Midnight Cowboy

1969

LP: United Artists UAS-5198
CD: EMI CDP 748409 2

1. Joe Buck Rides Again (3:46)
2. Fun City (3:52)
3. Midnight Cowboy (2:34)
4. Florida Fantasy (2:08)
5. Science Fiction (1:57)

The Movie

I never understood what people saw in this. I read the book and loathed it. Saw the movie and it was pretty faithful to the book. The music was interesting and Dustin Hoffman was still interested in submerging himself totally into characters at that time. But I figure that Ratso's prolonged, excruciating death in the movie must be a simile for what's happening to the audience.

The Music

This was one of Barry's first real American movies. He'd scored The Chase in '66, but almost everything else he'd done up to this point was British. Midnight Cowboy is about New York--about seedy New York--and hiring a hip Londoner to write the music was quite an act of faith. Only a few pieces of Barry's made it to the soundtrack album--"Fun City" is the one that gets reproduced a lot. It has that laid back, swinging, country feel with a little blues harmonica. Very versatile, since it can be presented both in a swinging and carefree style, or in dark and lonely mood. And lord knows the movie has both.

Release Notes

Big hit record, and easily made it onto CD. Most often known for Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin" song, Midnight Cowboy won Barry a Grammy for Best Instrumental Theme. Barry's score, however, is only about half the soundtrack album. Barry's most memorable piece is "Fun City," which shows up on numerous compilations.