“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” is a classic country song written by Ed Bruce and his wife Patsy Bruce in 1975. The song was first recorded by Ed Bruce himself, and it became a hit on the country charts, reaching No. 15.
By 1978, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings had both reached superstar status, and their frequent collaborations on tour made the idea of recording an album together a natural fit. However, the real challenge wasn’t finding the right songs or funding, but navigating the business side. With each artist signed to different record labels, getting the companies to agree on the collaboration proved to be a difficult hurdle. Despite the obstacles, they managed to release a wildly successful album titled Waylon & Willie, which peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums and at #12 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Fun Fact: In 2014, Rolling Stone ranked Waylon and Willie #30 on its “50 Country Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own”.
My Listening Tips: One of my favorite things about this era of country music is the sudden key change that leads right into the verse. You can hear a great example of that around the 1:10 mark. It gives the song a nice lift.
Hope you enjoy having this song stuck in your head!
Song: “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”
Artist: Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
Album: Waylon & Willie
Year: 1978
Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don’t let ’em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Let ’em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
‘Cause they’ll never stay home and they’re always alone
Even with someone they love
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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 I do.
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