The Beaches of Cheyenne
Encyclopedia
"The Beaches of Cheyenne" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music
singer Garth Brooks
. It was released in December 1995 as the third of six singles from his 1995 album Fresh Horses
. The song became Brooks's 15th Billboard
Number One hit in March 1996.
"[It Was] Supposed to be real funny. Kind of like cowboys on the beach, kind of, swingin' kind of thing. Then it went to a guy on the beach that would come home from a suit and tie job. He never had any cowboy talents, but he always wanted to be one. So he just comes home slips off his shoes and goes out and walks on the beach and dreams of Wyoming and stuff. Then out of just a fluke, one time passing through, it came with ... every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne. We looked at each other and said, "This ain't gonna be funny boys."
. Brooks's vocals range from C4 (middle C
) to E5.
The lyrics describe a woman who "just went crazy" after her husband decides to participate in a rodeo
against her wishes and is killed in the bull riding
event. The grieving woman, as a result, ran out into the ocean. Although her body was never found, the narrator explains that "if you go down by the water / You'll see her footprints in the sand / 'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne."
U.S. DJ Promo CD Single
Capitol D-Pro-10332, 1996
U.S. 7" Jukebox Single
Capitol Nashville 19022, 1996
of Allmusic considered "The Beaches of Cheyenne" one of the stronger tracks on the album, saying that Brooks "let his guard down" because, unlike the rest of the album, he was not "trying too hard." Entertainment Weekly
critic Alanna Nash
called it a "confusing ghost story."
country charts on the week of December 9, 1995, along with four album cuts from Fresh Horses: "The Old Stuff", "Rollin'", "It's Midnight Cinderella
" and "That Ol' Wind
", of which the latter two were later released as singles. On the chart week of March 16, 1996, it became Brooks's fifteenth Billboard Number One hit, holding the position for one week.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer 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...
. It was released in December 1995 as the third of six singles from his 1995 album Fresh Horses
Fresh Horses (album)
Fresh Horses is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on November 21, 1995. Fresh Horses peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart , and #1 on the Top Country Albums chart....
. The song became Brooks's 15th Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Number One hit in March 1996.
Background and writing
On the 1995 TV Special, "The Garth Brooks Story," Garth explains that the song's meaning didn't end up the way he planned:"[It Was] Supposed to be real funny. Kind of like cowboys on the beach, kind of, swingin' kind of thing. Then it went to a guy on the beach that would come home from a suit and tie job. He never had any cowboy talents, but he always wanted to be one. So he just comes home slips off his shoes and goes out and walks on the beach and dreams of Wyoming and stuff. Then out of just a fluke, one time passing through, it came with ... every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne. We looked at each other and said, "This ain't gonna be funny boys."
Content
"The Beaches of Cheyenne" is a mid-tempo set in the key of G majorG major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
. Brooks's vocals range from C4 (middle C
Middle C
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
) to E5.
The lyrics describe a woman who "just went crazy" after her husband decides to participate in a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
against her wishes and is killed in the bull riding
Bull riding
Bull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....
event. The grieving woman, as a result, ran out into the ocean. Although her body was never found, the narrator explains that "if you go down by the water / You'll see her footprints in the sand / 'Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne."
Track listing
European EP Single- "The Beaches of Cheyenne"
- "Standing Outside The FireStanding Outside The Fire"Standing Outside The Fire" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country Music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in December 1993 as the third single from his album, In Pieces. The song also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, Double Live, and The Ultimate Hits. It...
" - "If Tomorrow Never ComesIf Tomorrow Never Comes"If Tomorrow Never Comes" served as the first single from Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating's second studio album, Destination. The song was produced by Steve Mac. The song peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as making the Top 10 in Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Germany,...
"
U.S. DJ Promo CD Single
Capitol D-Pro-10332, 1996
- "The Beaches of Cheyenne" - 4:11
U.S. 7" Jukebox Single
Capitol Nashville 19022, 1996
- "The Beaches of Cheyenne" - 4:13
- "Ireland"
Reception
Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic considered "The Beaches of Cheyenne" one of the stronger tracks on the album, saying that Brooks "let his guard down" because, unlike the rest of the album, he was not "trying too hard." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
critic Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
called it a "confusing ghost story."
Chart history
The song debuted on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts on the week of December 9, 1995, along with four album cuts from Fresh Horses: "The Old Stuff", "Rollin'", "It's Midnight Cinderella
It's Midnight Cinderella
"It's Midnight Cinderella" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in June 1996 as the fifth single from his 1995 album Fresh Horses. The song reached a peak of #5 on the U.S...
" and "That Ol' Wind
That Ol' Wind
"That Ol' Wind" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. He recorded it on his 1995 album Fresh Horses and released it as the album's sixth and final single in late 1996. The song peaked at #4 on the U.S...
", of which the latter two were later released as singles. On the chart week of March 16, 1996, it became Brooks's fifteenth Billboard Number One hit, holding the position for one week.
Chart positions
| Chart (1995-1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |