Midnight Cowboy: Original Motion Picture Score
Though perhaps overshadowed by the pop success ofHarry Nilsson's rendition of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" (and overwhelmed on the album by songs fromB.J. Thomas, Elephant's Memory, and even earlyWarren Zevon), John Barry's elegant title track and handful of cues here still rate as some of his best. Their melodies frequently carried by a mournful solo harmonica, Barry's coolly detached music ironically undercuts the grit and grime of John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning classic. Melodically irresistible, Barry'sMidnight Cowboymusic further cemented Barry's reputation as one of modern film's greatest composers.--Jerry McCulley