"If I Was a Cowboy" is a song by the 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, ...

singer

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

. It was released on October 15, 2021, as the lead single from her ninth solo studio album ''

Palomino Palomino is a genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called t ...

''. The song was written by Lambert and

Jesse Frasure Jesse Vernon Frasure (born September 18, 1981), also known as DJ Telemitry, is an American music publisher, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Biography A Detroit native, Frasure (DJ Telemitry), now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wif ...

, and produced by Luke Dick and

Jon Randall Jon Randall Stewart (born February 17, 1969) is an American producer, songwriter, and musician. His career began as a guitarist for Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers with whom he won his first Grammy for their ''Live at the Ryman'' album in 1992. B ...

Background

On October 8, 2021, Lambert posted a video on ''

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

'' and teased her fans with a snippet of the song. She wrote the song with Frasure, and said in a press release, "We met doing the remix of 'Tequila Does' and he and I just got together one afternoon for a write and this is what came out of it. It's funny, he's a Detroit boy and I'm an East Texan, but somehow we wrote a song about the Wild West together."

Content

Emily Lee of ''

iHeart iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHear ...

'' described "If I Was a Cowboy" as "a Wild West-inspired track". Angela Stefano of ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' explained that the song is about "longing for life in the wild West".

Critical reception

Casey Young of ''Whiskeyriff'' called the song "a country version of

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's hit "

If I Were a Boy "If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...

". Clayton Edwards of ''Outsider'' said that it " ssteeped in classic Western sound with a modern flair", describing the lyrics as "Lambert daydreaming about being a cowboy".

Music videos

Two music videos were mde. The first was released on October 15, 2021. It showcases Lambert "riding a horse, driving a vintage pickup truck", and enjoying the leisurely western life. The official video, directed by Trey Fanjoy, was released on January 12, 2022. It was filmed in a small town in her home state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Miranda Lambert singles 2021 singles 2021 songs Miranda Lambert songs Songs written by Miranda Lambert Songs written by Jesse Frasure RCA Records Nashville singles