"Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written by

Larry Weiss Laurence D. "Larry" Weiss (born March 25, 1941) is an American songwriter and musician. He wrote "Rhinestone Cowboy", a US no.1 hit for Glen Campbell in 1975; and co-wrote "Bend Me, Shape Me", "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and several other international ...

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, ...

singer

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

. When released on May 26, 1975, as the lead single and title track from his album '' Rhinestone Cowboy'', it enjoyed huge popularity with both country and pop audiences.

Background and writing

Weiss wrote and recorded "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1974, and it appeared on his

20th Century Records 20th Century Fox Records (also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, or simply 20th Century Fox Film Scores and Fox Records) was a wholly owned subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox. The history of the label covers three dis ...

album ''Black and Blue Suite''. It did not, however, have much of a commercial impact as a single, although peaked at number 71 in Australia in August 1974. In late 1974, Campbell heard the song on the radio and, during a tour of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, decided to learn it. Soon after his return to the United States, Campbell went to Al Coury's office at

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

, where he was approached about "a great new song" – "Rhinestone Cowboy". Several music writers noted that Campbell identified with the subject matter of "Rhinestone Cowboy" – survival and making it, particularly when the chips are down – very strongly. As Stephen Thomas Erlewine of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

put it, the song is about a veteran artist "who's aware that he's more than paid his dues during his career ... but is still surviving, and someday, he'll shine just like a rhinestone cowboy."

Chart performance

Released in May 1975, "Rhinestone Cowboy" immediately caught on with both country and pop audiences. The song spent that summer climbing both 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 adverti ...

'' Hot Country Singles and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts before peaking at No. 1 by season's end – three nonconsecutive weeks on the country chart, two weeks on the Hot 100. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 2 for 1975. It also topped the charts in Canada and several other countries. During the week of September 13 – the week the song returned to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' country chart, after having been nudged out for a week by "

Feelins' "Feelins'" is a song written by Troy Seals, Will Jennings and Don Goodman, and recorded by American country music artists Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singe ...

" by

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

and Loretta Lynn – "Rhinestone Cowboy" topped both the country and Hot 100 charts simultaneously. This was the first time a song had accomplished the feat since November 1961, when "

Big Bad John "Big Bad John" is a country song originally performed by Jimmy Dean, who wrote and composed it. It was released in September 1961 and by the beginning of November it had gone to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It won Dean the 1962 Gr ...

" by

Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV commercials. He became ...

did so. "Rhinestone Cowboy" was one of six songs released in 1975 that topped both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Country Singles charts. The other songs were "

Before the Next Teardrop Falls ''Before The Next Teardrop Falls'' is an album by Freddy Fender. His first album, it was released in 1974. The album includes the number-one hits "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights". It peaked at No. 20 on the ...

" by Freddy Fender, " (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B. J. Thomas, " Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and " I'm Sorry"/" Calypso," both by

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

, and "

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

" by C. W. McCall. The song was also the sole Glen Campbell track in a promotional-only compilation album issued by Capitol records titled ''The Greatest Music Ever Sold'' (Capitol SPRO-8511/8512), that was distributed to record stores during the 1976 holiday season as part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign, which promoted 15 "Best Of" albums released by the record label. After Campbell's death in August 2017, "Rhinestone Cowboy" charted on the Country Digital Song chart at No. 12. , the song had been downloaded more than 368,000 times in the digital era in the United States.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Re-recorded version

Campbell recorded a new version of the song on his 2013 studio album, '' See You There''.

Awards

"Rhinestone Cowboy" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. The song became one of Glen Campbell's signature songs and won numerous awards from 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 ...

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...

, and

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

. It also obtained nominations for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, as well as for Record of the Year, but did not win.

Use in films

Films

"Rhinestone Cowboy" served as the basis for the film '' Rhinestone'' (1984), starring

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

and

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 ...

The song also made the soundtracks of the films '' High School High'' (1996) and '' Daddy Day Care'' (2003). "Rhinestone Cowboy", along with several other Glen Campbell tracks, was used in ''

War on Everyone ''War on Everyone'' is a 2016 British black comedy buddy cop film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña, and Theo James. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it was screened in t ...

'' (2016) A cover of “Rhinestone Cowboy” is the last song played in

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

’s companion film of his 2019 album ''

Western Stars ''Western Stars'' is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 14, 2019, by Columbia Records. It was produced by Ron Aniello, who worked with Springsteen on his two previous albums: ''Wrecking ...

''. “Rhinestone Cowboy” was featured in the opening scene of Jon Stewart's film '' Irresistible'' (2020).

Notable cover versions

"Rhinestone Cowboy" has been covered by artists including

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...

, Troy Cassar-Daley and Adam Harvey,

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of D ...

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" come ...

Lloyd Green Lloyd Lamar Green (born October 4, 1937) is an American steel guitarist noted for his extensive country music recording session career in Nashville performing on 116 No.1 country hits including Tammy Wynette's “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” (1968), Charlie ...

, Charley Pride, Chris LeDoux, Loretta Lynn and White Town. In 1975,

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

performed it live during her ''

The Cher Show ''Cher'' was an American variety show that premiered on CBS in 1975, hosted by singer-actress Cher. The show had many famous musical guests. It followed a TV special featuring Elton John, Bette Midler, and Flip Wilson as guests. ''Cher'' premie ...

''. The American country singer

Slim Whitman Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr. (January 20, 1923 – June 19, 2013), known as Slim Whitman, was an American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. He claimed he had sold in excess of ...

covered the song in 1976 on his ''

Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...

'' album. Also in 1976, Canadian comedian

Nestor Pistor Nestor Pistor is the stage name of Don Ast, a Canadian comedian of Romanian heritage who performs in the character of a heavily accented Ukrainian immigrant. He has been a three-time Juno Award nominee for Comedy Album of the Year, receiving two ...

recorded a parody version, "Winestoned Plowboy", which was itself a modest hit on Canada's country music charts in 1977.

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

performed a comedic cover version to open the March 4, 1976, broadcast of ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

''. The episode was released on DVD in 2016 along with other episodes from that particular week, with Carson referencing his preparations for the performance and

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

and the NBC Orchestra performing instrumental versions of the song each night. After his performance, Carson announced that songwriter Larry Weiss was in the audience, a fact he claimed to be unaware of when he sang it a few minutes earlier. South African singer

Ray Dylan Jacobus Frederick Jersich better known by his stage name Ray Dylan (born in Odendaalsrus, South Africa, on 15 August 1978) is a South African singer who sings in Afrikaans and English. Dylan recorded his debut album ''New Kid In Town'' in 2002, ...

covered it on his album ''Goeie Ou Country - Vol. 3''. Canadian country singer

George Canyon George Canyon (born Frederick George Lays, August 22, 1970) is a Canadian country music singer. He was the runner up on the second season of '' Nashville Star'' in 2004. He grew up in Fox Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia before he moved west t ...

covered it in 2016 for the #ForeverCountry series. In 2019,

covered the song in his documentary film and live album promoting his studio album ''

.''

Non-English versions

Belgian singer Claire recorded the song in 1975 as "Vreemde Vogels" ("Strange Birds") and had a hit with her version in Flanders. It made it to No. 14 on the

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

Flanders chart, staying in the chart for 5 weeks. It also made it to No. 2 on the Vlaamse Top 10 chart. In 1975, with lyrics more in line with the English original lyrics, it was recorded as "Cowgirl dorée" by the Canadian French singer

Renée Martel Renée Martel (26 June 1947 – 18 December 2021) was a French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco- ...

. The French lyrics of Martel's version were written by Robert Charlebois. The song was later covered in 1976 in French as "Je m'appelle Michèle", interpreted as an autobiographical piece by French singer Michèle Torr. The song 'Rhinestone Cowboy' is also the walk-on song of darts phenomenon Steven Conboy. However, the fans sing along to alternative lyrics, 'like a Steven Conboy.' The late Filipino singer comedian Fred Panopio also covered his parody song version entitled ''Ang Kawawang Cowboy'' was released in 1976. In 1977 it was released as a duo by

Peter Belli Peter Belli (born Georg Peter Brandt; 19 June 1943 in Kiel) is a Danish singer and actor. Career Peter's debut as a singer was in 1959, for a band called ''Trefters''. In the 1960s, Belli became Denmark's first rock star, alongside his band ...

& Ulvene in Danish under the title "Verdens bedste kone", and again in 1977 in Finnish as "Muukalainen oon kai" interpreted by

Kari Tapio Kari Tapani Jalkanen (22 November 1945 – 7 December 2010), better known by his stage name Kari Tapio, was a Finnish schlager and country & western singer. During his career, he was one of the most popular singers in Finland for decades; having ...

Rikki & Daz version

In 2002, the British duo

Rikki & Daz Rikki & Daz, was a pop music duo, formed in 2002 by John Matthews and Daz Sampson. John Matthews of the Cuban Boys fame and also known as Ricardo Autobahn, became Rikki in the duo. He teamed up with Sampson, named just Daz in the duo and went on ...

(made up of Daz Sampson and

Ricardo Autobahn John Matthews (born 8 March 1978) better known by his stage name Ricardo Autobahn is an English producer, songwriter and musician. He is also known in collaborations with Daz Sampson as in Rikki & Daz and the projects like Barndance Boys, Cub ...

(real name John Matthews) released a revamped version of the song in a different arrangement, with additional lyrics and music. Titled "Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)", the single actually features Glen Campbell singing in the refrain. A music video was also released including Campbell.

Track listing

#"Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)" (Radio Edit) – 3:22 #"Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)" (Extended Version) – 5:01 #"Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)" (Shake Before Use Remix) – 6:00 #"Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)" (

Spray Spray or spraying commonly refer to: * Spray (liquid drop) ** Aerosol spray ** Blood spray ** Hair spray ** Nasal spray ** Pepper spray ** PAVA spray ** Road spray or tire spray, road debris kicked up from a vehicle tire ** Sea spray, refers to ...

Remix) – 5:27 Plus
:''Music video of "Rhinestone Cowboy (Giddy Up Giddy Up)"

Charts

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{Authority control Songs about cowboys and cowgirls 1975 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year Cashbox number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles 1975 songs Glen Campbell songs Capitol Records singles George Canyon songs Songs written by Larry Weiss