Ain't Always the Cowboy

The song uses Western imagery to describe a woman who does not want to commit to a relationship. Pardi told the blog Taste of Country, ""I feel like the topic of the song hasn’t been written about in this way, and I love songs that approach things differently and offer fresh perspectives".[1]

Thompson told the same publication that upon meeting with Brandon Kinney, he only had the title in mind, and after the two writers began drinking beer together, they came up with the idea for the song. The demo, featuring vocals from Thompson, was then sent to Kinney's cousin Bart Butler, who is also Pardi's producer. Butler chose for the song to be recorded at a faster tempo than the demo, adding prominent fiddle from Jenee Fleenor and a lead guitar from Rob McNelley, along with several backing vocals all sung by session vocalist Russell Terrell.[2] Taste of Country writer Cillea Houghton described the song as "put[ting] as much focus on the restless woman who stole the titular cowboy's heart as it does the cowboy himself, tied together with descriptive lyrics".[3]

Carlos Ruiz directed the music video, which features Pardi barrel racing.[1]

On the week of September 12, 2020, "Ain't Always the Cowboy" debuted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] Eleven weeks later, it peaked at number 55 the week of November 28, and has stayed on the chart for eighteen weeks.[5][6] In Canada, the song debuted at number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100 the week of September 26.[7] Nine weeks later, it reached number 52 the same week it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, and has remained on the chart for fifteen weeks.[6][8]