Musgraves posted a photo with the caption: "One day I was out at the barn watching this stallion charging powerfully from one end of the arena to the other, bucking and galloping at full speedall alone. Though I was 'safe' on the other side of the arena wall, it kinda scared me when he came flying toward me..barely stopping in time. My riding teacher saw him coming at me and yelled at me to move away. I said 'I'm fine! The gate is closed!' to which she said, 'Girl – when they wanna go they will go…there ain't no point in even shuttin' the gate.' It really made a mark on me when she said that and I wrote it down. Space Cowboy came a couple days after with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird ✨Make peace with what doesn't belong. You'll find something better."
Critical reception
The song received universal acclaim. Chris DeVille from Stereogum wrote: "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 tostand up and applaud the levels of compositional genius."
Commercial performance
On March 10, 2018, "Space Cowboy" peaked at No. 30 on the BillboardHot Country Songs chart. The song has spent eight weeks on the chart.
Composition
"Space Cowboy" is originally in the key of D♭ Major, with a tempo of 117 beats per minute. Written in common time, Musgraves vocal range spans from A3 to C#5 during the song. Kacey is saying that she is "okay" with her significant other leaving for some time. She recognizes the fact that they had their good times together, but it is time to move on because it is the best for the both of them. He is claiming he needs space, and she is willing to give it to him because their love has "faded".
A music video for the single "Space Cowboy" was released on April 30, 2018. Rolling Stone described it as: "Filmed in Mexico City by director Courtney Phillips, the cinematic video tells its story through color and shadow while Musgraves' wounded ballad slowly transforms into an empowering anthem. Her post-romance world is hazy and clouded at first, confined to empty rooms with broken windows while her ex gallops through a tropical village. But the power dynamic soon shifts, with golden rays of morning sun shining down on Musgraves and black clouds gathering over her now-disillusioned cowboy." The video has over five million views on YouTube.
