Paula Cole appeared in the mid-late 90s and only had a couple hits but she was so great and her music sounded so fresh

In 95 she did release her debut, which didn't do much, but then in 97 she released her second album This Fire

which was preceeded by the fabulous single Where Have all the Cowboys Gone

I think it catered a bit to the fans of quirky female singer-songwriters ala Tori Amos, always kinda reminded me of Cornflake Girl

or Alanis Morissette.

The song is just faboulous, great melody, even better lyrics, it's a perfect pop anthem.

It went top 10 in the US, peaking at #8 and #15 in the UK. It was nominated for. some Grammys too including song of the year and record of the year., but didn't win.

here's the song

 

but Cowboys is not her only hit. The follow-up single I Don't Want to Wait was the theme tune for the much beloved TV show Dawson's Creek

and again it was a huge hit in the US, peaking at #11, while in the UK it flopped at #43, meaning Cowboys is her only top 40 hit.

I Don't Want to Wait is certainly more adult rock and less quirky but it's a great one too.

I bought Cowboys in Florida on actual CD - not that many chart tracks were being released at all by then, just a few to help push them up the the charts, and usually boyband/teen appeal stuff or multiple dance remixes. The song was huge on US radio and it built up anticipation for the UK release from folk like me holidaying there.

I love both of her hits, especially 'Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?'. She just randomly appeared on this season of The Masked Singer (US version obvs)!

 

I suppose I Don't Want To Wait is by far the better known song in the UK despite the surprisingly low peak, due to Dawson's Creek, but Where Have All The Cowboys Gone is an all-time favourite of mine, it's perfect in every way - the talky verse followed by that melodic bridge is so wonderful and I agree, it really hits lyrically.

 

It deserved way more than No.15, but maybe deep into the tail end of Britpop and the bubblegum pop revival, it wasn't the right era for a song like that to smash hard here.

 

I love that she did The Masked Singer, nice performances and song choices.

Edited December 20, 2024Dec 20 by gooddelta

Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? is fantastic, so under appreciated!!

I think this kind of artist always did better in the US in the mid-late 90s than in the UK

same for Jewel, Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan

I love i dont wanna wait, would love to see it get used on something for it to take off again.