Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)

Infobox Single
Name = Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)


Caption =
Artist = Big & Rich
from Album = Horse of a Different Color
Released = June 22, 2004
Format = CD single
Recorded = 2003
Genre = Country rock
Length = 3:20 (album version) 4:25 (dance mix)
Label = Warner Bros.
Writer = Big Kenny John Rich
Producer = Paul Worley
Last single = "Wild West Show" (2004)
This single = "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" (2004)
Next single = "Holy Water" (2004)"Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" was the second single by country music duo Big & Rich from their 2004 debut album, "Horse of a Different Color". It reached #11 on the 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. The song was also used in "Dancing with the Stars" at least twice.

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.

ummary

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 [everyone] 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."

Music Video

The music video for the song was filmed in Nashville during the summer of 2004. Big & Rich, other members of the MuzikMafia, 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. [" [http://web.archive.org/web/20040922062035/http://www.newschannel5.com/content/news/6924.asp Shoot of Popular Country Music Video Damaged Nashville Landmark] ". NewsChannel 5, WTVF Nashville. September 17, 2004.]

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.com featuring snowclones 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. [cite news|url=http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/070410/17/co7a.html|date=2007-04-10|accessdate=2007-04-11|title=「騎台灣人」性暗示侮辱　美國網站賣歧視T恤 ("Ride a Taiwanese" insulting sexual implication - American website sells discriminatory t-shirt)|publisher=Eastern Television] [cite news|url=http://news.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/news/show_news.cgi?ct=china&type=china&date=2007-04-11&id=2364246|date=2007-04-11|accessdate=2007-04-11|publisher=Ming Pao|title=美售「騎台灣人」T恤 (Americans selling "Ride a Taiwanese" T-shirts)|last=Pang|first=Hau-wai]

References