The Horse
title: "The Horse" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1968-songs", "1968-singles", "1960s-instrumentals", "american-soul-songs", "jamie-records-singles"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Horse" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | The Horse |
| type | single |
| artist | Cliff Nobles and Company |
| A-side | Love Is All Right |
| released | 1968 |
| genre | Soul |
| length | 2:34 |
| label | Phil-L.A. of Soul 313 (US) Columbia C4-2812 (Canada) |
| writer | Jesse James |
| producer | Jesse James |
| prev_title | The More I Do for You, Baby |
| prev_year | 1968 |
| next_title | Judge Baby I'm Back |
| next_year | 1968 |
| misc | |
| :: |
| name = The Horse | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = Cliff Nobles and Company | album = | A-side = Love Is All Right | released = 1968 | recorded = | studio = | genre = Soul | length = 2:34 | label = Phil-L.A. of Soul 313 (US) Columbia C4-2812 (Canada) | writer = Jesse James | producer = Jesse James | prev_title = The More I Do for You, Baby | prev_year = 1968 | next_title = Judge Baby I'm Back | next_year = 1968 | misc =
"The Horse" is an 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.
Background
Although Nobles is the title artist, he does not personally perform on the track. The song was simply "Love Is All Right" without his vocal track. The horn section which is featured eventually became the group MFSB.{{cite book |editor-last=Bogdanov |editor-first=Vladimir |title=All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0879307447 |access-date=19 January 2015 |publisher=Backbeat Books |date=2003 |page=468 |isbn=0879307447}} Mike Terry played the baritone saxophone on this recording.
The track itself features a simple, unvarying rhythmic line played by different instruments, finished off each time around by a melodic, heralding horn section line.
According to Bobby Eli, a guitarist on the session, the instrumental track was the result of his jamming in the studio with guitarist Norman Harris, bassist Ronnie Baker, and drummer Earl Young (later to become the first MFSB rhythm section and the core of the group the Trammps). The jam was then "tweaked" by arranger Bobby Martin and recording studio owner and engineer Frank Virtue. Neither Cliff Nobles nor producer Jesse James was present for the session.
Chart performance
It peaked at number 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (in June 1968) and the US Billboard R&B chart. In Canada the song reached number 7.
The song 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.{{cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | pages= 244–245 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/244
Popular culture
- At the time, the record was popular for radio stations carrying into their hourly news segments and the like. It was also well known for being the theme music to the music promotional video series The Now Explosion, which premiered almost a decade before MTV.
- More than five decades after its release, the song continues to be a staple of American marching bands and pep bands, and is often heard at American football and basketball games.
References
References
- (December 2008). "Obituary: Mike Terry". The Guardian.
- [{{AllMusic
- [{{AllMusic
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 20, 1968".
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