Cowboy is an album recorded by Erasure

Erasure

Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...

 in 1997 and released by Mute Records

Mute Records

Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...

 in the UK. In the U.S., it was released by Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

's former label Maverick Records

Maverick Records

Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...

. Cowboy was produced by Gareth Jones

Gareth Jones (music producer)

Gareth Jones is an English music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure.-Background:Gareth Jones is married and currently living in North London....

 and Neil McLellan

Neil McLellan

Neil McLellan is a producer and programmer. Neil McLellan currently works in New York City as the creative director of a family of an international, multi-service production facility - The Lodge, The Station, and The Diner...

 and marked the band's return to more simplistic three-minute synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 music.

After disappointing sales and chart placing of their last studio album Erasure

Erasure (album)

Erasure was the seventh studio album by Erasure, released in 1995. It was produced by Thomas Fehlmann and Gareth Jones.An overtly experimental and introspective album, Erasure contains eleven, mostly mid-tempo tracks that differed from their past output of shiny, three-minute pop songs...

, Cowboy returned the duo to the top ten of the UK album chart and it contained three singles (two of which hit the UK top thirty). In the U.S., Cowboy greatly improved Erasure's Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 peak over their previous album and first single "In My Arms

In My Arms (Erasure song)

"In My Arms" is a synth pop ballad by British duo Erasure. The song was released as the lead single from the their eighth studio album Cowboy. It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and by Maverick Records in the U.S...

" gave them another Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 entry. Sales also improved in Germany, where Cowboy peaked at number thirty-four.

The album contained eleven Vince Clarke

Vince Clarke

Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....

/Andy Bell

Andy Bell (singer)

Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...

 originals in its UK version. For its U.S. release the album artwork was changed slightly and two bonus tracks were added: a cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Blondie

Blondie (band)

Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

's "Rapture

Rapture (song)

"Rapture" is a single by the American new wave band Blondie. It was released in January 1981 and was the second and final song to be released from the band's 1980 top 10 album Autoamerican, the first being "The Tide Is High", which had topped the chart in the US and UK. "Rapture" went on to reach...

" (with Clarke providing the rap); and a version of the Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach

Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...

/Hal David

Hal David

Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...

 song "Magic Moments" that Erasure had contributed to the Lord of Illusions

Lord of Illusions

Lord of Illusions is a 1995 American horror film, written and directed by the British author, filmmaker and artist Clive Barker. The film is based on his earlier short story, The Last Illusion , and it presents Barker's signature character Harry D'Amour onscreen for the first time. It stars Scott...

soundtrack.

Erasure embarked on another major tour of the UK and U.S. to promote this album, in their trademark style it contained elaborate stage settings and costumes (including Clarke dressed as a guitar-playing cactus).

Track listing

1. "Rain
   Rain (Erasure song)
   "Rain" is a song by British synth pop duo Erasure. It appears on their eighth studio album Cowboy. The song was released in the UK by Mute Records as the album's third single, although with multiple remixes, bonus material and an extended playing time, the "Rain" release could be considered an EP...
   
   " (Clarke/Bell) – 4:10
2. "Worlds on Fire" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:37
3. "Reach Out" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:47
4. "In My Arms
   In My Arms (Erasure song)
   "In My Arms" is a synth pop ballad by British duo Erasure. The song was released as the lead single from the their eighth studio album Cowboy. It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and by Maverick Records in the U.S...
   
   " (Clarke/Bell) – 3:28
5. "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me
   Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me
   "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is a song by synth pop duo Erasure. It was released as the second single from their eighth studio album Cowboy. The track is an uptempo dance music song written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Mute Records issued the single in the UK.For the song's release in...
   
   " (Clarke/Bell) – 3:46
6. "Precious" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:31
7. "Treasure" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:04
8. "Boy" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:41
9. "How Can I Say" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:17
10. "Save Me Darling" (Clarke/Bell) – 4:01
11. "Love Affair" (Clarke/Bell) – 3:39
12. "Rapture
    Rapture (song)
    "Rapture" is a single by the American new wave band Blondie. It was released in January 1981 and was the second and final song to be released from the band's 1980 top 10 album Autoamerican, the first being "The Tide Is High", which had topped the chart in the US and UK. "Rapture" went on to reach...
    
    " (Chris Stein/Deborah Harry
    Debbie Harry
    Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
    
    ) - 6:34 (US only)
13. "Magic Moments" (Burt Bacharach
    Burt Bacharach
    Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
    
    , Hal David
    Hal David
    Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
    
    ) – 2:37 (US only)

Chart performance

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart	27
Canadian Albums Chart	69
German Albums Chart	34
Finnish Albums Chart	40
Swedish Albums Chart	19
UK Albums Chart	10
US Billboard 200	43

Personnel

• Tracie Ackerman – Vocals (bckgr)
• Jordan Bailey – Vocals (bckgr)
• Andy Bell – Voices
• Andy Caine – Vocals (bckgr)
• Vince Clarke – Multi Instruments
• Graham Dominy – Assistant Engineer
• Larimie Garcia – Design
• Luke Gifford – Engineer
• George Holt – Engineer
• Gareth Jones – Producer
• Neil McLellan – Producer
• Kevin Reagan – Design
• Sam Smith – Vocals (bckgr)
• Mark "Spike" Stent – Mixing
• Darren Tai – Assistant Engineer
• Paul Walton – Assistant Engineer

Release history

Region	Date
United Kingdom
United States