"Cowboy Song" is a song by

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band Thin Lizzy that originally appeared on their 1976 album ''

Jailbreak A prison escape (referred as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture the ...

''. Released as a single in an edited version, it reached No. 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 "

". The song was written by frontman

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

and drummer Brian Downey. Written from the perspective of a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

, 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

. "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 Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

and

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

, 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 one of Thin Lizzy's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

s. The song is now one of their most popular and referred to as a classic.

Use in media

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. Released in late February 2016, the

authorised biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

of Phil Lynott is titled ''Cowboy Song''.

Cover versions

Dump Dump generally refers to a place for disposal of solid waste, a rubbish dump, or landfill. The word has other uses alone or in combination, and may refer to: * Midden, historically a dump for domestic waste * Dump job, a term for criminal disposal ...

released a version on their 2003 studio album ''A Grown-Ass Man''.

CMJ New Music Report CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

called the song the best track on the disc. * Golden Smog released a version on their 1992 five-song EP ''On Golden Smog''. * Million Dollar Reload released a version on their 2014 live album ''As Real As It Gets''. PlanetMosh called the song a great choice of cover and a great way to end the iveshow. *

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

released a version on selected singles from their 1993 studio album '' Sound of White Noise'', and as the bonus track for the album's Japanese and Australian releases. *

Supersuckers The Supersuckers are an American rock band, formed in 1988, whose music ranges from alternative rock to country rock to cowpunk. AllMusic describes the band as "the bastard sons of Foghat, AC/DC, and ZZ Top after being weaned on punk rock, unafra ...

regularly sing a version at their live concerts. They also released a version on their 2008 album ''Get It Together'' (DVD ivebonus disc).''Music: Supersuckers.com''
. Retrieved 2016-02-07.

Personnel (original 1976 version)

– bass, vocals, acoustic guitar * Scott Gorham – lead and rhythm guitars * Brian Robertson – lead and rhythm guitars * Brian Downey – drums, percussion

References

{{authority control Songs about cowboys and cowgirls Thin Lizzy songs 1976 songs Songs written by Phil Lynott Mercury Records singles 1976 singles

Use in media

Cover versions

Personnel (original 1976 version)

See also

References