Boys Don't Cry frontman praises Jesika von Rabbit for 'I Wanna Be A Cowboy' cover

Joshua Tree musician Jesika von Rabbit had an idea a decade ago to cover Boys Don't Cry's 1985 hit "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" with her former band Gram Rabbit. But the song never came to fruition — until now.

Gram Rabbit's former frontwoman came across the unfinished track last year featuring former collaborator Todd Rutherford and Rancho de la Luna studio owner David Catching on guitar. She called her friend — and Eagles of Death Metal frontman — Jesse Hughes to duet  with her, filmed a music video at the Thunderbird Lodge Retreat* in Joshua Tree and released the video in May.

"I had been talking to Jesse about doing a duet and I thought 'Oh, this would be a perfect song for him to sing on with me,'" von Rabbit said.

The video, which was directed by Matthew Jenkins and edited by Sho Moore of SHOaded Media Group, goes back in time to the Wild West and shows von Rabbit and Hughes walking into a saloon to play a poker game gone bad with Hughes getting arrested and busted out of jail by von Rabbit and two other women.

Boys Don't Cry frontman Nick Richards told The Desert Sun he received a Google alert when the video posted and said it was "fascinating" and "looks more expensive" than the original. Friends in Palm Springs also told him about the video and explained who she is.

"I like it. It's always flattering when someone covers one of your songs," Richards said.

von Rabbit said she's been a fan of the song since childhood and didn't expect Richards to see the video — or reach out to her.

"It's crazy thinking back to when that song first came out and all these years later I'm talking to him and we're friendly, it's pretty cool," von Rabbit said.

Hughes was unaware on Tuesday that Richards saw the video and enjoyed it.

"To me, that's winning an award and like winning a Grammy," Hughes said. "The things I will share with people when my ego is on full display and I'm sharing things I'm most proud of, it's always the approval of an artist that's a hero of mine over something I've done. It doesn't get any better than that."

It's not the first time von Rabbit has gotten the attention of an artist with a cover. Her 2017 haunting cover of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" impressed frontman Boy George. He shared von Rabbit's video on Twitter and found a photo of her as a small child holding a poster of him asking her "Is this you?"

"Hopefully, I started a trend," von Rabbit quipped.

Hughes described von Rabbit as an "uncommon and unique artist" who he wanted to collaborate with for years. He described the song as "amazing" for its humor and innuendos.

"When I was a kid, that was one of those songs where I got an idea they might be talking about something else and not just cowboys," Hughes said. "That's what the song is kind of about, and I'd like to point out it also implies (Richards) is not a cowboy."

The song was inspired by Spaghetti Westerns

"I Wanna Be A Cowboy" was inspired by Richards' then-love for Spaghetti Western films, and he wrote the lyrics after watching Sergio Leone's 1967 film "For A Few Dollars More" starring Clint Eastwood. The backing track had been recorded a year earlier.

"I said, 'Remember that piece of music we put down last year? Let's have a listen to it.' I just started going 'I want to be a cowboy, you can be my cowgirl' and it just went from there and we wrote it in 10 minutes," Richards said. "What was really interesting is the Everly Brothers were (at the same studio) recording a comeback album and Phil Everly was the first American to hear 'I Wanna Be A Cowboy.' He loved it, said it was going to be a huge hit, and when it did, he phoned me and said 'I Told You.'"

The original video featured Richards lying in a tub wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a cigar, and included dream sequences of riding a horse into a place called Dodgy City where he duels with three men, one of which was Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

"There are a few hints at the original video I thought were quite interesting and cool," Richards said. "There's three or four parts in it that were definitely an ode to Lemmy and everything else. I thought it was good and the video looks expensive. Our video was shot in London and was a cheap video in those days."

Boys Don't Cry parted ways in 1988. Richards resumed the band in 2009 and is the only original member. Each year, the group participates in the Lost 80s Live, which is a tour celebrating ’80s bands. Richards and von Rabbit have discussed a possible live collaboration at the Los Angeles show next year.

"I'm thrilled, wish her all the luck in the world and hope to meet her next year," Richards said.

During the pandemic, von Rabbit also released the singles "Who The Hell Knows," "Bombay Beach Bunny" and "Desert Dream Center." She has a new album ready to go and said the release date is "close."

"I'm really excited about it," von Rabbit said. "It's different than my past two albums. It's not as electronic, there's a little bit more emotion and organic instrumentation on it. I'm happy and excited for that."

She's also enjoyed branching out her songwriting skills through private commissions and just finished a song for a woman who lost her beloved horse of 19 years.

"That's been a fun way to make a little extra money," von Rabbit said. "I get to know these strangers and write stories about their lives. It's heartwarming and I enjoy the process."

*A previous version of this article incorrectly identified where the video was filmed. The filming location was Thunderbird Lodge Retreat.  

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Boys Don't Cry frontman praises Jesika von Rabbit for cover and video