B-side Angel from the Coast Format 7" Label Mercury | Released 1976 Genre Hard rock | |
Length 3:17 (single)
5:16 (album) | ||
"Cowboy Song" is a song by Thin Lizzy that originally appeared on their 1976 album Jailbreak.
Contents
Released as a single in an edited version, it reached № 77 on the US charts, but at the time did not gain as much attention as two of their most popular songs on the same album, "The Boys Are Back in Town" and "Jailbreak". The song was written by frontman Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey.
Written from the perspective of a cowboy, the lyrics tell of his wandering across the United States through various adventures and romances. The song begins with a mellow acoustic, country music-style introduction before a transition to up-tempo hard rock.
"Cowboy Song" has since been described as one of Thin Lizzy's great songs because it has "one of the catchiest, most memorable twin-guitar harmony leads ever". AllMusic described the song as turning the commonplace into legend, or bringing myth into the modern world. The author of Phil Lynott: The Rocker, Mark Putterford, described the song as "a cross between Clint Eastwood and Rudolph Valentino, with a bit of George Best thrown in for good measure". Rolling Stone magazine called the song "definitive".
Over time, it has become a fan favourite and Thin Lizzy signature song. The song is now one of their most popular and referred to as a classic.
Book
Released in late February 2016, the authorised biography of Phil Lynott is titled Cowboy Song.
Use in film and television
Cowboy Song was used in the 2016 film Eddie the Eagle when Hugh Jackman's character, a drunk Bronson Peary, ski jumps down a 90-metre jump. The song was also featured in the 2013 independent film The Kings of Summer when the main character (Joe Toy) first bike rides into the woods.