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1960 single by Marty Robbins From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"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]
| "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 | ||||
| ||||
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]
| Chart (1960-1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 67 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 26 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 5 |
Michael Martin Murphey covered the song on his 1993 album Cowboy Songs III. With the Robbins family's blessing, the song was recorded as a duet with Robbins. It was released as a single and peaked at number 62 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[10]
Other covers of the song include:
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