"Cowgirls Don't Cry" is a song written by Ronnie Dunn and Terry McBride of

McBride & the Ride McBride & the Ride is an American country music band consisting of Terry McBride (musician), Terry McBride (lead vocals, bass guitar), Ray Herndon (background vocals, guitars), and Billy Thomas (background vocals, drums). The group was founded in ...

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, ...

duo

Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo ...

. It was released in October 2008 as the fourth and final single on their studio album ''

Cowboy Town ''Cowboy Town'' is the tenth studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 2007 by Arista Nashville. Produced by the duo and Tony Brown, the album has accounted for four Top 20 country singles on the ''Billboard'' country ...

''. One month after its chart entry, it was re-recorded and re-released as a duet with

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

. The song is Brooks & Dunn's 41st and most recent Top 10 hit 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 ...

'' country charts and McEntire's 56th.

Content

"Cowgirls Don't Cry" is a mid-tempo with a

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

intro. Its lyric focuses on a female character who faces hardship. In the first verse, she is a little girl who has just been given a pony to ride, and although she repeatedly falls off, she does not cry. By the second verse, she is an adult, and her husband is having an affair, although again she does not cry. She discovers in the third verse that her father is dying, and places a phone call to him. He then tells her, "Cowgirl, don't cry".

Re-release

An alternate version of this song that features

's vocals on the final chorus was released to radio after she and the duo performed the song on the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

Awards on Wednesday, November 12, 2008.Brooks & Dunn release Cowgirls single with Reba
/ref> In addition, a video was released that featured both the duo and McEntire. Starting with the chart week of November 29, 2008, the song was credited on the U.S. country charts as "Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire". The Reba McEntire collaboration was officially released as a digital single on February 10, 2009. The duet version features a key change in the final chorus, which is not present in the original recording. This re-release is the version that appears on the compilation album '' #1s… and Then Some''.

Chart performance

On the chart week of January 31, 2009, the song entered Top Ten on the ''

'' country singles charts, giving Brooks & Dunn their forty-first Top Ten hit and breaking a record previously held by

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

for the most Top Ten country hits by a duo or group. In addition, it became McEntire's fifty-sixth Top Ten country hit, breaking

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

's record for the most Top Ten country hits for a solo female.

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2008 singles Country ballads 2000s ballads Brooks & Dunn songs Reba McEntire songs Male–female vocal duets Songs written by Terry McBride (musician) Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) Songs written by Ronnie Dunn Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Arista Nashville singles 2007 songs