The Horse
Encyclopedia
"The Horse" was an American
instrumental
song
by Cliff Nobles
and Company. It was released as the B-side
of the single "Love is All Right," and is simply an instrumental version of that song. "The Horse" made an improbable trip up the pop music charts, peaking at #2 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1968, as well as #2 on the Black Singles chart.
The song missed the top spot on the Hot 100 because of the success of Hugh Masekela
's "Grazin' in the Grass", on the week of July 29, 1968, resulting in the extremely rare occurrence of instrumentals occupying the top two spots of the chart in the same week.
"The Horse" sold a million copies within three months of release, and attained the gold record
award from the Recording Industry Association of America
in August 1968.
Ironically, even though Nobles is the title artist, he does not personally perform on the track. "The Horse" was simply "Love is All Right" without his vocal track. The horn section which is featured eventually became the group MFSB
.
Four decades after its release, the song continues to be a staple of American marching band
s and pep band
s, and is often heard at American football
and basketball
games. The arrangement of The Horse for marching band is credited to a Jesse James and was first performed by the University of Houston
Marching Band under the Director of Dr. Bill Moffitt.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by Cliff Nobles
Cliff Nobles
Cliff Nobles was an American pop singer, who is best known for his instrumental hit, "The Horse."-Biography:...
and Company. It was released as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single "Love is All Right," and is simply an instrumental version of that song. "The Horse" made an improbable trip up the pop music charts, peaking at #2 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1968, as well as #2 on the Black Singles chart.
The song missed the top spot on the Hot 100 because of the success of Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
's "Grazin' in the Grass", on the week of July 29, 1968, resulting in the extremely rare occurrence of instrumentals occupying the top two spots of the chart in the same week.
"The Horse" sold a million copies within three months of release, and attained the gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
award from the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in August 1968.
Ironically, even though Nobles is the title artist, he does not personally perform on the track. "The Horse" was simply "Love is All Right" without his vocal track. The horn section which is featured eventually became the group MFSB
MFSB
MFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up such groups as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O’Jays, the Stylistics, the...
.
Four decades after its release, the song continues to be a staple of American marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s and pep band
Pep band
A pep band is an ensemble of instrumentalists who play at functions or events with the purpose of entertaining and "pepping" up a crowd. Often members of a pep band are a subset of people from a larger ensemble such as a marching band or a concert band. Pep bands are generally associated with...
s, and is often heard at American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games. The arrangement of The Horse for marching band is credited to a Jesse James and was first performed by the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
Marching Band under the Director of Dr. Bill Moffitt.