Peak
56
Weeks
9
Score
582
Chart Year
2004
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. It was directed by David Hogan. The video caused damage to the bridge including dents and scuff marks, which cost $23,000 in repairs.[1] One W
We're not quite sure how riding a cowboy can save a horse, but this one sure is fun, which is the whole point. In the song, Big Kenny and John Rich get braggadocious, singing about making a scene by riding a horse into town, driving the ladies wild in the process. It's all very tongue-in-cheek. Preacher's son John Rich told Billboard magazine with a laugh, "When your dad's a preacher and you have a song on the radio called 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,' that makes for an interesting conversation." The music video has the duo celebrating with a huge parade on Nashville's Shelby Street Bridge. They're joined by dancers, marching bands, horses, and friends like Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy. Country singer Sarah Darling also cameos as a mannequin. But it wasn't fun for everyone. "It was the shoot from hell," director David Hogan said in his Songfacts interview. "After I did Gretchen Wilson's video ("Redneck Woman"), Big & Rich wanted me to do the same. They had the same management and they wanted me to do their video. But the downside is they wanted to do it through that production company. So basically the production company people had it in for me, because they felt like, I guess, I stole it from their directors or whatever." Of Big & Rich, however, the director said: "They were real easy to work with, fun guys, and it was fun coming up with it and talking about it with them." According to the Metro Public Works, the shoot caused over $23,000 damage to the Shelby Street Bridge, mostly from the horses damaging the cement and the decorative paint. Hogan wonders if it was the semi-trucks that were too much for the pedestrian bridge: "We had to put the camera and the lights on the back of a semi truck trailer, and we would drive it around across the other bridge down river and then come around and circle and then start the parade again. That was the only way to do it... It's a walking bridge, and I'm sure it wasn't designed to hold a semi." This song got a boost when it was used in promos for ESPN's coverage of the 2004 World Series of Poker. This was used on The Office series finale in 2013. It plays during Angela's bachelorette party when the stripper does his routine.
Dumb-de-de-dumb, de-de-dumb-de-de-dumb, de-daa-daaaaa Dumb-de-de-dumb, de-de-dumb-de-de-dumb, de-daa-daa-daa-daa-daaaa! Well, I walk into the room Passing out hundred dollar bills And it kills, and it thrills, like the horns on my silverado grill And I buy the bar double round the crown And everybody's getting down And this town, ain't never gonna be the same 'Cause I saddle up my horse And I ride into the city I make a lot of noise 'Cause the girls They are so pretty Riding up and down Broadway On my old stud Leroy And the girls say Save a horse, ride a cowboy Everybody says Save a horse, ride a cowboy Well I don't give a dang about nothing I'm singing and bling-blinging While the girls are drinking Long necks down! And I wouldn't trade ol' leroy Or my Chevrolet for your Escalade Or your freak parade I'm the only John Wayne left in this town When I saddle up my horse And I ride into the city I make a lot of noise 'Cause the girls They are so pretty Riding up and down Broadway On my old stud Leroy And the girls say Save a horse, ride a cowboy. Everybody says Save a horse, ride a cowboy I'm a thourough-bred That's what she said In the back of my truck bed As I was gettin' buzzed on suds Out on some back country road. We where flying high Fine as wine, having ourselves a big and rich time And I was going, just about as far as she'd let me go. But her evaluation Of my cowboy reputation Had me begging for salvation All night long So I took her out giggin frogs Introduced her to my old bird dog And sang her every Willie Nelson song I could think of And we made love And I saddled up my horse And I ride into the city I make a lot of noise 'Cause the girls They are so pretty Riding up and down Broadway On my old stud Leroy And the girls say Save a horse, ride a cowboy Everybody says Save a horse, ride a cowboy What? What? Save a horse ride a cowboy Everybody says Save a horse ride a cowboy
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 31, 2004 | 75 | 51 |
| 2 | Aug 7, 2004 | 64 | 62 |
| 3 | Aug 14, 2004 | 60 | 66 |
| 4 | Aug 21, 2004 | 59 | 67 |
| 5 | Aug 28, 2004 | 57 | 69 |
| 6 | Sep 4, 2004 | 56 | 70 |
| 7 | Sep 11, 2004 | 61 | 65 |
| 8 | Sep 18, 2004 | 74 | 52 |
| 9 | Sep 25, 2004 | 91 | 35 |