May 1994.

Oh I do hope not. I’m not one for chattiness first thing on a morning. Wait until the coffee kicks in, then you may speak.

I have to say, some days the inner jukebox can be very specific with the song choices it makes. I know both versions of this song and it was most definitely the voice of Jacqui Abbott that I heard this morning.

Originally written in 1966 by US folk singer songwriter Fred Neil, this became the theme song for the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy and subsequently a hit for Harry Nilsson in the same year, reaching number one in Canada and the top ten in Sweden and the US.

In 1994 The Beautiful South released their version. From their fourth album Miaow, this was Jacqui Abbott’s debut album with the band after replacing Briana Corrigan as vocalist. It gave them a top-twenty hit in the UK, spending eight weeks on the charts and peaking at number twelve, whilst also reaching number eight in Iceland.