Guns and Horses
Encyclopedia
"Guns and Horses" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding
from her debut album, Lights
(2010). It was released digitally on 16 May 2010 and physically the day after as the album's third single
.
The song was used in the sixth episode of the second season
of the American television series Drop Dead Diva
, "Begin Again", originally aired 18 July 2010.
, whilst reviewing Lights, wrote that the song "skitters along on bleeps and fizzes, xylophone
tinkles and acoustic strumblings." David Renshaw from Drowned in Sound
cited the song as the album's stand-out track, stating that it "starts with nothing but a finger picked guitar and basic drum beat. Goulding's voice rasps and commands proceedings as she longs to feel the same for a boy who has feelings for her." Pitchfork Media
's Stephen Troussé commented that the song "may be the best opening invitation for travel since 'Two Divided by Zero' kicked off the Pet Shop Boys
' Please" and that it "builds from spare acoustics to urgent trance pop—'I left my house, left my clothes, door widen open, heaven knows, but you're so worth it, you are...'—concluding with a desperate a cappella coda, and a brief breathless chuckle at her casual audacity." Digital Spy
music reporter Robert Copsey referred to the track as "[a]nother example of the glorious folktronic pop sound she and producer Starmith established on 'Under The Sheets
' and 'Starry Eyed'—and reassuring proof that her romantic suffering wasn't for nothing." Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
Chart Blog noted that "Ellie still sings it like a frightened woodland nymph, but this is a more ordinary sort of a song than her previous two, and the production—tasteful acoustic, tasteful beats, tasteful synths, tasteful harmonies—struggles to make it shine."
for "Guns and Horses" was directed by Petro and filmed at Los Angeles
' Griffith Park
in March 2010. It premiered on YouTube
on 12 April 2010. The video shows Goulding walking around a forest finding male and female soldiers, and horses. As it gets to the chorus the soldiers become her backing dancers. In each verse, Goulding keeps on walking through the forest, and on the last verse, she finds some flowers. At the end of the music video, Goulding turns the camera around revealing the production of the shoot.
In the video, the female soldiers are wearing white leotard
s in the style of soldiers, and the male soldiers wear the same, but without leotards. Goulding is wearing a checkered shirt and leggings.
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
from her debut album, Lights
Lights (Ellie Goulding album)
Lights is the debut studio album by English recording artist Ellie Goulding. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2010 by Polydor Records. Produced by Starsmith, Frankmusik, Fraser T. Smith and Richard Stannard, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics...
(2010). It was released digitally on 16 May 2010 and physically the day after as the album's third single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
Background
When asked what "Guns and Horses" was about, Goulding said:The song was used in the sixth episode of the second season
Drop Dead Diva (season 2)
Drop Dead Diva season two premiered on June 6, 2010 and concluded August 29, 2010 on Lifetime. Season two aired aired on Sundays at 8:00 pm ET for the entire season and consisted of 13 episodes.-Jane/Deb & Grayson:...
of the American television series Drop Dead Diva
Drop Dead Diva
Drop Dead Diva is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 12, 2009. The hour-long series, which was created by Josh Berman, is produced by Sony Pictures Television...
, "Begin Again", originally aired 18 July 2010.
Critical reception
Mark Beaumont from the NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, whilst reviewing Lights, wrote that the song "skitters along on bleeps and fizzes, xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
tinkles and acoustic strumblings." David Renshaw from Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
cited the song as the album's stand-out track, stating that it "starts with nothing but a finger picked guitar and basic drum beat. Goulding's voice rasps and commands proceedings as she longs to feel the same for a boy who has feelings for her." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Stephen Troussé commented that the song "may be the best opening invitation for travel since 'Two Divided by Zero' kicked off the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
' Please" and that it "builds from spare acoustics to urgent trance pop—'I left my house, left my clothes, door widen open, heaven knows, but you're so worth it, you are...'—concluding with a desperate a cappella coda, and a brief breathless chuckle at her casual audacity." Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
music reporter Robert Copsey referred to the track as "[a]nother example of the glorious folktronic pop sound she and producer Starmith established on 'Under The Sheets
Under the Sheets
"Under the Sheets" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. Produced by Starsmith, it was released as the album's lead single. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store on 15 November 2009, peaking at...
' and 'Starry Eyed'—and reassuring proof that her romantic suffering wasn't for nothing." Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Chart Blog noted that "Ellie still sings it like a frightened woodland nymph, but this is a more ordinary sort of a song than her previous two, and the production—tasteful acoustic, tasteful beats, tasteful synths, tasteful harmonies—struggles to make it shine."
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Guns and Horses" was directed by Petro and filmed at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
' Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
in March 2010. It premiered on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on 12 April 2010. The video shows Goulding walking around a forest finding male and female soldiers, and horses. As it gets to the chorus the soldiers become her backing dancers. In each verse, Goulding keeps on walking through the forest, and on the last verse, she finds some flowers. At the end of the music video, Goulding turns the camera around revealing the production of the shoot.
In the video, the female soldiers are wearing white leotard
Leotard
A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard ....
s in the style of soldiers, and the male soldiers wear the same, but without leotards. Goulding is wearing a checkered shirt and leggings.
Track listings
- UK CD single
- "Guns and Horses" (Radio Edit) – 3:34
- "Guns and Horses" (Neo Tokyo Remix) – 5:05
- "Guns and Horses" (Jezebel Remix) – 4:22
- UK iTunes EP
- "Guns and Horses" (Radio Edit) – 3:33
- "Guns and Horses" (Neo Tokyo Remix) – 5:05
- "Guns and Horses" (Jezebel Remix) – 4:20
- "Guns and Horses" (Tonka Remix) – 5:27
- UK 7" limited edition picture disc
- A. "Guns and Horses"
- B. "Guns and Horses" (Neo Tokyo Remix)
Personnel
- Ellie Goulding – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound... - Alan ClarkeAlan Clarke (photographer)Alan Clarke is a Durham based photographer who works closely with people in different aspects of photographic practice. Born in 1979 in Durham city, he has developed a career in the local area....
– photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Naweed – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- StarsmithStarsmithStarsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Traffic – designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
26 |