"Modern Day Cowboy" is the debut single by American heavy metal band Tesla, from the band's debut studio album, '' Mechanical Resonance''. The song's lyrics make references to criminals such as Billy the Kid and

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

, until the final verse, which references Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Music video

A music video was produced for the song, which shows Nikola Tesla playing films in an abandoned movie theater. Tesla shows footage of the band performing the song, along with scenes from the movies ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in real time, centers on a town marshal whose sense of ...

'', '' Scarface'', and ''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'', known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'', is a 1964 black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and t ...

''. The beginning of the video shows the theater marquee with the names of all three films with some letters missing, along with the name of the band.

Track listing

Charts

In popular culture

The song was featured in the video game '' Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock''. The song was also featured in the ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' episode " Beyond the Mat".

Personnel

Jeff Keith Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer ...

– lead vocals * Frank Hannon – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals * Tommy Skeoch – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals * Brian Wheat – bass guitar * Troy Luccketta – drums

References

{{authority control 1986 songs 1987 debut singles Tesla (band) songs Geffen Records singles Songs about cowboys and cowgirls