Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other
Encyclopedia
"Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other" (1981) is, according to Gene Tyranny
, "the famous gay cowboy song" by Latin country musician Ned Sublette
, whose music, according to Howard Cohen, features a, "lilting West Texas waltz
(3/4 time at about 60–90 beats per minute) feel". The lyrics
satirize the stereotype
s associated with cowboy
s and gay
men, such as in the lyrics relating western wear
to the leather subculture
with the line, "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?"
Country musician Willie Nelson
's cover
(iTunes single February 14, 2006) is the first LGBT-themed mainstream country song by a major artist. The song has been recorded and released by Sublette (GPS: Life is a Killer 1982), Canadian alternative country
band Lost Dakotas
(Cargo: Sun Machine, 1992), and queercore
band Pansy Division
(Lookout: Pile Up 1995).
fad while living with his wife in Manhattan next to a gay country bar on Christopher Street
called Boots and Saddles. He explains, "Gay life in 1981 was very vibrant in those days. It was part of the culture of the city and cowboy imagery is a part of gay iconography." He wrote the song with Nelson's voice in mind: "I was at the beginning of my songwriting career … and used to like writing songs for my favorite voices. I've been a Willie fan since the '60s."
Ann Northrop of Gay USA
describes the lyrics as "the language of thirty years ago." David Nahmod, however, stated that he felt the lyrics maintain currency and say "a lot about gender identity and heterosexual elitism"; "The song aims to show Mr. Nelson's support for gays, particularly to conservative country-music fans," and suggests that, in addition to other causes, he supports gay rights.
The reception of Sublette's recording is hard to determine as the song was originally only available through the Dial-A-Poem, through which one could literally dial up a poem and listen on the phone. However, AllMusicGuide gave the album on which the song eventurally appeared 4½ out of 5 stars.
bassist Tony Garnier
after performing on the show in the mid to late 1980s and according to the latter, "Willie took it from there" though Nelson recently found that demo in a drawer among a stack of his own while recording unreleased songs for iTunes at his Spicewood, Texas home studio. Nelson says, "I thought it was the funniest goddamn song I'd ever heard. I had it on the bus for 20 years, and people would come in and I'd play it. When Brokeback Mountain
come out, it just seemed like a good time to kick it out of the closet".
There are plans to release the song on a future album and filming for the video featuring Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe
occurred at Dallas' gay cowboy bar, the Round Up Saloon (in Oak Lawn), in February. Nelson's publicist describes the release of the song, which debuted on Howard Stern
's satellite radio show: "Since everyone is talking about the acclaimed film Brokeback Mountain
and its Academy Award nominations, Valentine's Day
seemed like the right time to let [the song] be heard." Nelson appeared on the movie's soundtrack with the traditional "He Was A Friend Of Mine" which made the US charts at No. 54.
Nelson himself described the release in a prepared statement to Dallas Morning News: "The song's been in the closet
for 20 years. The timing's right for it to come out. I'm just opening the door." The song's release was encouraged by the coming out
of his friend and tour manager of thirty years, David Anderson, two years ago. Says Anderson: "This song obviously has special meaning to me in more ways than one. I want people to know more than anything—gay, straight, whatever—just how cool Willie is and … his way of thinking, his tolerance, everything about him."
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (No. 5), debuting at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which Nelson last appeared on with the Toby Keith duet "Beer for My Horses". The song has also been well received by critics. Pitchfork Media
's Stephen M. Deusner rated the song four out of four stars despite calling it, "even more of a stunt than his reggae album" (2005's Countryman). Saying that the song sounds written by Nelson, and that his performance raises the piece above the level of a cheap gag, he felt that it adds, "a whole new level of complexity to the outlaw mythology Willie helped to cultivate in the 70s."
Nelson also says that he has received very few negative reactions: "Every now and then somebody might get a little offended. It's got bad language in it, so I just don't do it in my shows. Anybody wants to hear it can hear it on iTunes. But you know people are listenin' to it, likin' it. Every now and then somebody don't like it, but that's okay. Similar to years ago, when the hippie thing come out and I started growin' my hair and puttin' the earring in, I got a little flak here and there."
However, some sources speculate about the potential success and reception of the song. Nelson explains that he didn't think, "it took a lot of balls to put the song out" saying, "first of all, I didn't think anybody would play it. I didn't think it would get on the air, but sure enough it did" though not on country stations: "Oh no, they're not gonna play it".
WXBX, a country station in Johnson City, Tenn., devoted one morning show to a listener discussion of Nelson's release, concluding that, "the audience was disappointed in these artists" and, as Nelson thought, that they "probably wouldn't be interested in much airplay" PlanetOut offered the opinion that Nelson's fan base is secure and broad enough (including "hippies, rednecks and outlaws young and old") to take risks with LGBT themed songs and soundtracks, while the WXBX station manager pointed out that Nelson has not been a mainstream country star for a while. Nelson's broad audience, and part of the appeal of the song, may be that, "Willie speaks his mind about any subject ... That's one of those things that has made him so endearing to so many generations of fans".
The song has been described variously as deadpan
, straight-faced, and pointedly poignant. Sublette, as expected, approves of Nelson's performance and its potential impact, saying, "It's supposed to be funny, that's what gets people's attention, but to get people to listen to it a second time [you] have to have something going on, and Willie beautifully brought out the tenderness there … [It's] nice to have a funny song out there—it is challenging people to laugh. Everybody is so angry now." Sublette speculated about the song's reception: "Willie's smart. We talked about recording it in the '90s but we needed some kind of context. It wouldn't make sense to just put this on some normal Willie album … The movie provided the context. I don't know if the public is any more or less ready than they were but I think the media is more ready."
The song was featured in a Boondocks comic strip on February 27 and February 28 (http://www.digisoul.com/boondocks/boondocks.asp?strip=02/27/2006) and mentioned until March 2. According to Sublette, "the Monday and Tuesday strip consisted of my lyrics and dramatizing listeners' response to my lyrics. What a compliment!"
The reception of Nelson's song may be compared to that of Garth Brooks
' 1992 single
"We Shall Be Free
". The song's line, "when we're free to love anyone we choose" caused some radio stations to refuse to play the song, contributing to its peak at No. 12 on Billboard's country singles chart and marking the end of Brooks' string of top ten hits.
Listening:
Lyrics:
Gene Tyranny
Blue' Gene Tyranny is an avant-garde composer and pianist. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, the adopted son of Dorothy and Meyer Sheff. He studied piano with Meta Hertwig and Rodney Hoare, and composition with Otto Wick and Frank Hughes...
, "the famous gay cowboy song" by Latin country musician Ned Sublette
Ned Sublette
Ned Sublette is an American composer, musician, record producer and musicologist. Sublette studied Spanish Classical Guitar with Hector Garcia at the University of New Mexico and with Emilio Pujol in Spain. He studied composition with Kenneth Gaburo at the University of California, San Diego...
, whose music, according to Howard Cohen, features a, "lilting West Texas waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
(3/4 time at about 60–90 beats per minute) feel". The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
satirize the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s associated with cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s and gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men, such as in the lyrics relating western wear
Western wear
Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th-century American West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of pioneer, mountain man, Civil War, cowboy and vaquero clothing to the stylized garments popularized by...
to the leather subculture
Leather subculture
The leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities. Wearing leather garments is one way that participants in this culture self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream sexual cultures...
with the line, "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?"
Country musician Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
's cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
(iTunes single February 14, 2006) is the first LGBT-themed mainstream country song by a major artist. The song has been recorded and released by Sublette (GPS: Life is a Killer 1982), Canadian alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band Lost Dakotas
Lost Dakotas
Lost Dakotas was a Canadian alternative country band in the 1990s. The band originally consisted of vocalist Paul Dakota and bassist Greg McConnell , who began in 1989 as a busker duo at the corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets in Toronto, Ontario...
(Cargo: Sun Machine, 1992), and queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
band Pansy Division
Pansy Division
Pansy Division is an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California in 1991. Featuring primarily gay musicians and focusing mostly on gay-related themes, Pansy Division is one of the more melodic-oriented bands to emerge from the "queercore" movement that began in the 1980s.-Early...
(Lookout: Pile Up 1995).
Sublette's version
Sublette says the song is based on his experiences growing up in Portales, N.M.: "I sat down at the piano and … remembered what it felt like to feel different as a teenager, and the culture at that time, and I started to put those two things together and the song wrote itself". The song was written during the Urban CowboyUrban Cowboy
Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...
fad while living with his wife in Manhattan next to a gay country bar on Christopher Street
Christopher Street (Manhattan)
Christopher Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the continuation of 9th St. to the west of its intersection with 6th Ave. The Stonewall Inn is located on Christopher Street, and, therefore, the street was at the center of New York's...
called Boots and Saddles. He explains, "Gay life in 1981 was very vibrant in those days. It was part of the culture of the city and cowboy imagery is a part of gay iconography." He wrote the song with Nelson's voice in mind: "I was at the beginning of my songwriting career … and used to like writing songs for my favorite voices. I've been a Willie fan since the '60s."
Ann Northrop of Gay USA
Gay USA
Gay USA is a weekly one-hour news program "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues" on a local, state, national, and international level. It is filmed in the studios of, and aired by, Manhattan Neighborhood Network in Manhattan, New York...
describes the lyrics as "the language of thirty years ago." David Nahmod, however, stated that he felt the lyrics maintain currency and say "a lot about gender identity and heterosexual elitism"; "The song aims to show Mr. Nelson's support for gays, particularly to conservative country-music fans," and suggests that, in addition to other causes, he supports gay rights.
The reception of Sublette's recording is hard to determine as the song was originally only available through the Dial-A-Poem, through which one could literally dial up a poem and listen on the phone. However, AllMusicGuide gave the album on which the song eventurally appeared 4½ out of 5 stars.
Nelson's version
Nelson received a tape of the song from Saturday Night Live BandSaturday Night Live Band
The Saturday Night Live Band is the house band of the NBC television program Saturday Night Live .-Noteworthy members:...
bassist Tony Garnier
Tony Garnier (musician)
Tony Garnier is an American bassist , best known as an accompanist to Bob Dylan, with whom he has played since 1989...
after performing on the show in the mid to late 1980s and according to the latter, "Willie took it from there" though Nelson recently found that demo in a drawer among a stack of his own while recording unreleased songs for iTunes at his Spicewood, Texas home studio. Nelson says, "I thought it was the funniest goddamn song I'd ever heard. I had it on the bus for 20 years, and people would come in and I'd play it. When Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
come out, it just seemed like a good time to kick it out of the closet".
There are plans to release the song on a future album and filming for the video featuring Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe
Broken Lizard
Broken Lizard is an American comedy troupe, consisting of five friends, best known for its films, including Super Troopers and Beerfest. Its five members are Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and...
occurred at Dallas' gay cowboy bar, the Round Up Saloon (in Oak Lawn), in February. Nelson's publicist describes the release of the song, which debuted on Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
's satellite radio show: "Since everyone is talking about the acclaimed film Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
and its Academy Award nominations, Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
seemed like the right time to let [the song] be heard." Nelson appeared on the movie's soundtrack with the traditional "He Was A Friend Of Mine" which made the US charts at No. 54.
Nelson himself described the release in a prepared statement to Dallas Morning News: "The song's been in the closet
The Closet
The Closet may refer to:* The Closet , Chinese film* The Closet , French film* The closet, referring to undisclosed homosexuality- See also :* Closet* Closet * In the closet...
for 20 years. The timing's right for it to come out. I'm just opening the door." The song's release was encouraged by the coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
of his friend and tour manager of thirty years, David Anderson, two years ago. Says Anderson: "This song obviously has special meaning to me in more ways than one. I want people to know more than anything—gay, straight, whatever—just how cool Willie is and … his way of thinking, his tolerance, everything about him."
Reception
Nelson's version of the song is his highest charting solo single since his 1984 duet with Julio IglesiasJulio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (No. 5), debuting at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which Nelson last appeared on with the Toby Keith duet "Beer for My Horses". The song has also been well received by critics. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Stephen M. Deusner rated the song four out of four stars despite calling it, "even more of a stunt than his reggae album" (2005's Countryman). Saying that the song sounds written by Nelson, and that his performance raises the piece above the level of a cheap gag, he felt that it adds, "a whole new level of complexity to the outlaw mythology Willie helped to cultivate in the 70s."
Nelson also says that he has received very few negative reactions: "Every now and then somebody might get a little offended. It's got bad language in it, so I just don't do it in my shows. Anybody wants to hear it can hear it on iTunes. But you know people are listenin' to it, likin' it. Every now and then somebody don't like it, but that's okay. Similar to years ago, when the hippie thing come out and I started growin' my hair and puttin' the earring in, I got a little flak here and there."
However, some sources speculate about the potential success and reception of the song. Nelson explains that he didn't think, "it took a lot of balls to put the song out" saying, "first of all, I didn't think anybody would play it. I didn't think it would get on the air, but sure enough it did" though not on country stations: "Oh no, they're not gonna play it".
WXBX, a country station in Johnson City, Tenn., devoted one morning show to a listener discussion of Nelson's release, concluding that, "the audience was disappointed in these artists" and, as Nelson thought, that they "probably wouldn't be interested in much airplay" PlanetOut offered the opinion that Nelson's fan base is secure and broad enough (including "hippies, rednecks and outlaws young and old") to take risks with LGBT themed songs and soundtracks, while the WXBX station manager pointed out that Nelson has not been a mainstream country star for a while. Nelson's broad audience, and part of the appeal of the song, may be that, "Willie speaks his mind about any subject ... That's one of those things that has made him so endearing to so many generations of fans".
The song has been described variously as deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
, straight-faced, and pointedly poignant. Sublette, as expected, approves of Nelson's performance and its potential impact, saying, "It's supposed to be funny, that's what gets people's attention, but to get people to listen to it a second time [you] have to have something going on, and Willie beautifully brought out the tenderness there … [It's] nice to have a funny song out there—it is challenging people to laugh. Everybody is so angry now." Sublette speculated about the song's reception: "Willie's smart. We talked about recording it in the '90s but we needed some kind of context. It wouldn't make sense to just put this on some normal Willie album … The movie provided the context. I don't know if the public is any more or less ready than they were but I think the media is more ready."
The song was featured in a Boondocks comic strip on February 27 and February 28 (http://www.digisoul.com/boondocks/boondocks.asp?strip=02/27/2006) and mentioned until March 2. According to Sublette, "the Monday and Tuesday strip consisted of my lyrics and dramatizing listeners' response to my lyrics. What a compliment!"
The reception of Nelson's song may be compared to that of Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
' 1992 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"We Shall Be Free
We Shall Be Free
"We Shall Be Free" is a song released by American country music artist Garth Brooks in late 1992. It debuted on his fourth studio album The Chase and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, Double Live, and The Ultimate Hits. It reached #12 on the Billboard Country Charts in 1992...
". The song's line, "when we're free to love anyone we choose" caused some radio stations to refuse to play the song, contributing to its peak at No. 12 on Billboard's country singles chart and marking the end of Brooks' string of top ten hits.
External links
Viewing:- http://www.secretcowboys.com/
Listening:
- Nelson: "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)", Lost Highway Records.
- Pansy Division: PansyDivision.com: Audio.
- February 20, 2006 Stream PlanetOut.com: This Way Out
Lyrics: