Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)
Encyclopedia
"Save a Horse" was the title of a song written and recorded by American country music duo Big & Rich
. It was released in April 2004 as the second single from their 2004 debut album, Horse of a Different Color
. It reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard US Country chart
. The song received wide exposure when ESPN
featured the song in commercials for its coverage of the 2004
World Series of Poker
. It was also featured in the Boston Legal
episode 'Death Be Not Proud'.
Big & Rich also released a remixed dance version of the song which appeared on their compilation Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak
. They performed this remixed version at the CMT
Video Music Awards in 2005. The song was also featured in a Chevrolet
commercial that was aired during Super Bowl XLI
and the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.
The phrase "Save a Horse" is sometimes used as slang for a sexual position where the woman is on top.
and country rap. The first two verses detail "Big" Kenny Alphin and John Rich's arrival into Nashville, going into a bar, "passing out hundred-dollar bills" and "buying the bar a double round of Crown
." They vow that Nashville is "never gonna be the same." They ride around Nashville on horses, while everyone else says to "save a horse" and "ride a cowboy."
, including Gretchen Wilson
and Cowboy Troy
, as well as dancers, marching bands, and other groups of people, parade on the Shelby Street Bridge
in Nashville. It was directed by David Hogan.
featuring snowclone
s of the slogan "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy", in which the word "cowboy" was replaced with the name of any one of 177 different nationalities, including "American". The version of the t-shirt featuring the slogan "Save a Horse, Ride a Taiwanese" was singled out as "racially discriminatory" and "insulting to Taiwan
" by Taiwanese and Hong Kong media
.
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
. It was released in April 2004 as the second single from their 2004 debut album, Horse of a Different Color
Horse of a Different Color (Big & Rich album)
-Additional musicians:*Brian Barnett – drums*Steve Brewster – drums*Dennis Burnside – keyboards*Owen Hale – drums*Mike Johnson – steel guitar*Wayne Killius – drums, shaker, peanut can*Duncan Mullins – bass guitar*Matt Pierson – bass guitar...
. It reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard US Country chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
. The song received wide exposure when ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
featured the song in commercials for its coverage of the 2004
2004 World Series of Poker
The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
. It was also featured in the Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
episode 'Death Be Not Proud'.
Big & Rich also released a remixed dance version of the song which appeared on their compilation Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak
Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak
Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak is an EP/DVD combination released by the country music duo Big & Rich on October 24, 2004. The album debuted on the country charts at No. 17, and the Billboard 200 at No. 90...
. They performed this remixed version at the CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
Video Music Awards in 2005. The song was also featured in a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
commercial that was aired during Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
and the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.
The phrase "Save a Horse" is sometimes used as slang for a sexual position where the woman is on top.
Summary
This song is a fusion of country rockCountry rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
and country rap. The first two verses detail "Big" Kenny Alphin and John Rich's arrival into Nashville, going into a bar, "passing out hundred-dollar bills" and "buying the bar a double round of Crown
Crown Royal
Crown Royal is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by Diageo, who purchased it when the Seagram portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States....
." They vow that Nashville is "never gonna be the same." They ride around Nashville on horses, while everyone else says to "save a horse" and "ride a cowboy."
Music video
The music video for the song was filmed in Nashville during the summer of 2004. Big & Rich, other members of the MuzikMafiaMuzikMafia
The MuzikMafia was an informal collection of American country music artists, founded in October 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee by Big Kenny and John Rich , along with Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman....
, including Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
and Cowboy Troy
Cowboy Troy
Troy Lee Coleman III is an American musician, better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, who performs country rap. He is a member of the MuzikMafia, an aggregation of country music singer-songwriters whose membership also includes Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and James Otto...
, as well as dancers, marching bands, and other groups of people, parade on the Shelby Street Bridge
Shelby Street Bridge
The Shelby Street Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was originally opened on July 5, 1909, and was reopened as a pedestrian bridge on August 3, 2003...
in Nashville. It was directed by David Hogan.
One World Gear controversy
In April 2007, the song was parodied by t-shirt manufacturer One World Gear, who began to offer a series of products on CafePress.comCafePress.com
CafePress, Inc. is an online retailer of stock and user-customized on demand products. CafePress, Inc. is headquartered in San Mateo, California, USA and its production facility is located in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2001, CafePress.com won the People's Voice Webby Award in the Commerce...
featuring snowclone
Snowclone
A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different variants"....
s of the slogan "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy", in which the word "cowboy" was replaced with the name of any one of 177 different nationalities, including "American". The version of the t-shirt featuring the slogan "Save a Horse, Ride a Taiwanese" was singled out as "racially discriminatory" and "insulting to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
" by Taiwanese and Hong Kong media
Media of Hong Kong
Media in Hong Kong are available to the public in the forms of: television and radio, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. They serve the local community by providing necessary information and entertainment.-Overview:...
.
Chart performance
"Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 24, 2004.| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
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