2006 Willie Nelson Cover Became a Cult-Classic LGBTQ+ Country Anthem
Willie Nelson has no shortage of iconic songs, but there's one track with a very special meaning to the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2006, the country legend released a cover of the 1981 song "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other," originally written and performed by Latin country musician Ned Sublette, and Nelson's version later turned into a cult-classic LGBTQ+ country anthem.
Nelson released his rendition of the song in February 2006, just a couple months after Brokeback Mountain, the critically-acclaimed LGBTQ+ cowboy film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, came out in December 2005.
Nelson's rendition of the song became one of the first queer-themed country songs to reach mainstream success. It even charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2026, peaking at the No. 52 position.
But Nelson later released another version of the song nearly two decades later when he teamed up with queer country artist Orville Peck for a duet in 2024.
The duet was released as the lead single from Peck's Stampede album, and he and Nelson even collaborated on a music video together, which was directed by Ben Prince and filmed at Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Tex.
Peck has previously opened up about his own personal connection with the song in a 2024 interview with Paper magazine, explaining that he used to cover "from time to time" during his live shows. While calling it the "landmark gay country song," Peck noted that it was Nelson's idea to perform a duet together, as he remembered the 93-year-old icon telling him, "We should do that as a duet, because it's more important now than ever. I feel like it should have another life."
"Willie is so cool because he's always been an outlaw," Peck added at the time. "So it is very affirming, having gotten to know Willie over the years now, to see that he is even more that person to his core than I could have ever imagined."
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 8:38 PM.