New Chris Stapleton Song “The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy”
It almost seems like decades ago now when Chris Stapleton took the entire country music world by storm with the release of his debut album Traveller, and then skyrocketed to superstardom at the 2015 CMA Awards, sweeping his nominated categories, and singing with Justin Timberlake in a now landmark performance. So much else has happened since then to dominate headlines you could almost forget about him, but Stapleton remains one of the biggest artists in all of country music, and his Traveller record still remains curiously near the top of the albums charts every week even four years after its release.
Aside from touring, Stapleton has been shying away from writing, recording, or releasing new music lately. After finally seeing some radio success with “Broken Halos” and “Millionaire,” he’s purposely laid off releasing a new single. As Stapleton has said himself recently, he thinks people are getting a little tired of him, and taking some time for the public to recharge their batteries is probably a smart idea.
But Stapleton is making an exception by contributing to one of the two original songs from the upcoming Toy Story 4 movie to be released on June 21st. Now with four children under the Stapleton roof with wife Morgane, he probably couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a hero to the kids by recording the Randy Newman-penned “The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy,” which is included in that movie’s ending scene and credits. Consider it Stapleton singing the part of Woody, which is voiced by Tom Hanks.
“To me what has made the ‘Toy Story’ films hold up over time has been the strength of the stories and the songs and the writing and the characters,” says Stapleton. “There’s something for people of all ages to enjoy in the world that is ‘Toy Story.’ It’s a tremendous honor to get to sing a Randy Newman song in what is without question one of the most iconic animated franchises in history.”
“Woody feels like he was a lonesome cowboy until someone comes along and changes his world,” Randy Newman adds. “Chris Stapleton did a great job on this song.”
Ahead of the full soundtrack release for the film on June 21st, “The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy” has been made widely available, and gives country listeners an opportunity to hear Stapleton backed by some steel guitar again, and more Western-style music than the country soul of much of his original material. It takes Stapleton back to the time when Western music owed its popularity to the silver screen, and singing cowboys such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry helped set the foundation for country music as a popular American genre.
June 9, 2019 @ 11:18 am
Boring. There is really nothing to this performance.
June 9, 2019 @ 11:19 am
To think I interrupted mr Conley for this. Ugh
June 9, 2019 @ 12:48 pm
Well it is for a kid’s movie what did you expect?
June 10, 2019 @ 11:46 am
Roger Miller and cash did some shit for seasame street and it wasn’t garbage so I guess I have some standards . Trig if you look I was shit talking Traveller before it was famous. Your site keeps record of it.
June 10, 2019 @ 5:24 pm
You mention Roger Miller. For me the natural comparison is “Oo de Lally” from “Robin Hood”.
This song is a similar light hearted throwaway fun kind of deal, and it seems to fit the role well.
June 9, 2019 @ 11:36 am
Not what I was expecting but cute nonetheless and goes with the movie.
June 9, 2019 @ 12:06 pm
It’ll be great for the movie.
Just a fun little ditty.
Written by Randy Newman, and sounds like it.
Stapleton can sing anything.
Obviously not intended to be his Opus.
June 9, 2019 @ 2:00 pm
Yes, it’s lightweight, but isn’t it supposed to be? Hard to argue against Randy Newman – his body of work and awards shelf speak for themselves. I think it’s a fun one-off for Stapleton and the song/voice here is a great pairing.
June 9, 2019 @ 2:22 pm
No problem with Chris and cool to see him on the soundtrack, but am I the only one thrown off by the feel of this? Maybe too much swing? It sounds disjointed to me. Disheveled, not in a good way, if you will.
June 9, 2019 @ 2:34 pm
There’s not a thing wrong with this, It’s a kid’s for a kid’s movie, it’s not supposed to be heavy, what are you, people who are being so critical expecting?
June 9, 2019 @ 3:38 pm
Assume you forgot the word “song.” Why you gotta dis kids movies like that? They can’t have good music too? Good music is for grown-ups only? Careful there, adultist.
June 9, 2019 @ 4:48 pm
Out of all the songs I’ve heard recorded for cartoons, this is definitely one of them.
June 9, 2019 @ 5:08 pm
It’s like the singer from Whitesnake singing the theme song to Barney the Dinosaur.
June 10, 2019 @ 6:30 am
That sounds awesome
June 10, 2019 @ 7:21 am
David Coverdale
June 10, 2019 @ 6:46 pm
Loved him on Deep Purple’s “Burn” album.
June 9, 2019 @ 5:48 pm
Okay I’m kinda new to this world, but I just listened to some of Stapleton’s “Traveller” album on Spotify, and…that was extraordinarily dull. Holy sh*t, how many dirges can you string together and call it an album? So I’m not surprised this new song is not to everyone’s liking
June 9, 2019 @ 6:00 pm
Everyone liked “Traveller” until it was popular. Then it sucked. “Traveller” might be the most important album released in country music in the last 20 years.
The fact folks are getting works up over a song in a KIDS movie just underscores the souring of Chris Stapleton based solely off of popularity and success. But that’s only true among ranks of independent fans. The greater population just keeps on listening.
June 9, 2019 @ 7:01 pm
Exactly. For heaven’s sake. This is a song for a movie. It is not to be reviewed as a single released to radio.
June 9, 2019 @ 7:54 pm
I’m too new to this scene to have been on board in 2015 and gotten back off when it got popular. I only got back into country and found this site in the past year. That was my first hearing of “Traveller” or any Stapleton outside of “Tennessee Whiskey.”
So far I’m loving Tyler Childers (the acoustic records) and Zephaniah O’Hora. And I *really* enjoy your writing and research and recommend this site to all music fans!
June 10, 2019 @ 1:13 pm
Thanks for reading Two Stepper!
June 9, 2019 @ 6:53 pm
Trig has identified the root issue with the Stapleton hate that creeps up in the comments. As for me, I’ve been aboard since the first song I saw Stapleton sing onstage with The Steeldrivers yesrs ago. He remains great to my ear and my respect for him increases when I consider his improbable rise to superstardom. He’s getting paid well to play music his way. He’s no sellout.
Traveler is a spectacular record and many other folks agree, obviously. I love traditional country and western music as much as anyone else here and I understand what many say about his style being blues influenced, but to me it’s a legit branch in country music which folks like Travis Tritt made famous before Stapleton. But, some regulars here only like singers who sound like Vern Gosdin, Gene Watson, Randy Travis and Haggard. For me, there is room in country music for a multitude of vocal styles and song styles. Add to that, I’m a guy who equally loves Southern Rock as do many country folks and if an artist resides in both realms, it’s ok to me. Look at Charlie Daniels as exhibit A on that one.
June 9, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
I really like it! In the context of it being for an animated film, it comes across very nicely.
June 10, 2019 @ 2:57 am
This song really dropped the ball. I was looking for nothing short of a whiskey soaked shit stomper track to close out Toy Story 4.
June 10, 2019 @ 3:29 am
Haha. Exactly. I mean, it can’t be a good song because he didn’t say anything at all about mama, or trains, or trucks, or prison, or getting’ drunk.
June 10, 2019 @ 10:14 am
Well I was drunk, the day Buzz Lightyear got out of prison….
June 14, 2019 @ 9:20 pm
When I got to the station in my RC truck, he got run over by a Linoel train.
June 10, 2019 @ 10:15 am
Well I was drunk the day Buzz Lightyear got out of prison…
June 10, 2019 @ 5:38 am
I like this song actually. Fits perfectly for Woody’s character
June 10, 2019 @ 8:04 am
Why are people taking this seriously? Do yall not know that Stapleton also did a song for Ratatooe called Cheese Please? Obviously Disney respects him, and I thought it was pretty cool and fitting for him to sing a song for Toy Story. Probly wont watch it tho
June 10, 2019 @ 8:28 am
Perfect song for the movie, done just right. No complaints.
As for being burned out on Stapleton, I’m really just burned out on his too-mellow material. If he did more of what he did with Sturgill on SNL, I’d be the first one on that hype train. The man has talent to burn. I just want to see him push it a little.
June 10, 2019 @ 10:41 am
I’m all for another Jompson Brothers stylem more rock-leaning album. I still listen to the albums all the way through but I go back to Hard Livin’, Midnight Train to Memphis, and others like that a lot more right now.
June 10, 2019 @ 8:39 am
seems the haters don’t grasp the context, this is a Randy Newman penned track recorded by Chris Stapleton who besides being incredibly diverse as an artist and musician is the definition of a self made man doing what he loves on his own terms – how can anyone hate that? even if this song doesn’t appeal to you its not like this is what his next album is going to sound like. and if anything this could bring a younger generation of listeners into the fold and give them exposure to something that isn’t billie eyelash or justin beiber.
June 10, 2019 @ 8:57 am
His voice is a very good fit for the track.
June 10, 2019 @ 10:14 am
Would have been exactly the same (or better) if Randy Newman sang it.
June 10, 2019 @ 11:40 am
Agreed. I love that guy’s voice. He’s written some truly great songs in addition to all the hits, songs like Davy the Fat Boy, Rednecks, Sail Away, Losing You, I Miss You, You’ve Got a Friend in Me. His worst songs are his Broadway style broadsides against politicians, where he just sounds so self-satisfied. They’re amusing, but they don’t touch the bone. Part of what makes those other songs so great is that Randy sounds like he doesn’t much like you, or anyone. His voice has real personality.
June 10, 2019 @ 8:13 pm
Good for Chris.. he’ll make some money but that style doesn’t really suit him
June 11, 2019 @ 4:32 am
Kid’s movie or not, that is a great tune.
Very tricky to sing, and Chris handles it easily. Shows his ability to handle probably any kind of song.
I Wonder if Randy Newman asked Chris to sing it. That would be a huge compliment.
It does sound like a tune from a forties or fifties broadway musical. Which is good.