Robert Redford Thought ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’ Would Kill ‘Butch Cassidy’ — Then It Hit No. 1

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the top box-office-grossing film of 1969, and anyone who has seen this movie understands exactly why it was so popular. However, did you know that there was something in this film that just drove actor Robert Redford nuts? Something that he truly didn’t like? In fact, he absolutely hated everything about it. What could that be? Hang tight for just a minute or two, dear reader, and everything will be explained.

The biggest thing that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had going for it was its two main stars. Redford and Paul Newman were just so good as the title characters, and Katharine Ross wasn’t half bad either. Of course, there was also George Roy Hill‘s direction coupled with William Goldman’s fantastic script. Yep, everything just came together like a perfect recipe.

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection

Now, with that said, there was one ingredient that Robert Redford could not stand. And you know what? The studio executives who were keeping an eye on the making of the movie didn’t like it much either. Have you guessed what it is? Well, if you knew that the answer was the film’s soundtrack and, in particular, the hit song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, then you deserve a gold star.

Burt Bacharach, the soundtrack’s composer, recalls coming up with the catchy little song filled with ukuleles and a bouncy, mirth-filled rhythm while watching the scene with Paul Newman and Katharine Ross on a bike. The melody came to him almost instantly, and as he worked on the song, he just filled it up with dummy words. These were phrases that he gave little thought to, something that he was certain he would change later on as he refined the track. But the more he worked on the song, the more he realized that his dummy words were absolutely perfect, even if they really didn’t have much to do with the movie.

In 2019, while being interviewed by Bryan Alexander of USA Today, Redford admitted that he was one of the song’s leading critics. He said, “When the film was released, I was highly critical. How did the song fit with the film? There was no rain. At the time, it seemed like a dumb idea. How wrong I was, as it turned out to be a giant hit.”

Without a doubt, what Redford thought was a dumb idea was anything but. The song became a number one hit not just in the U.S., but in Canada as well. Over the years, the single has sold in excess of 2 million copies, and the song itself won an Oscar for Best Original Song. And if that weren’t enough, Burt Bacharach took home an Academy Award for Best Original Score as well. Pretty darn good results for a song that Redford didn’t think very much of.

Sadly, the world lost this movie legend when Redford passed away in 2025, at the age of 89. Following his death, Extra magazine noted that his The Way We Were costar Barbra Streisand paid tribute to him on social media, calling him a “brilliant, subtle actor,” and reminisced about their time working together, noting, “We had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never quite knew what the other one was going to do in a scene.”

Want More?

Cowboys

From the Wild West to the New West

Saddle up for this ultimate guide to the most enduring genre in the history of movies and television. This must-have issue offers a complete look at the way Westerns have captivated us with their untamed spirit.

Buy This Issue