Country duo Brooks & Dunn's 2007 hit "Cowgirls Don't Cry" was directly inspired by Reba McEntire, who appears on the track and helped shape its story. Songwriter Ronnie Dunn revealed the tale behind the song, showing how a chance sighting of a T-shirt slogan combined with McEntire's own rodeo upbringing to produce one of the duo's biggest and most emotionally resonant hits.

Dunn explained he first spotted the phrase "Cowgirls Don't Cry" on a T-shirt at the Iowa State Fair, then wrote the song with Terry McBride after discussing McEntire's tough upbringing on an Oklahoma ranch and her stern rodeo-era father. The pair sent McEntire the lyrics the same night, and she repeatedly pressed Dunn about recording it, eventually threatening to cut it herself if Brooks & Dunn did not, leading to their collaboration. Featured on the album "Cowboy Town", the song explores resilience and suppressed emotion through its chorus and a poignant final verse about a father's death, and it went on to become Brooks & Dunn's final Top 5 single.