one hits and several Top 20 single for Tim McGraw, The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Shenandoah, Neal McCoy, ...

and Anthony Smith, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

. It was released in August 2003 as the second single from his album ''

Honkytonkville ''Honkytonkville'' is the twenty-second studio album by American country music singer George Strait, released in June 10, 2003 by MCA Nashville. One of only a few albums of his career not to produce a Number One single, the album was certified pl ...

''. It reached number 2 on the ''

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 advertise ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

) charts.

Content

The song is a ballad about

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

s who "ride out on steel horses with wheels" (

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, ...

Critical reception

Thom Jurek reviewed the song favorably, saying that it could signal a return to outlaw country.Allmusic: album review
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Chart positions

"Cowboys Like Us" debuted at number 57 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of August 9, 2003. It reached number 2 on the country chart dated December 13, 2003, behind

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's ''Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 1996' ...

's "

I Love This Bar "I Love This Bar" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in August 2003 as the first single from his 2003 album ''Shock'n Y'all''. The song reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot C ...

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

2003 singles George Strait songs Songs written by Bob DiPiero Songs written by Anthony Smith (singer) Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) MCA Nashville Records singles 2003 songs Songs about cowboys and cowgirls {{2000s-country-song-stub