underworld 30 years ago
electronic music group #Music Madness

Underworld | Cowgirl (1994)

"Cowgirl" is a song recorded by Underworld, originally released as a single in 1994. The track is from the band's 1994 album Dubnobasswithmyheadman.

In Underworld's live performances, "Cowgirl" is often played with "Rez", as they share key elements and samples. The typical arrangement is to open with "Rez" and mix into "Cowgirl", with the "Rez" melody usually brought back at the climax. The track is usually labelled "Rez / Cowgirl" in fan-distributed bootlegs.


This combination also appears on the live album Everything, Everything. Slant Magazine ranked the song number 30 in its 100 Greatest Dance Songs list, adding: "The jewel in the Orwellian dubnobasswithmyheadman’s crown was "Cowgirl", everything, everything Underworld's thundering electronica has come to represent as a musical and political force."


A key lyrical element in the song is Karl Hyde's repeated chant "Everything, everything," which inspired the title of the live album of the same name. While the version of "Cowgirl" listed on the single is the "album version", the version found on the album Dubnobasswithmyheadman is lightly edited, with a running time of 8:31; the full length version would later appear on the soundtrack to Hackers.


Underworld
1987–present