| "Big Iron" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 "Big Iron" and "Saddle Tramp" by Marty Robbins | ||||
| Single by Marty Robbins | ||||
| from the album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs | ||||
| B-side | "Saddle Tramp" | |||
| Released | February 22, 1960[1] | |||
| Recorded | April 7, 1959 | |||
| Studio | Bradley Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:57 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marty Robbins | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Law | |||
| Marty Robbins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Big Iron" is a country ballad song written and performed by Marty Robbins. Originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, it was released as a single in February 1960 with the song "Saddle Tramp" as the B-side single.[2] In 2010, members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the 11th best Western song of all time.[3]
The song follows the story of an Arizona Ranger's duel with a 24-year-old outlaw named Texas Red. Taking place in the "town of Agua Fria",[a] the townspeople predict the death of the ranger. Texas Red having already killed 20 men, is beaten in a duel due to the speed of the ranger, and the titular "big iron" gun.
The song reached number 5 on the Billboard Country chart and number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1960.[4] The B-side, "Saddle Tramp" was not included on Gunfighter Ballads,[2] but was later placed on Robbins' 1966 LP The Drifter.[5]
"Big Iron" is featured in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas on the in-game radio station. The success of the game helped spur a revival of interest in Robbins' music in the 21st century. In the decade following Fallout: New Vegas's release, "Big Iron" became an Internet meme, gaining popularity through remixes and parodies.[6]
- ^ "Marty Robbins – Big Iron". Discogs.com. 22 February 1960. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ a b "Marty Robbins - Big Iron". 45cat.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 533.
- ^ "The Drifter - Marty Robbins | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Feldman, Brian (2019-02-13). "How the 60-Year-Old Country Song 'Big Iron' Became an Enduring Meme". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
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