Song · Thin Lizzy
“The Cowboy Song” by Thin Lizzy
“The Cowboy Song” by Thin Lizzy appears on 6 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1990 and 1999. Its best result is #252 on the Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #377 hard rock song of all time.
"Cowboy Song" rides in on Thin Lizzy's 1976 album Jailbreak, a Phil Lynott western sung from inside the saddle. He wrote it with drummer Brian Downey, and the lyric trails a wandering cowboy across the United States, from one adventure and one romance to the next.
It opens easy, a mellow acoustic intro with a country lilt, before it kicks the barn door open and charges into up-tempo hard rock, where the twin-guitar harmony lead is the part people rave about. Trimmed down for single release, it stalled at 77 in the US, lost behind "The Boys Are Back in Town" and the title track. Time has been kinder. Rolling Stone called it definitive, and it has become one of the band's signature songs and a fan favourite.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 252 | Z-Rock | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) | 1000 |
| 1994 | 262 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) | 1000 |
| 1995 | 395 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) | 1000 |
| 1996 | 397 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) | 1000 |
| 1998 | 449 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) | 1000 |
| 1999 | 526 | KISW | KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) | 998 |
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