Cowboy like Me

{{Short description|2020 song by Taylor Swift}}

{{good article}}

{{use American English|date=October 2024}}

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{{Infobox song

| name = Cowboy like Me

| artist = Taylor Swift

| album = Evermore

| released = December 11, 2020

| recorded = 2020

| studio = Scarlet Pimpernel (London)

| genre = * Americana

| length = 4:35

| label = Republic

| writer = * Taylor Swift

| producer = Aaron Dessner

| misc = {{External music video|type=song|header=Lyric video|{{YouTube|YPlNBb6I8qU|"Cowboy like Me"}}}}

}}

"Cowboy like Me" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the track with its producer, Aaron Dessner. A slow ballad that has a mellow instrumentation, "Cowboy like Me" is a country and Americana song featuring elements of country rock and blues. Swift sings with a country twang on the track, which includes backing harmony vocals from Marcus Mumford. The lyrics tell the story of how two con artists unexpectedly fall in love while scamming wealthy people in their town.

Music critics generally praised the lyrical narrative of "Cowboy like Me", although several thought that its sound was not captivating; several critics have considered it one of Evermore's standouts. Upon the release of Evermore, the track peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Global 200 and charted in Australia, Canada, and the US. Swift occasionally performed "Cowboy like Me" live on the Eras Tour in 2023 and 2024, while Mumford regularly sang it live on a tour that supported his debut studio album, Self-Titled (2022).

Background and production

Amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns, Taylor Swift worked on her eighth studio album, Folklore, with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. Surprise-released on July 24, 2020. Folklore incorporated new styles for Swift such as indie folk and indie rock, and it garnered widespread critical acclaim.{{Sfn|McGrath|2023|p=79}}{{Cite web |last=Light |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Light |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Evermore Isn't About Taylor Swift. It's About Storytelling. |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a34942839/evermore-taylor-swift-album-review-meaning-easter-eggs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212135550/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a34942839/evermore-taylor-swift-album-review-meaning-easter-eggs/ |archive-date=December 12, 2020 |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Esquire}} In September 2020, Swift, Antonoff, and Dessner assembled at Long Pond Studio in upstate New York to film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, a documentary consisting of stripped-down renditions of tracks from Folklore and recounting the creative process behind the album.{{Cite web |last1=Winn |first1=Layne |last2=Larramendia |first2=Eliana |date=November 24, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift announces folklore: the long pond studio sessions intimate concert film for Disney+ |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/taylor-swift-announces-folklore-long-pond-studio-sessions/story?id=74371758 |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=ABC News |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124100153/https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/taylor-swift-announces-folklore-long-pond-studio-sessions/story?id=74371758 |url-status=live }}

After filming, the three celebrated Folklore by drinking and unexpectedly continued writing songs while staying at Long Pond.{{Cite magazine |last=Havens |first=Lyndsey |date=December 18, 2020 |title=Aaron Dessner on the 'Weird Avalanche' That Resulted in Taylor Swift's Evermore |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9502756/aaron-dessner-taylor-swift-evermore-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222181838/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9502756/aaron-dessner-taylor-swift-evermore-interview |archive-date=December 22, 2020 |access-date=June 13, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}} The result was a studio album, Evermore, which Swift described as a "sister record" to Folklore.{{Cite magazine |last=Shaffer |first=Claire |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Deepens Her Goth-Folk Vision on the Excellent Evermore |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-folklore-1101778/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211134023/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-folklore-1101778/ |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |access-date=June 14, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} Swift wrote much of Evermore with Dessner and recorded the album at Dessner's Long Pond. One track that they wrote together was "Cowboy like Me", which was produced by Dessner{{cite magazine |last=Shaffer |first=Claire |date=December 18, 2020 |title=Aaron Dessner on How His Collaborative Chemistry With Taylor Swift Led to Evermore |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/aaron-dessner-interview-taylor-swift-evermore-1105853/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222181909/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/aaron-dessner-interview-taylor-swift-evermore-1105853/ |archive-date=December 22, 2020 |access-date=October 22, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{Cite AV media notes |last=Swift |first=Taylor |title=Evermore |year=2020 |author-link=Taylor Swift |publisher=Republic Records |type=liner notes}} and recorded at Scarlet Pimpernel Studios in London. On the track, Josh Kaufman plays lap steel guitar, harmonica, and mandolin; Justin Vernon plays drums and electric guitar; and Marcus Mumford of the English band Mumford & Sons sings background vocals.{{cite news |last1=Gutowitz |first1=Jill |date=11 December 2020 |title=So, What the Hell Folk Tales Is Taylor Swift Telling Now on evermore? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-songs-explained-lyrics-and-analysis.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214232612/https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-songs-explained-lyrics-and-analysis.html |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |access-date=5 May 2021 |work=Vulture}}{{cite news |last1=Sodomsky |first1=Sam |date=15 December 2020 |title=Taylor Swift: Evermore |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-evermore/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215214943/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-evermore/ |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |access-date=5 May 2021 |work=Pitchfork}}

Music and lyrics

{{Listen

| filename = Cowboy like Me – Taylor Swift.ogg

| title = "Cowboy like Me"

| pos = left

| description = A sample of "Cowboy like Me", where it showcases Swift's vocals and Mumford's harmonies layering on top of one another in the third refrain, as well as one of the song's guitar solos after that part.

}}

Running for 4 minutes and 35 seconds,{{Cite web |last1=Ahlgrim |first1=Callie |last2=Larocca |first2=Courteney |date=December 12, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's {{'}}Evermore{{'}} Isn't As Good As {{'}}Folklore,' but It's Still Better than What Everyone Else Is Doing |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-evermore-review-tracklist-breakdown-2020-12#cowboy-like-me-is-an-easily-forgettable-song-11 |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=Business Insider}} "Cowboy like Me" is a ballad that has a slow pace{{efn|Ilana Kaplan of i-D and Ellen Pierson-Hagger of the New Statesman regarded the song as slow-paced,{{Cite web |last=Pierson-Hagger |first=Ellen |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's Evermore is Folklore's darker, colder sister record |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2020/12/taylor-swifts-evermore-folklore-s-darker-colder-sister-record |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411131058/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2020/12/taylor-swifts-evermore-folklore-s-darker-colder-sister-record |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=June 19, 2021 |website=New Statesman |language=en}} while Consequence{{'s}} Mary Siroky argued that it was "midtempo".{{Cite web |last=Siroky |first=Mary |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's Evermore Continues the Personal Fable Begun on Folklore: Review |url=https://consequence.net/2020/12/album-review-taylor-swift-evermore/ |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=Consequence}}}} and a mellow instrumentation.{{cite news |last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |date=16 December 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/12/taylor-swifts-evermore-feels-like-a-rough-draft/617390/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414191417/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/12/taylor-swifts-evermore-feels-like-a-rough-draft/617390/ |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |access-date=5 May 2021 |work=The Atlantic}} The song incorporates a languid piano groove,{{Cite web |last=Horton |first=Ross |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Returns for a 2020 Victory Lap on Evermore |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=The Line of Best Fit |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211090203/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review |url-status=live }} guitar solos, sparse harmonica riffs,{{Cite magazine |last=Johnston |first=Maura |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Levels Up on Evermore |url=https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-review/ |access-date=May 9, 2025 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=December 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212001528/https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-review/ |url-status=live }} and easy-brushed drums. It also includes a guitar riff that the New Statesman{{'s}} Ellen Pierson-Hagger thought recalls the melody that begins Swift's debut single, "Tim McGraw" (2006). Swift has a country twang in her vocal performance, where Sarah Carson from The i Paper said that she sings sequences of notes that are identical to "Tim McGraw".{{Cite web |last=Carson |first=Sarah |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift, Evermore, Review: Exquisite Winter Love and Longing |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-evermore-review-surprise-album-folklore-marjorie-willow-bon-iver-william-bowery-790803?srsltid=AfmBOorKlnXYa9Ic5a4lu2uZhqCxIazVXsPtfnT1d46JeHdFCPdhkvxB |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=The i Paper}} Mumford provides harmony vocals that critics described as "shadowy",{{cite news |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |date=10 December 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Has Her Second Great Album of 2020 With Evermore: Album Review |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review-1234851525/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211071725/https://variety.com/2020/music/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review-1234851525/ |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |access-date=5 May 2021 |work=Variety}} "sultry",{{Cite web |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Zaleski |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's Deeply Affecting Evermore Continues Folklore{{'s}} Rich Universe-Building |url=https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-s-deeply-affecting-evermore-continues-folk-1845875463 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214155657/https://music.avclub.com/taylor-swift-s-deeply-affecting-evermore-continues-folk-1845875463 |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=The A.V. Club}} and "whispery".{{Cite web |last=Crone |first=Madeline |date=June 30, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift {{'}}Evermore{{'}} Is Ready for Your Record Player, Radio Play Be Damned |url=https://americansongwriter.com/taylor-swift-evermore-is-ready-for-your-record-player-radio-play-be-damned/ |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=American Songwriter}}

"Cowboy like Me" is an Americana track{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=201}} that features elements of country rock{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=2024-04-25 |title='Cowboy like Me' (2020) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/cowboy-like-me-2020-1245479/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=January 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123200438/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/cowboy-like-me-2020-1245479/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2024-04-29 |title=Taylor Swift's 75 Best Songs, Ranked |url=https://variety.com/lists/best-taylor-swift-songs-ranked/cowboy-like-me/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Variety |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705001627/https://variety.com/lists/best-taylor-swift-songs-ranked/cowboy-like-me/ |url-status=live }} and blues.{{cite news |last1=Mylrea |first1=Hannah |date=11 December 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's Surprise New Album Evermore – the Big Talking Points |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/blogs/taylor-swift-evermore-talking-points-marjorie-finlay-2837537 |url-access= |access-date=5 May 2021 |work=NME |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117162330/https://www.nme.com/en_au/blogs/taylor-swift-evermore-talking-points-marjorie-finlay-2837537 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Mylrea |first=Hannah |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift – {{'}}Evermore{{'}} Review: The Freewheeling Younger Sibling to {{'}}Folklore{{'}} |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-review-2835933 |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=NME |language=en-GB |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211050556/https://www.nme.com/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-review-2835933 |url-status=live }} Dessner considered it a country song, while several reviews deemed it country-styled{{Cite magazine |last=Peters |first=Mitchell |date=2023-03-26 |title=Taylor Swift Joined by Marcus Mumford for 'Cowboy Like Me' at Eras Tour Concert in Las Vegas |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-marcus-mumford-cowboy-like-me-eras-tour-concert-1235292760/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |magazine=Billboard}}{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Angela |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Finds the Sunshine on {{'}}Evermore{{'}} |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor_swift_evermore_album_review |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=Exclaim!}}{{Cite web |last=Pappis |first=Konstantinos |date=December 13, 2020 |title=Album Review: Taylor Swift, {{'}}Evermore{{'}} |url=https://ourculturemag.com/2020/12/13/album-review-taylor-swift-evermore/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125153802/https://ourculturemag.com/2020/12/13/album-review-taylor-swift-evermore/ |archive-date=November 25, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Our Culture Mag |language=en-GB}} and one of the two Evermore tracks (alongside "No Body, No Crime") that returned to Swift's country and Americana origins.{{Cite web |last=Tipple |first=Ben |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift - Evermore |url=https://diymag.com/review/album/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=DIY}}{{Cite web |last=Pip |first=Andy Von |date=December 22, 2020 |title=evermore |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/evermore_taylor_swift |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Under the Radar}} In Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky said that the two tracks were the ones that most resembled country music among her works in years. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the song was a combination of country, folk, and "sun-kissed" alternative,{{cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Every Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's Evermore: Critic's Picks |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9498113/taylor-swift-evermore-songs-ranked |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213153542/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9498113/taylor-swift-evermore-songs-ranked/ |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |access-date=May 5, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}} while the Los Angeles Times{{'}} Mikael Wood wrote that it contained a folk rock arrangement,{{cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=December 10, 2020 |title=Review: Taylor Swift's Surprise LP Evermore Is More — And Less — Folklore |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-12-10/taylor-swift-evermore-folklore |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211050852/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-12-10/taylor-swift-evermore-folklore |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |access-date=May 5, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times}} and Variety's Chris Willman deemed the sound reminiscent of the "laid-back early '70s style". For NME, Hannah Mylrea said that the track would seamlessly fit on Lana Del Rey's album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). The song's soundscape was also likened to the music of T Bone Burnett and the Civil Wars.{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Ilana |date=December 11, 2020 |title=On Evermore, Taylor Swift embraces unhappy endings |url=https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/k7a37z/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125122358/https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/k7a37z/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review |archive-date=November 25, 2023 |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=i-D}}

According to Swift, "Cowboy like Me" is a song about "two young con artists who fall in love while hanging out at fancy resorts trying to score rich romantic beneficiaries". Its lyrics have a melancholic{{Cite web |last=McDonagh |first=Shannon |date=2020-12-17 |title=Taylor Swift - evermore |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Clash |archive-date=March 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309140603/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore/ |url-status=live }} and picaresque tone;{{Cite web |last=Krieger |first=Deborah |date=December 15, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Has Written the Best Music of Her Career with evermore and folklore |url=https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-evermore-review-2649491661.html |access-date=2021-05-19 |website=PopMatters |language= |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108124137/https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-evermore-review-2649491661.html |url-status=live }} they depict two high-society scammers who are used to tricking rich people by feigning love, and when they intend to use their tricks on each other, they realize that their scheming has turned into real feelings.{{Cite web |last=Hopper |first=Alex |date=2023-09-28 |title=Behind the Meaning of Taylor Swift's Country-Coded 'cowboy like me' |url=https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-taylor-swifts-country-coded-cowboy-like-me/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=American Songwriter |archive-date=January 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123200732/https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-taylor-swifts-country-coded-cowboy-like-me/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Craig |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Is Done Self-Mythologizing |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review.html |url-access=limited |access-date=May 19, 2021 |website=Vulture |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123021423/https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review.html |url-status=live }} Swift's narrator expresses her feelings for her male counterpart, waiting by the phone and hoping he would call. She eventually gets heartbroken, referencing the Gardens of Babylon as a metaphor for how the affair has impacted on her. Carl Wilson of Slate opined that the narrative was reminiscent of the 1931 rom-com Blonde Crazy.{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Wilson (writer) |date=2020-12-11 |title=Taylor Swift's Evermore: A Track-by-Track Review |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-review-new-album-track-by-track.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=Slate |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505080320/https://slate.com/culture/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-review-new-album-track-by-track.html |url-status=live }}

Release and commercial performance

File:Marcus Mumford at Newport Folk Festival 2018 by Sachyn Mital.jpg sings background vocals on "Cowboy like Me" and performed the song live solo during his 2022 and 2023 tour.|alt=Marcus Mumford, in sunglasses and a black shirt, playing a guitar and singing onto a mic]]

Less than five months after Folklore{{'s}} release, Evermore was announced on December 10, 2020, and was released the next day via Republic Records.{{Cite web |last=Ponciano |first=Jonathan |date=December 10, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Announces Surprise Release of 9th Album {{'}}Evermore{{'}} on Friday |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/12/10/taylor-swift-announces-surprise-release-of-9th-album-evermore-on-friday/ |url-access=limited |access-date=June 21, 2025 |website=Forbes}}{{Cite web |last=Sutherland |first=Mark |date=December 11, 2020 |title=Inside Taylor Swift's latest surprise album drop, Evermore |url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/inside-taylor-swift-s-latest-surprise-album-drop-evermore/082191 |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=Music Week}} "Cowboy like Me" is number 10 on the track listing. Upon the release of Evermore, "Cowboy like Me" debuted and peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, number 55 on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia, number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 43 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song has been certified gold in Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand, and silver in the UK.

Mumford performed his solo rendition of "Cowboy live Me" during his 2022 and 2023 live concerts as part of a tour to promote his debut studio album, Self-Titled (2022).{{Cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=July 17, 2023 |title=Marcus Mumford, Maggie Rogers Hit the Range and Cover Taylor Swift's 'Cowboy like Me' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/marcus-mumford-maggie-rogers-cover-taylor-swift-cowboy-like-me-1234789579/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822214328/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/marcus-mumford-maggie-rogers-cover-taylor-swift-cowboy-like-me-1234789579/ |archive-date=August 22, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} It was the penultimate number to the set list, as part of the encore.{{Cite news |last=Hann |first=Michael |date=2022-11-16 |title=Marcus Mumford review – great songs, but no hoedown |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/16/marcus-mumford-review-o2-shepherds-bush-empire-london |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=The Guardian}} On July 15, 2023, Mumford and Maggie Rogers covered "Cowboy like Me" at the inaugural Sommo Festival in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.{{Cite magazine |last=Iasimone |first=Ashley |date=2023-07-16 |title=Marcus Mumford Sings Taylor Swift's 'Cowboy Like Me' With Maggie Rogers |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/marcus-mumford-maggie-rogers-cowboy-like-me-taylor-swift-1235372619/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |magazine=Billboard}}

Swift performed "Cowboy like Me" four times on the Eras Tour.{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Katie Louise |date=December 9, 2024 |title=Every Surprise Song Performed On Taylor Swift's Eras Tour So Far |url=https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/taylor-swift/eras-tour-surprise-songs-setlist/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209162750/https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/taylor-swift/eras-tour-surprise-songs-setlist/ |archive-date=December 9, 2024 |access-date=May 16, 2025 |publisher=Capital}} She and Mumford performed "Cowboy like Me" together live for the first time at a concert in Las Vegas on March 25, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Damian |date=2023-03-26 |title=Watch Taylor Swift perform 'Cowboy Like Me' with Marcus Mumford in Las Vegas |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-taylor-swift-perform-cowboy-like-me-with-marcus-mumford-in-las-vegas-3420604 |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=NME}} In 2024, she performed the song as part of mashups with other tracks from her discography: with "Tim McGraw" on acoustic guitar on March 9 in Singapore, with "You Are in Love" on piano on July 5 in Amsterdam, and with "Maroon" on piano on November 2 in Indianapolis.

Critical reception

There were positive reviews of "Cowboy like Me" regarding its production. Lipshutz ranked the song 9th among the 17 tracks from Evermore{{'s}} deluxe edition, writing that it was an "ambitious mix" of genres and one of the album's "most decadent listens". Sodomsky labeled the track "gorgeous", while Chris Willman of Variety praised Mumford's "lovely harmony vocal". Bobby Olivier of Spin regarded "Cowboy like Me" as one of the surprises that emerged upon close listens of the album.{{Cite web |last=Olivier |first=Bobby |date=2020-12-11 |title=Taylor Swift's Evermore Is an Undeniable Folk-Pop Masterpiece |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/12/taylor-swift-evermore-album-review/ |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=Spin}}

Other reviews praised the lyrics. Alan Light of Esquire described the song as a "finely-etched grifter's tale",{{Cite web |last=Light |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Light |date=2020-12-11 |title=Evermore Isn't About Taylor Swift. It's About Storytelling. |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a34942839/evermore-taylor-swift-album-review-meaning-easter-eggs/ |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=Esquire}} while Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph highlighted the "playfully noirish twists",{{Cite news |last=McCormick |first=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick |date=2020-12-11 |title=Taylor Swift, Evermore review: a dramatic excursion down musical roads less travelled |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-evermore-review-dramatic-excursion-musical-roads/ |access-date=2025-05-16 |work=The Daily Telegraph}} and Deborah Krieger of PopMatters selected it as one of the album's strong tracks with "immersive realism". The Atlantic's Spencer Kornharber lauded the track for "[showing] how Swift's love for conspiratorial romances draws out her knack for detail and scenery". American Songwriter's Alex Hopper regarded "Cowboy like Me" as a fan favorite off Evermore{{Cite web |last=Hopper |first=Alex |date=2023-12-07 |title=A Battle of Taylor Swift's Songs: The Big Hits vs. Fan Favorites |url=https://americansongwriter.com/a-battle-of-taylor-swifts-songs-the-big-hits-vs-fan-favorites/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=American Songwriter}} and one of its "highpoints".{{Cite web |last=Hopper |first=Alex |date=2022-09-29 |title=While We Wait for Midnights, Here Are All of Taylor Swift's Albums Ranked |url=https://americansongwriter.com/while-we-wait-for-midnights-here-are-all-of-taylor-swifts-albums-ranked/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=American Songwriter |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022155824/https://americansongwriter.com/while-we-wait-for-midnights-here-are-all-of-taylor-swifts-albums-ranked/ |url-status=live }} Willman ranked the track among the best 75 songs by Swift, deeming it one of "the more obviously fictional narratives" in her discography.

Less complimentary reviews upheld the lyrics but were not as favorable towards the production. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times and Nate Jones of Vulture complimented the lyricism but were not impressed by the production; the former wrote that its arrangement "never gets up and goes anywhere" while the latter described the sound as "anonymous" but highlighted the "lived-in cynicism" of the lyrics.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Nate |date=2024-05-20 |title=All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-access=limited |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Vulture |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920043247/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-status=live }} Wilson said that the "lyrical conceit here is great" but contended that the music could be better if it actually sounded "like what these self-declared 'cowboys' and 'villains' might sing", and he deemed Mumford's vocals "snoozy".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Evermore

{{div col}}

{{div col end}}

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Chart performance for "Cowboy like Me"

! scope="col" |Chart (2020)

! scope="col" |Peak
position

scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite magazine |date=December 21, 2020 |title=The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 21 December 2020 |magazine=The ARIA Report |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association |issue=1607 |page=4}}

| 55

{{single chart|Canada|43|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 22, 2024|refname="Canada"}}
{{single chart|Billboardglobal200|62|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 22, 2024|refname="Global"}}
{{single chart|UKstreaming|91|date=20201218|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 22, 2024|refname="UKStream"}}
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|71|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 22, 2024|refname="Hot100"}}
{{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|15|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 22, 2024|refname="RockSongs"}}
scope="row" |US Rolling Stone Top 100{{cite magazine |date=December 17, 2020 |title=Top 100 Songs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/charts/songs/2020-12-17/ |access-date=May 5, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=June 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626232252/https://www.rollingstone.com/charts/songs/2020-12-17/ |url-status=dead }}

| 50

=Year-end chart=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Year-end chart performance for "Cowboy like Me"

! scope="col"| Chart (2021)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine |date= |title=Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2021 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2021/hot-rock-songs |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202224113/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2021/hot-rock-songs/ |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |access-date=May 7, 2025 |magazine=Billboard}}

| 83

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Cowboy like Me"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2020|certyear=2024|access-date=May 7, 2025|refname="ARIA"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Cowboy like Me|award=Gold|type=single|certyear=2024|relyear=2020|access-date=May 7, 2025|refname="PMB"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Cowboy like Me|type=single|award=Gold|access-date=May 7, 2025|source=radioscope|relyear=2020|certyear=2024|refname="RMNZ"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Cowboy like Me|type=single|award=Silver|id=20797-1598-1|access-date=May 7, 2025|relyear=2020|certyear=2025|refname="BPI"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}

Note

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist}}

= Cited literature =

  • {{Cite journal |last=McGrath |first=John |date=2023 |title=The Return to Craft: Taylor Swift, Nostalgia, and Covid-19 |journal=Popular Music and Society |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=70–84 |doi=10.1080/03007766.2022.2156761 |doi-access=free}}
  • {{Cite book |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Zaleski |title=Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs |publisher=Thunder Bay Press |year=2024 |isbn=978-1-6672-0845-9 |pages=190–207 |chapter=The Evermore Era}}

{{Taylor Swift songs}}{{Marcus Mumford}}

Category:Taylor Swift songs

Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift

Category:Songs written by Aaron Dessner

Category:2020 songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Aaron Dessner

Category:Country ballads

Category:American country music songs

Category:Americana songs