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"Wild West Show"
Single by Big & Rich
from the album Horse of a Different Color
B-side	"Saved"
Released	December 15, 2003
Recorded	2003
Genre	Country
Length	4:20 (album version) 3:59 (radio edit)
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Big Kenny John Rich Blair Daly
Producer(s)	Big Kenny Rich Paul Worley
Big & Rich singles chronology
"Wild West Show" (2003) "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" (2004)

"Wild West Show" is a debut song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Big & Rich. It was released in December 2003 as the first single from their debut album Horse of a Different Color. It reached No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. The song was written by Big Kenny, John Rich and Blair Daly.

Content

The song uses 19th-century Western imagery to describe an argument between a man and a woman ("It was a big showdown / Oh yeah, we stood our ground / Shot out the lights, it got a little crazy"). The song also talks about forgiveness and a relationship.

Critical reception

Chuck Eddy of The Village Voice wrote that the song "mixes a placid keyboard intro, spacious spaghetti-western guitars, and Andes flute solos into a tepee-and-peace-pipe lyric that repeatedly chants 'hey yaaaa!'" Deborah Evans Price of Billboard magazine also gave it a positive review, saying that it has a "very distinct vibe", also calling it "hauntingly beautiful" and saying that it had "quirky Western imagery".

Personnel

From Horse of a Different Color liner notes.

• Big Kenny - vocals
• Dennis Burnside - keyboards
• Mike Johnson - steel guitar
• Wayne Killius - drums, shaker, peanut can
• Duncan Mullins - bass guitar
• John Rich - acoustic guitar, vocals
• Adam Shoenfeld - electric guitar
• Nicole Summers - flute

Chart positions

References

1. John Rich; Big Kenny; Allen Rucker (2007). All Access: Big & Rich. Nashville: Center Street Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-1-59995-717-3.
2. Eddy, Chuck (May 25, 2004). "Nashville Catches Up". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
3. Price, Deborah Evans (January 24, 2004). "Reviews: Country". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 4. p. 32.
4. Horse of a Different Color (CD). Big & Rich. Warner Bros. Records. 2004. 48520.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. "Big & Rich Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
6. "Big & Rich Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2011.

• 2003 debut singles
• 2003 songs
• Big & Rich songs
• Songs written by Blair Daly
• Songs written by Big Kenny
• Songs written by John Rich
• Song recordings produced by Paul Worley
• Song recordings produced by John Rich
• Warner Records singles