Dustin Lynch has become one of the biggest younger stars in country music, but he was just a newcomer with big hopes and dreams when he released his debut single, "Cowboys and Angels," on Jan. 17, 2012.

Lynch co-wrote the song with iconic Nashville songwriters Tim Nichols and Josh Leo, and as he admitted to the Boot, as a young newcomer to town, he was nervous about collaborating with such successful writers. He'd had the title "Cowboys and Angels" for a while, but was reluctant to bring it up at the writing appointment.

"When Tim asked if I had any ideas that I wanted to write about, I was so nervous that I kind of defaulted and said, 'I'm fresh out,'" Lynch recalls. "Tim started throwing out some ideas, and we weren't really sticking on anything I was liking. So, he opened up his notebook — he's got a little brown book that he keeps his ideas in — he said, 'Here's an idea that I've always wanted to write for a long time, it's called 'Cowboys and Angels.'' When he said that, I about fell off the couch. I showed him the piece of paper that I had written that on. For two guys that have never met to have the same idea, we all of a sudden looked at each other and were like, 'Well, I guess this is the idea that we're gonna write.'"

The lyrics to the traditional-leaning country song explore the relationship between two people from very different worlds who end up complementing each other perfectly.

"We ride side by side / A cloud of dust, a ray of light / My touch is her temptation / Her kiss is my salvation / She's sweet, I'm wild, we're dangerous / Cowboys and angels," the chorus states.

Released as the lead single from Lynch's self-titled debut album on Jan. 17, 2012, "Cowboys and Angels" reached No. 2 on both Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, and it was certified platinum for selling in excess of a million units. Lynch followed that up with "She Cranks My Tractor" and "Wild in Your Smile," setting him on a path to becoming one of the fastest-rising stars in country music.

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