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Indian Outlaw
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Wikipedia article
"'Indian Outlaw'" is a song written by Jumpin' Gene Simmons and John D. Loudermilk, and performed by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in January 1994 as the first single from his album 'Not a Moment Too Soon'. It was McGraw's breakthrough single, his first Top 40 country hit, and his fourth single overall. It peaked at number 8 on the 'Billboard' Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, and number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Content
The song is an up-tempo set in minor key, backed by tom-tom drums and fiddle. The narrator describes himself as a rebellious American Indian character, "Half Cherokee and Choctaw". He describes, among other things, his pursuit of a Chippewa lover.
The song contains a sample of John D. Loudermilk's song "Indian Reservation",http://www.ihesm.com/Loudermilk2.html Songs written by John D. Loudermilk which is sung as shouting at the end ("Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe! / So proud to live, so proud to die").
A dance remix of the single was also made. This remix appears on McGraw's 2010 album 'Number One Hits'.
The song was considered controversial at the time, due to its stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans;[http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/controversy/67940/episode_about.jhtml CMT.com : Shows : Controversy : "Indian Outlaw" : About the Episode][http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1471365/20030418/wynette_tammy.jhtml CMT.com : Political Controversies Found Wynette and McGraw] as a result, some radio stations refused to play it.
Critical reception
Larry Flick of 'Billboard' called it an "incredible single" that is "positively stuffed with lyrical and musical Native American cliches, from tomtoms to wigwams to peace pipes." He went on to say that if the song became a hit, it would "set relations back 200 years." In a review of 'Not a Moment Too Soon' for the same publication, "Indian Outlaw" was again noted as clichd; the authors deemed it "either one of the catchiest or one of the stupidest songs ever written."
Music video
There were two versions of the video released. One was for the original version of the song and played on CMT, and the other was for an extended dance mix. Both were directed by Sherman Halsey, who also directed most of McGraw's subsequent videos and it shows Tim McGraw performing the song at a dancehall, playing a game of billiards, and riding his motorcycle with a female friend.
Track listings
'US Vinyl, 7"'
*A Indian Outlaw (Radio Mix) 2:59
*B Don't Take The Girl 4:09
'Germany CD'
# Indian Outlaw (European Version) 2:59
# Indian Outlaw (American Version) 2:59
# Indian Outlaw (Dance Version) 4:19
Chart performance
Peak positions
End of year charts
Certifications
Parodies
American country music parody artist Cledus T. Judd released a parody of "Indian Outlaw" titled "Indian In-Laws" on his 1995 album 'Cledus T. Judd (No Relation)'.
References
Category:1994 singles
Category:1994 songs
Category:Tim McGraw songs
Category:Songs written by John D. Loudermilk
Category:Song recordings produced by Byron Gallimore
Category:Song recordings produced by James Stroud
Category:Music videos directed by Sherman Halsey
Category:Curb Records singles
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