Roy Rogers, the famous singing cowboy (the King of the Cowboys) was a big-name Hollywood actor who was idolized by millions, and a star not only of films but of radio and TV. Although his film career finished in the early '50s and his TV career in the late '50s, he was instantly recognizable and his name was still known throughout the world up until his death in 1998. When Elton and his collaborator Bernie Taupin wrote this, Rogers was still very much alive. It is not only a song about Roy Rogers but a hymn for everyone who lives a boring, humdrum life and yearns to escape. Although it was born out of Taupin's love of the Old West, the duo had a consensus.
In a 1977 appearance at Empire Pool Wembley, Elton played a few solo numbers before the band joined him on-stage. Introducing this song he said it was about one of his childhood heroes.
Kacey Musgraves covered this for the 2018 tribute album, Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The country star met Elton in 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall where they both performed. She explained why she chose to record this particular Elton tune: "I'm the dime store cowgirl; he's a brown dirt cowboy. This couldn't be a better fit."
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