C'mon Cowgirl

Album: Leather (2024)
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Songfacts®:

  • "C'mon Cowgirl" is a gentle, heartfelt ballad that weaves together the life of a father and his daughter as they ride the ups and downs of life, from first school days to heartbreaks, first cars, and eventually, a hand-off to the next generation.
  • The chorus, with its simple, repeated "C'mon, cowgirl," carries a warmth that feels like a father's hand on his daughter's shoulder - a constant reminder he's there, every step of the way.
  • The song concludes with the father transitioning to grandfather, suggesting the comforting idea that this bond is an enduring cycle, endlessly renewed.
  • The country ballad comes courtesy of writers Aby Gutierrez, Adam James, and Jonathan Stark.

    Gutierrez has something of a "cowgirl" streak herself, having co-penned the song "Long Live Cowgirls" for Ian Munsick & Cody Johnson's 2022 White Buffalo album.

    Adam James also co-penned "Double Down" and "Whiskey Bent" for the main edition of Johnson's Leather album. His other credits include another father/daughter song: Zac Brown Band's "The Man Who Loves You the Most."

    Jonathan Stark is a singer-songwriter from Denver, Colorado. This is his first placement with a major artist.
  • For Johnson, "C'mon Cowgirl" hit close to home. He's a father to two daughters, Clara Mae and Cari, and when he first heard the song, it resonated deeply. He recalled the day he tried it out on them, practicing in his barn office on his Texas ranch. The girls wandered in, and he thought, "Well, they're the right audience for this." So he asked them to sit down, playing the song for them while pointedly avoiding their gaze until his wife Brandi joined them and he had to start all over. It was one of those rare, almost cinematic moments.

    "I'm reading the lyrics and I've got tears just pouring down my cheeks," he said.

    By the time he looked up, his family was smiling through tears of their own.

    And at that point, with his guitar set aside and his family in a group hug, Johnson had a moment of clarity about the song's fate. "How do you not cut that song?" he thought. So, "C'mon Cowgirl" found its place on his Leather Deluxe Edition album, immortalizing a father's bond in three and a half minutes.
  • This is one of many country songs that highlight the special bond between fathers and daughters. Other notable examples include:

    1985 "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn. This classic country song pays tribute to a father's hard work and gentle nature.

    1997 "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle. While not strictly a country song, it's often associated with the genre and is a popular father-daughter dance choice at weddings.

    2006 "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. This song expresses a father's love and protectiveness towards his daughter as she grows up.

    2007 "Cowgirls Don't Cry" by Brooks & Dunn (featuring Reba McEntire). "Cowgirls Don't Cry" recounts a father teaching his daughter to tough it out through the difficult times.

    2007 "Ready, Set, Don't Go" by Billy Ray Cyrus. This song expresses a father's mixed emotions as his daughter leaves home.

    2020 "The Man Who Loves You the Most" by Zac Brown Band. This song is a heartfelt tribute from a father to his daughter.

    2021 "You'll Always Be My Baby" by Alan Jackson. Alan Jackson wrote this emotional song for his daughters' weddings

    2024 "Yours" by Post Malone. "Yours" is a tender, emotional ballad that explores a father's love for his daughter and his feelings about her future marriage.

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