“Ain’t Always the Cowboy” is a song written by Brandon Kinney and Josh Thompson, and recorded by American country music singer Jon Pardi. It is the second single from Pardi’s third studio album, Heartache Medication.
The song uses Western imagery to describe a woman who does not want to commit to a relationship. Pardi told the blog Taste of Country, “”I feel like the topic of the song hasn’t been written about in this way, and I love songs that approach things differently and offer fresh perspectives”.
“It ain’t always the cowboy
That ain’t got a lot of hang around
Ain’t got no settle down in their boots
Gone’s just what they do
That restless runnin’
Searchin’ for somethin’
Leavin’ love in the dust of a midnight Chevrolet
It ain’t always the cowboy that rides away”
Thompson told the same publication that upon meeting with Brandon Kinney, he only had the title in mind, and after the two writers began drinking beer together, they came up with the idea for the song. The demo, featuring vocals from Thompson, was then sent to Kinney’s cousin Bart Butler, who is also Pardi’s producer. Butler chose for the song to be recorded at a faster tempo than the demo, adding prominent fiddle from Jenee Fleenor and a lead guitar from Rob McNelley, along with several backing vocals all sung by session vocalist Russell Terrell. Taste of Country writer Cillea Houghton described the song as “put[ting] as much focus on the restless woman who stole the titular cowboy’s heart as it does the cowboy himself, tied together with descriptive lyrics”.
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