"Rawhide" is a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

written by

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...

(lyrics) and composed by

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

in 1958. It was originally recorded by

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

. The song was used as the theme to '' Rawhide'', a western television series that ran on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

from

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

. Members of the

Western Writers of America Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include historian ...

chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

Background

The song is about the job of a drover on a

cattle drive A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses. Europe In medieval central Europe, annual cattle drives brought Hungarian Grey cattle across the Danube River ...

In other media

* In ''

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...

'', the band performs "Rawhide" in a local country western bar. * The song is played in a scene on '' An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'', when the titular character is rolling through the desert inside a tumbleweed. The song is actually the cover reused from ''The Blues Brothers'', mentioned above, performed by an uncredited

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

and

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his ca ...

as various desert animals. However, the song is not heard on the soundtrack for copyright reasons. * In ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totaling ...

'', the sentient, wise-cracking metallic suit Zoot (voiced by an uncredited

Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on '' Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on ''Toonsylvania'' (199 ...

) sings a verse of the song as he and fellow Martians Martin (

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

) and Neenert (

Ray Walston Herman Raymond Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor and comedian, well known as the title character on ''My Favorite Martian''. His other major film, television, and stage roles included Luther Billis (''South Paci ...

) leave Earth on their spacecraft. * The song is parodied in the ''

Histeria! ''Histeria!'' is an American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, ''Histeria!'' was an explicitly educational program created to me ...

'' episode "North America" as the Cowpie Song. * In

A Little Curious ''A Little Curious'' is an American children's animated television series that ran on HBO Family for two seasons. The series premiered on February 1, 1999 until its final episode aired on May 1, 2000. The series, produced by Curious Pictures and HB ...

, episode Long, Short, Roll, there is a segment with a song that is a parody of "Rawhide". * On ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'', the Canyonero jingle featured in "

The Last Temptation of Krust "The Last Temptation of Krust" is the fifteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 22, 1998. It was written by Donick Cary an ...

" is a parody. Additionally, in "

Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is the twelfth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 15, 2004. The episode was wri ...

", the song

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, Lenny, and Carl sing while rolling on toxic barrels is sung to the tune of "Rawhide". * In ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the seco ...

'',

Donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

(voiced by

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

) is briefly heard singing the song; however, the song wasn't included in the soundtrack. * In ''

Happy Feet 2 ''Happy Feet Two'' is a 2011 computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced and co-written by George Miller. It is the sequel to the 2006 film ''Happy Feet'', it stars Ava Acres, Elijah Wood, Robin Williams (in his final anima ...

'', the elephant seals were heard singing with an Australian accent while marching to the iceberg was included in the soundtrack. * The theme song to the 1980 Japanese ''

Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The sho ...

'' series, ''

Denshi Sentai Denjiman is Toei's fourth entry to its Super Sentai metaseries. It was broadcast from February 2, 1980 to January 31, 1981, replacing ''Battle Fever J'' and was replaced by ''Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan''. The title given to this series for international dis ...

'', is heavily based on the ''Rawhide'' theme song. * The jingle for the Rosen Motor Group used car dealership ("Rosen, Rosen, Rosen, Rosen, Rosen, Rosen") is based on the ''Rawhide'' theme. * A series of mid-1990s advertisements for the

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

chain that focus on its rolling back prices use a song based on the ''Rawhide'' theme.

Notable covers

Dan Sartain Daniel Fredrick Sartain (August 13, 1981 – March 20, 2021) was an American musician. His music encompasses a variety of genres, including rockabilly, punk rock and the blues. Career After releasing two self-produced albums through independe ...

* 101 Strings Orchestra *

Big John Bates Big John Bates is a Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter. He cofounded and performed in Annihilator, Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz and the Noirchestra. Early life John D Bates was born in Toronto and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. Hi ...

(on the soundtrack to their eponymous film) *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

* Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra; the first bars of this instrumental version were used in a news jingle by

Radio Veronica Radio Veronica was an offshore radio station that began broadcasting in 1960, and broadcast offshore for over fourteen years. It was set up by independent radio, TV and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales ...

in the 1970s *

Dezperadoz Dezperadoz (formerly ''Desperados'') is a German "Western-metal" band and is the side-project of Tom Angelripper's guitarist Alex Kraft. The band plays heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by the soundtracks of the 1960s and 1970s S ...

(''The legend and the truth'' album, 2006) *

Ensiferum Ensiferum (Latin: , n adj., meaning "sword bearing") is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal." History Formation, demos and ''Ensiferum'' (1995−2002) ''Ensiferum'' was founde ...

Greenbriar Boys The Greenbriar Boys were an American northern bluegrass music group. who first got together in jam sessions in New York's Washington Square Park. Biography In 1958, guitarist and vocalist John Herald formed The Greenbriar Boys, along with Bob ...

Happy Feet Two ''Happy Feet Two'' is a 2011 computer-animated film, computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced and co-written by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller. It is the sequel to the 2006 film ''Happy Feet'', it stars Ava Acres ...

Helgi Björnsson Helgi Björnsson (born 10 July 1958), often referred to as Helgi Björns, is an Icelandic actor and pop/rock musician. He has released several albums with his own band Helgi Björns Og Reiðmenn Vindanna. He was also a lead vocalist for the Icela ...

( Icelandic, as ''Ríðum, ríðum, ríðum'') *

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk rock, punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, sa ...

(performed again with Jimmy Carroll and his orchestra); this version was used in an advertisement for

Google Chrome Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS ...

in 2013 *

Litfiba Litfiba was an Italian Rock music, rock musical band, band formed in Florence, Italy, in early 1980. The band evolved from British-influenced new wave rock to a more personal rock sound influenced by Mediterranean vibes; their songs are mostly ...

(''Pirata'' live album, 1989) *

The Men They Couldn't Hang The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (vocals, guitar), Paul Simmonds (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, melodic ...

The Meteors The Meteors are an English psychobilly band formed in 1980. Originally from London, England, they are often credited with giving the psychobilly subgenre — which fuses punk rock with rockabilly — its distinctive sound and style. About.co ...

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

*The

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

used a cover of the song in a 1978 television advertisement for its freight services *Nassim (full name Nassim Ait-Kaci) recorded an instrumental version for the soundtrack of ''

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland ''Tony Hawk's American Wasteland'' is a skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the seventh entry in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series and was released initially for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in ...

'' *

Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the ye ...

* Riders in the Sky * Sheb Wooley (who actually starred in ''Rawhide'') *

Jan Rot Jan Rot (25 December 1957 – 22 April 2022) was a Dutch singer-songwriter born in Makassar, who was famous in the Netherlands for his many translations of songs, pop as well as classical ones. His Dutch translation of Bach's ''St Matthew Pass ...

translated the song in Dutch as "Yippieyayee" for the 2008 album ''An + Jan gaan landelijk'' * Sublime *

Johnny Western Johnny Western (born October 28, 1934) is an American country singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. He is a member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame. Early life Jo ...

* The Chaps, 1982 Scottish novelty version (coupled with "Ghostriders in the Sky") * The Survivors, 1965 Jamaican ska cover, released on UK label RIO Records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawhide (Song) 1958 songs 1958 singles Dead Kennedys songs Frankie Laine songs Songs about cattle Songs about cowboys and cowgirls Songs with lyrics by Ned Washington Songs with music by Dimitri Tiomkin The Blues Brothers songs Western swing songs

Background

In other media

Notable covers

See also

References