The Blind Willie Johnson song that inspired Ry Cooder’s ‘Paris, Texas’ soundtrack
Paris, Texas isn’t the kind of film you can simply throw on after a long day; it demands to be watched in the best conditions you can fashion, whether that be at the cinema or simply at home, completely uninterrupted. Wim Wenders’ 1984 movie is a transformative experience, especially if you’ve been feeling lonely and unsure of yourself, with the director inviting us to accompany protagonist Travis Henderson, the ultimate outsider figure, as he attempts to make amends in his life.
After wandering the desert aimless and alone, Harry Dean Stanton’s character is rescued by his brother, Walt, played by Dean Stockwell, who takes his mute sibling back to the safety of Los Angeles. Eventually, Travis starts talking again and begins to connect with his young son, Hunter. The pair take a while to warm up to each other, but soon, an unconventional father/son bond forms as they set out to find Jane, Hunter’s mother.
Through poignant scenes, such as Travis viewing old Super 8 footage of his once-happy family unit or the peep show monologues exchanged between Travis and Jane, Wenders illuminates the complexities of relationships and family with nuance. Alongside sweeping cinematography, stunning performances and a phenomenal script, the soundtrack of Paris, Texas elevates the beauty of the film even higher.
Composed by Ry Cooder, the score features emotive slide guitars that often emphasise loneliness, echoing the vast, lonely nature of the desert in which Travis is found. It is impossible to imagine a soundtrack better suited to Wenders’ movie – Cooder’s command of his strings practically sucks you in.
Talking to Bomb Magazine, Wenders revealed, “I had it in mind that I really only wanted one instrument for the film. In the end, it was a little bit more complex, though it’s basically just [Cooder’s] guitar.” He added, “Then I had a rough cut of the film, and I played it for Ry—no music, it was just dialogue. I showed it to him in a screening room in Los Angeles, and it was a long rough cut, like four hours.”
However, Wenders did insert one small piece of music in one scene, unbeknownst to Cooder – a recording of his own rendition of ‘Dark Was The Night’ by Blind Willie Johnson. The original song was first recorded in 1927 and is considered a gospel blues song. Cooder had previously performed it on his self-titled debut album from 1970, and Wenders wanted something similar to form the basis of the Paris, Texas score.
Wenders explained, “It was toward the end, so Ry saw the film thinking it was completely without music, and he didn’t expect any, then all of a sudden there was just a little piece of his own. He turned around and said, ‘That’s it, that’s what we’re gonna to do.’” Cooder even admitted that he had the same piece in mind while watching the film, subsequently basing “the entire score” “on the harmonies of ‘Dark Was the Night.’”
Listen to Blind Willie Johnson’s classic track below.
