In "Space Cowboy," Kacey Musgraves has herself one of this young year's finest singles. "Butterflies," released concurrently, is not bad either, but man, I just about break down weeping when she intones, "You can have your space, cowboy/ I ain't gonna fence you in." The melody is so gorgeously wistful, the wordplay so subtly pristine, the heartache so profound. Also, given that it actually sounds like a country song floating through outer space, we all ought to stand up and applaud the levels of compositional genius.
First, though, we should probably listen to it again. Last night Musgraves made her way to Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show to promote her upcoming album Golden Hour, and she selected the correct song to perform. In a sparkling bodysuit that made her look like a human disco ball -- but, like, in a good way -- Musgraves glided through "Space Cowboy" with all the grace and beauty you could want. Lose yourself in her performance below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Og8a3cUysYM
Kelly Clarkson was also on the show promoting her new gig as a coach on The Voice. Here's that interview:
And here's a gag with Clarkson involving popular songs run through Google Translate and back:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yzJtC835sio
