Rhinestone Cowboy

This song takes me back to when I was all of seven years old. In the summer of 1975 I was gleefully on the road with my parents off to another horse show. This one happened to be in Minneapolis where my Grandma lived. Dad usually had the radio tuned to a country western station, which was OK, since back then there were actually some pretty good C/W tunes. Some of the ones that stick out in my memory are Roger Miller's King of the Road (covered admirably by Rufus Wainwright and Teddy Thompson on the Brokeback Mountain CD) and Tanya Tucker's Delta Dawn. But none captured my imagination quite like Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy.

 This tune was country glam, if there is such a thing--a bright and shiny ditty with all the bells and whistles, not to mention a string section.  To my ears it had a BIG and monumental sound that was only bolstered by Campbell's emotive vocal stylings.  At that age I really didn't pay very much attention to the lyrics or their meaning.  All's I knew was that it was about some horse riding rodeo star who liked wearing rhinestone encrusted outfits.  Only very recently did I come to realize what the song was really about.  This probably explains why here on www.songmeanings.net there is only one short analysis of the song: "lol, what a gay song..."  I nearly laughed out loud when I read it.  But, it's kind of true.  This also probably explains why when I did a Gooogle image search using the keywords "rhinestone" and "cowboy", I encountered a few pictures of Liberace in all his glittering glory.    

 OK, here's my take on it: It's about this young stage actor who is relating how he wants to make it big on Broadway ("I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway...But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me.").  It seems that the rhinestone cowboy is actually a metaphor for his success, and it also alludes to him sticking it out until he gets what he wants.  Oh well, that probably sounds a bit too deep, but considering the words it seems fairly believable.

 This song will always have a special place in my heart...sweet cherished memories of childhood.  While Mom and Dad were at the horse show (it was a banner year for Dad and his stallion Auric) I stayed with Grandma.  She would drag me from one second-hand store to the next, and later we'd head for the closest cafeteria for lunch.  When we got back to her home after a long day of shopping she would put on some of her favorite records, which included Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra if I remember correctly.  She'd always try and get me to dance with her, and usually I'd give in (though my hyper-active nature was trying on her at times).  

 That summer Dad and Auric took home best in show Western Pleasure, I think it was.  It was so obvious that Mom and Dad were having the time of their lives, relishing the success merited by all of their hard work.  The trophy was the biggest one I had ever seen, with four large columns supporting a pedestal bearing a shiny metalic golden Arabian horse on top.  On the way home when Rhinestone Cowboy played on the radio, it seemed to have acquired a new meaning.  It's funny to think, years later, it has actually come to signify many things for me.