On This Day in 1980, Willie Nelson Was at No. 1 With a Song That Teaches an Important Lesson—Be Careful What You Wish For

On this day (March 11) in 1980, Willie Nelson was at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart with “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.” The song spent two weeks at No. 1, giving Nelson his fifth chart-topping single.

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“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” had an interesting journey before it made it to Nelson. First, Bill Rice asked his then-girlfriend, Sharon Vaughn, to write a cowboy song for a Bobby Bare album he was working on, according to Songfacts. When she handed in this song, Bare didn’t like it. Waylon Jennings, on the other hand, did. He recorded it for the 1976 compilation album Wanted! The Outlaws, which became the first country album to receive Platinum certification from the RIAA. However, Jennings’ version wasn’t released as a single. Nelson finally cut the song for The Electric Horseman, a 1979 Western comedy/drama starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1987, a Movie Based on a Genre-Defining Outlaw Country Album Premiered in Austin, Texas—Starring Willie Nelson]

The Electric Horseman also gave Nelson his first acting role. He played Wendell Hickson, an old cowboy who advised the protagonist. The film’s soundtrack also includes his cover of the Allman Brothers classic “Midnight Rider” and his solo rendition of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” which is a perfect companion song to the hit single from the soundtrack.

Willie Nelson Teaches an Important Lesson

Generations of kids grew up watching cowboys on television and in movies. Stars like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne made the lifestyle look glamorous. They were larger-than-life heroes on horseback who always got the girl and took out the bad guys. Some even had a song to share around the campfire at night.

In “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” Sharon Vaughn and, by extension, Willie Nelson, explored the darker side of that lifestyle. For instance, in the second verse, he sings Cowboys are special with their own brand of misery / From bein’ alone too long. / You can die from the cold in the arms of a night, man / Knowin’ well that your best days are gone.

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