Cowboys Cry Too

"Cowboys Cry Too"
Single by Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan
from the album Patterns
ReleasedJune 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
GenreCountry
Length3:50
LabelBlack River
Songwriter(s)
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Noah Kahan
  • Alysa Vanderheym
Producer(s)
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Vanderheym
Kelsea Ballerini singles chronology
"Blindsided"
(2023) 		"Cowboys Cry Too"
(2024)
Noah Kahan singles chronology
"Forever"
(2024) 		"Cowboys Cry Too"
(2024) 		"Up All Night"
(2024)

"Cowboys Cry Too" is a song performed by American singer-songwriters Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan. It was released on June 28, 2024, as the lead single from Ballerini's fifth studio album, Patterns.[1][2] Ballerini and Kahan co-wrote the song with Alysa Vanderheym, who also co-produced the track with Ballerini.[3]

Content

[edit]

Ballerini wrote the chorus of "Cowboys Cry Too" in November 2023 on her back porch, before coming to the conclusion that the song needed a male's perspective to bring it to the next level. She first met Noah Kahan at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, where he complimented her songwriting skills for her 2016 single, "Peter Pan", and she described their connection as "songwriter synergy".[4] She later sent a DM to Kahan to suggest he collaborate on the track with her. He wrote his part while on tour, and the two united with Alysa Vanderheym in the studio to record the song shortly before they performed a mashup of "Stick Season" and "Mountain with a View" together on the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2024.[1][5]

Lyrically, the song is written from a female perspective addressing the concept of toxic masculinity, with Ballerini saying that "in our world and culture and echo chamber of highlight reels and pretty things, sometimes real feelings start to feel like something you just set aside or push down to keep up. Especially the way so many men grow up, that kind of toxic masculinity mindset of 'saddle up, brush it off'. I wanted to write my perspective and essentially celebrate the vulnerable men in my life, and Noah adding his really unfiltered perspective into it just brought it to life in a more meaningful and beautiful way."[3] She described the song as a way to honor "the men in [her] life that are emotional".[4]

Ballerini announced that her fifth studio album was already finished at the time of the release of "Cowboys Cry Too" and that the song would be the only collaboration on the record.[6]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"Cowboys Cry Too" was the most-added song at the country radio format upon release,[7] and debuted at number 27 on the Billboard Country Airplay dated for July 6, 2024,[8] and at number 16 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the following week.[9] It debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Ballerini's highest debut on the chart to date.[10]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Cowboys Cry Too"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 49
Canada Country (Billboard)[12] 36
Global 200 (Billboard)[13] 173
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 84
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 50
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[16] 27
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 16

References

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  1. ^ a b Billy Dukes (June 27, 2024). "Why Kelsea Ballerini Picked Noah Kahan for Cowboys Cry Too". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Liptak, Carena (August 8, 2024). "Kelsea Ballerini's New Album, 'Patterns', Is On Its Way". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Kory Grow (June 28, 2024). "Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan Give Cowboys Permission to Cry on New Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Luke Chinman (June 28, 2024). "Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan Drop Country Ballad 'Cowboys Cry Too' — See the Initial Text that Kicked Off the Duet". People. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Noah Kahan and Kelsea Ballerini drop collaborative single, 'Cowboys Cry Too'". ABC News. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Lauren Boisvert (June 27, 2024). "Kelsea Ballerini Announces New Song "Cowboys Cry Too," Shares Why She Picked Noah Kahan for the Duet". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Country Aircheck Weekly July 1, 2024, Issue 916" (PDF). Country Aircheck. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  10. ^ @billboardcharts (July 8, 2024). "@KelseaBallerini & @NoahKahan's "Cowboys Cry Too" debuts at No. 50 on this week's #Hot100" (Tweet). Retrieved July 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
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