A selection of quotes from The Psychedelic Furs on the song "Here Come Cowboys".
Interviewer: "Have you got any song titles yet?"
Richard Butler: "Yeah, one of them's called 'Here Come Cowboys' (laughs) which is about the macho-men you get around in an Italian neighborhood like this [in New York]." (ZigZag 1983)
Richard Butler: "When I listen to the first two albums now, they seem really full of confusion, angst, disgust & cynicism but I don't feel that way now. I think we can change things but I'm not the kind of songwriter that stands on a podium and shouts. I think you have to change things in a more gentle way for it to be effective. I think that [Mirror Moves] is a much more subtle album, as opposed to shouting. I also think 'Here Come Cowboys' is ideal for the elections coming up (laughs)."
Interviewer: "There's a line in that song that goes 'all we really need is love.' Is that your current philosophy?"
Richard Butler: "Yeah! I think a lot of the cynicism on the early albums was just me hiding my real feelings. The cynicism was largely a perception. I didn't want to put my own feelings on the line as much as other people's feelings which is easier. At the time, I wanted the songs to reflect my feelings other than performing them and with [Mirror Moves] I think I'm generating feelings more." (Aquarian Arts Weekly 1984)
Richard Butler (on being asked if the song was about Ronald Reagan): "Yeah, yeah, he's obviously the most famous one [cowboy] but it's also an attack on TV heroes." (Artist Magazine 1984)
Richard Butler: "It's subliminally political; it doesn't scream its message out. I don't like songs that do. I'm not a fan of The Alarm or The Clash." (BAM Magazine 1984)
John Ashton: "Most of the [songs on Mirror Moves] aren't love songs at all. 'Heaven' is about nuclear war, 'Here Come Cowboys' and 'Highwire Days' are political, 'Heartbeat' is about life in the city, specifically about some people we know." (The Morning Call 1984)
Interviewer: "Do you have a favorite song from Mirror Moves?"
Richard Butler: "It changes often, but right now probably 'Like A Stranger' and 'Here Come Cowboys.'" (Music Life 1984 [Japanese magazine])
Richard Butler: "The way I write, I can get away with being political. I think 'Here Come Cowboys' can have radio play and get away with being political, whereas something that openly slams politics won't get played. In a lot of ways, my method of writing is a lot more difficult—I work in a more insidious way. If someone hears our song on the radio and likes it, he or she might not realize what it's about, but they'll go out and buy it. Then, after repeated listenings, they realize the song's meaning. So, we've gotten through to somebody who doesn't think like us as a matter of course. In that way, we've been more successful as conveyors of ideas if we'd put the messages right up at the front at the beginning." (Rockbill 1984)
John Ashton (on being asked what's the point of not playing "Heartbreak Beat" live): "I'd like to do it, but it comes down to a band vote. This is a democratic band! I don't care much for 'Cowboys' but I wouldn't mind doing 'Heartbreak Beat', so there you go." (Fort Worth Star Telegram 1990)
Richard Butler: "[Columbia] had always been pretty good -- besides making a lot of mistakes in choosing singles. We bowed to their will, we thought, 'They're a record company, they probably know better than we do about it.' I thought releasing 'Cowboys' as a single was a big mistake..." (Ink 19 2002)
Richard Butler: "I recall we had a big disagreement with the American record company, because 'Heaven' was in the Top 10 in Canada and the video was everywhere, but then America decided, for some bizarre reason, to release 'Here Come Cowboys' instead. Which failed. I'll never understand their rationale behind that." (Record Collector 2020)
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