Dark Horse (Amanda Marshall song)
Encyclopedia
"Dark Horse" is the title of a song co-written and originally recorded by Canadian pop singer Amanda Marshall
. It was the fifth single from her 1995 self-titled
debut album. In 1997, American country music
singer Mila Mason
covered the song for her own debut album, That's Enough of That
.
said that Marshall "drums up momentum with the gently percussive 'Dark Horse'".
Top Singles charts dated for the week of March 17, 1997. It also peaked at number one on the same publication's Adult Contemporary charts two weeks later.
's version appears on her 1996 debut album That's Enough of That
. It was the second single from the album, entering the charts in February 1997.
described Mason's cover as "the least country song on the album" but said that "Mason's smoky voice works perfectly on the opening lyric[…]and the pretty ensuing story of young love that lasted."
Hot Country Songs
charts, peaking at number 21. In Canada, it peaked at number 12 on the RPM Country Tracks charts dated for May 12, 1997.
Amanda Marshall
Amanda Meta Marshall is a Canadian pop-rock singer.She grew up in Toronto in a biracial family to a White Canadian father and a Black Trinidadian mother...
. It was the fifth single from her 1995 self-titled
Amanda Marshall (album)
Amanda Marshall is the 1995 debut album by Canadian singer Amanda Marshall. The album peaked at #4 on the Canadian Albums Chart and has also been certified Diamond by the CRIA with over 1,000,000 copies sold in Canada making it Marshall's best-selling album of her career. The album also made an...
debut album. In 1997, American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Mila Mason
Mila Mason
Mila Mason is an American country music artist. She made her debut on the country music scene in 1996 with the release of her debut album That's Enough of That, which produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, including its title track...
covered the song for her own debut album, That's Enough of That
That's Enough of That
That's Enough of That is the debut album of American country music artist Mila Mason. It was released in 1996 on Atlantic Records Nashville...
.
Critical reception
Colin Larkin, in The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, wrote that it was "more personal" than the other story songs on Marshall's album. Jeremy Helligar of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said that Marshall "drums up momentum with the gently percussive 'Dark Horse'".
Chart performance
"Dark Horse" peaked at number five on the RPMRPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Top Singles charts dated for the week of March 17, 1997. It also peaked at number one on the same publication's Adult Contemporary charts two weeks later.
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 1 |
Mila Mason version
Mila MasonMila Mason
Mila Mason is an American country music artist. She made her debut on the country music scene in 1996 with the release of her debut album That's Enough of That, which produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, including its title track...
's version appears on her 1996 debut album That's Enough of That
That's Enough of That
That's Enough of That is the debut album of American country music artist Mila Mason. It was released in 1996 on Atlantic Records Nashville...
. It was the second single from the album, entering the charts in February 1997.
Critical reception
Brian Wahlert of Country Standard TimeCountry Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
described Mason's cover as "the least country song on the album" but said that "Mason's smoky voice works perfectly on the opening lyric[…]and the pretty ensuing story of young love that lasted."
Chart performance
Mason's version of the song spent twenty weeks on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, peaking at number 21. In Canada, it peaked at number 12 on the RPM Country Tracks charts dated for May 12, 1997.
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 12 |