The Bob Dylan song that was meant to be the main theme to Midnight Cowboy – and why it was scrapped

A song from legendary songwriter Bob Dylan was meant to be the main theme to Midnight Cowboy, but was scrapped late into development.

Dylan’s Lay, Lady, Lay, had been chosen for the lead song of the Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight film, but it was not completed in time. John Barry was instead chosen to make the main theme, while a cover of Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson, was used in one of the film’s most memorable moments. But Dylan, who had written Lay, Lady, Lay, for the film, did not complete the song in time for it to be included. Nilsson went on win a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance on Midnight Cowboy. John Barry also picked up a win for Best Instrumental Theme.

Lay, Lady, Lay, one of Dylan’s most recognisable songs, was later featured on his album, Nashville Skyline. The singer also claimed he had wanted the song to be a duet with Barbara Streisand, who confirmed Dylan had wanted to sing with her. The collaboration never came to be, and instead Lay, Lady, Lay, became a staple of the Johnny Cash-featuring Nashville Skyline.

Speaking of the song, Dylan said he had intended for it to be ready in time for the film but says it was “too late” by the time he came up with an appropriate song.

He said: “There’s a movie out now called Midnight Cowboy. You know the song on the album, Lay, Lady, Lay? Well, I wrote that song for that movie. These producers, they wanted some music for their movie.

“This was last summer. And this fellow there asked me, you know, if I could do some music for their movie. So, I came up with that song. By the time I came up with it, though, it was too late!”

Though the song was set to be included in Midnight Cowboy, producers opted for Nilsson’s cover of Fred Neil’s Everybody’s Talkin’. Fans of Midnight Cowboy were relieved to hear Nilsson’s song, rather than Lay, Lady, Lay.

One user wrote on Reddit: “I’m glad. I love that movie, and Harry Nilsson’s song was perfect.” Another joked: “It wasn’t his fault. Nobody was talkin’ at him.”

Dylan would later write the song Things Have Changed for the 2000 film, Wonder Boys. He would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as a Golden Globe for Best Original Song. It also featured on a series of compilation albums, including The Essential Bob Dylan, The Best of Bob Dylan, and Dylan.