{"id":27899,"date":"2015-05-02T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-02T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=27899"},"modified":"2026-07-22T18:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T01:38:37","slug":"cover-me-rhinestone-cowboy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2015\/05\/02\/cover-me-rhinestone-cowboy\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhinestone Cowboy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt was just a song that came up in an instant, you know. A really beautifully written song, and it was always one of my favorites by Glen Campbell.\u201d — Bruce Springsteen, Variety, October 17, 2019<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sure, Bruce.<\/p>\n

I’m sure that’s all it was: a beautiful song that came to mind in the moment when you were putting together your set list for your Western Stars\u00a0<\/em>film.<\/p>\n

It probably had nothing to do with its inspiration, a country singer named David Allan Coe, who wore rhinestones and a mask on stage. Why? Because, his father taught him an important lesson:<\/p>\n

I got the mysterious rhinestone thing from my father. He asked me, \u201dYou know the only way that The Lone Ranger\u00a0can go into town? I said, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t know what you mean.\u201d He said that he has to take his mask off. I thought, what is my dad talking about and trying to tell me? He said, \u201cWell son, you have to wear a mask and then when you don\u2019t want to be David Allan Coe you can take your mask off and go anywhere and not be like\u00a0Elvis with people messin\u2019 with you all the time.<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It’s probably just happenstance that the song Coe inspired–made famous by Glenn Campbell (but originally written and recorded by Larry Weiss)–was about an obscure singer questing for stardom but just barely scraping by, just like Bruce was at the time.<\/p>\n