Broken Down Cowboy

Background

"Broken Down Cowboy" is the fourth track of Revival, the eight solo album of John Fogerty with new material. It was also his first CD with previously unreleased songs since rejoining Fantasy Records in 2005. The song was written, arranged and produced by John Fogerty and recorded by Jim Scott, Seth Presant and Ryan Freeland at NRG Recording in North Hollywood. The album was released in October 2007. It reached #14 in the USA, #5 in Sweden and #6 in Norway.  

Right after the New Year in 2007, Fogerty started to write songs for his new album. The first four weeks in the studio were lousy; nothing decent emerged. In February, he picked up a hollowbody humbucker [model BB1200] guitar manuactured Australian company, Maton. He had acquired it during the Australian tour in late 2005. "Broken Down Cowboy", "Gunslinger" and "Don't You Wish It Was True" came almost immediately. 

Of the three new songs, a melancholy yet hopeful ballad "Broken Down Cowboy" has more personal metaphoras than other songs on the album. Fogerty saw "a rawboned, lanky guy sitting in a cantina at a little round table. He’s got shot glasses of tequila, a cigarette, a deck of cards, and he’s playing solitaire. He’s wearing a straw cowboy hat, what used to be a nice cowboy shirt, kind of frumpy jeans, boots. Has that leathered, weary look to his face, fifty or sixty years old" and realized it was him at the time he met his current wife in mid 80's (John Fogerty, Fortunate Son, 2015). 

After writing the songs for Revival, Fogerty and his band rehearsed them relentlessly and recorded the basic tracks in a 12-day session in spring 2007. It was the same process Fogerty used with Creedence Clearwater  (Harold Steinblatt, Interview with John Fogerty, The Guitar World, January 2008).  

Personnel

Vocals, guitar: John Fogerty

Guitar: Hunter Perrin

Bass: David Santos

Drums, percussion: Kenny Aronoff

Equipment

On "Broken Down Cowboy", John Fogerty plays a Stratocaster-like guitar made by Ernie Ball. Dudley Gimple of the company helped Fogerty design the instrument, and Seymour Duncan wound the pickups for it. The guitar also has a Callaham vibrato bridge (Art Thompson, Interview with John Fogerty, The Guitar Player, March 2008).    

Live versions

John Fogerty played "Broken Down Cowboy" for the first time in a regular concert on the opening leg of the Revival Tour at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on November 2nd, 2007. He delivered the number live on stage regularly until summer 2009.

To promote Revival, Fogerty and his band headed for Clinton Street Studios in Lower Manhattan, New York. They performed "Creedence Song", "Don't You Wish It Was True",  "Gunslinger", "Broken Down Cowboy", "Long Dark Night" and "Proud Mary". The studio concert was heard in David Dye's syndicated World Cafe show in the USA on October 26th, 2007. 

"Broken Down Cowboy" was also added to the set list in the PBS  Soundstage  TV concert Fogerty and the band recorded at WTTW Studios in Chicago on November 29th, 2007. It was aired in the USA on February 7th and 14th next year. 

The song appears also on the John Fogerty concert DVD Comin' Down the Road filmed at Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, on June 24th, 2008. 

Extraordinary live versions of "Broken Down Cowboy" include the one Fogerty played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl on July 2-4, 2009. It was also the swan song of the live version of the piece. Fogerty hasn't performed it since then.  

Critical reception

"Indeed, while Fogerty is clearly excited to be at peace with his roots, his songs have matured with time. “Broken Down Cowboy”, for example, shows a lyrical and emotional depth only bestowed by time. “If I was a gamblin’ man,” the narrator says, “Never would’a let you play your hand / With a broken down cowboy like me.”. Portraying a man who’s regretful for allowing love to slip away from him, the song is poetic in its ability to communicate profound truths with simple images." -Michael Franco, The Pop Matters, October 10th, 2007. 

"Fogerty can still howl and rage, but more often he takes a tender tone, especially on "Broken Down Cowboy," which features what could be the prettiest vocal of his career." -Jim Farber, New York Daily News, October 14th, 2007. 

"“Broken Down Cowboy” is the confessional advice he would have given his wife Julie when he met her 20 years ago: “If I was a gamblin’ man/never would’a let you play that hand/with a broken down cowboy like me.” Good thing she didn’t listen, because John credits her with saving his life. (And she was responsible for the simple, classic art direction and cover design. There just aren’t many missteps in this whole thing.)" -Charles Andrews, Audio Video Revolution, November 1st, 2007. 

"“Broken Down Cowboy”-a saddle-sore lover’s abiding dirge-might be, in fact, the most stirring four minutes of this entire masterwork." -Brian T. Atkinson, The American Songwriter, January 1t, 2008. 

"--- “Broken Down Cowboy” slows things down to a slow poke blues pace. It is a nice ballad with enough cowpoke cliche’s to go around. Perfect for that slow dance." -Upon This Rawk, September 9th, 2008

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