About The Song
Penned by one of the band’s members, Martie Seidel, and Marcus Hummon, “Cowboy Take Me Away” was first recorded by American group Dixie Chicks. Released in November 1999, it was the second single from their album, Fly.
Derived from a commercial slogan, the song title, “Cowboy, Take Me Away,” was based on “Calgon, Take Me Away.” Calgon is a brand registered trademark of water softener, and bath and beauty products.
Martie Siedel (now Martie McGuire) wrote this song about her bandmate Emily Robison‘s boyfriend, Charlie. In an interview, she stated,
“[Emily] had been dating a bunch of guys I didn’t approve of, and then she met Charlie and I sort of pictured him whisking her off into the sunset.”
Eventually, Emily and Charlie got married and are living together until now.
“Cowboy Take Me Away” has penetrated the charts in 1999-2000. It reached no. 1 on the RPM Canada Country Tracks and peaked at no. 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the other hand, the song achieved the 4th position on the Billboard US Country Songs and 95th on the Billboard US Hot 100.
In February 2000, “Cowboy Take Me Away” peaked at no. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart. With Martie playing the violin, Emily playing the banjo, and Natalie’s redolent voice, their astounding performance made an impact on the country music fans. To note, “Cowboy Take Me Away” rapidly became one of Dixie Chicks signature songs.
The lyrics talks about a mixture of yearning for greater tranquility:
I wanna walk and not run, I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon, and not see a building standing tall
with plaintive desire for emotional, romantic connection, and simple joyous acceptance against a minor chord turning into major:
Oh it sounds good to me, yeah it sounds so good to me
Cowboy, take me away …
The Dixie Chicks channeled their vocal prowess into this song. From the amazing violin breaks of Martie Seidel to the exuberant banjo playing skills of Emily Robison, and the heartfelt voice of Natalie Maines, there’s no arguing that this is one of their contenders that skyrocketed their career.
Video
Lyrics
I said, I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly
I wanna sleep on the hard ground
In the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of blue bonnets
In a blanket made of stars
Oh, it sounds good to me
I said, cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue
Set me free, oh, I pray
Closer to heaven above and closer to you
Closer to you
I wanna walk and not run
I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon and not see a building standing tall
I wanna be the only one for miles and miles
Except for maybe you and your simple smile
Oh, it sounds good to me
Yes, it sounds so good to me
Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue
Set me free, oh, I pray
Closer to heaven above and closer to you
Closer to you
I said, I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly
Oh, it sounds so good to me
Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue
Set me free, oh, I pray
Closer to heaven above and closer to you
Closer to you
Closer to you
Cowboy take me away
Closer to you