Bring On the Dancing Horses
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 October 1985. It was the only single from their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing, and was recorded for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink.
| "Bring On the Dancing Horses" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Echo & the Bunnymen | ||||
| from the album Songs to Learn & Sing | ||||
| B-side | "Over Your Shoulder", "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" | |||
| Released | 14 October 1985 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, alternative rock, neo-psychedelia, dream pop | |||
| Length | 3:59 (7"), 5:37 (12") | |||
| Label | Korova (UK) WEA (Worldwide) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson, Pete de Freitas | |||
| Producer(s) | Laurie Latham, The Bunnymen | |||
| Echo & the Bunnymen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
It reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart[1] and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart.[2] Allmusic journalist Stewart Mason said that the layers of synths on the song and Ian McCulloch's overdubbed vocals on the chorus add to the "psychedelic haze of the track". Mason wrote: "Bring On the Dancing Horses has a dreamily catchy chorus and a nice melody."[3]
Versions
The single was released as a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single and a shaped picture disc. On the 7-inch single and the picture disc the title track is three minutes and 59 seconds long and the b-side is "Over Your Shoulder". The title track was extended by one minute and 38 seconds for the 12-inch single, to five minutes and 37 seconds, and an extra track, "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", was added to the b-side. The 7-inch single was also released as a limited edition with an extra disc containing "Villiers Terrace" and "Monkeys" from the August 1979 John Peel session. Laurie Latham produced the title track and The Bunnymen produced the b-sides. The singles were released on Korova in the United Kingdom and on WEA elsewhere.
Cover versions
Skate punk band Lagwagon covered the song for the 1999 Vagrant Records compilation, Before You Were Punk 2.
A version of the song, performed by Universal Circus, is included on the 2005 Spanish tribute album Play the Game: Un Tributo a Echo & the Bunnymen.[4]
The Brixton Riot recorded a cover version in 2018 for the Mint 400 Records At the Movies compilation album.
Iron & Wine and Calexico played a cover version of the song at most concerts of their 2019 joint tour.[5]
Track listings
All tracks written by Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson and Pete de Freitas.
- 7-inch (Korova KOW 43, WEA S248933-7) and picture disc (Korova KOW 43P, WEA 248933–7)
- "Bring On the Dancing Horses" – 3:59
- "Over Your Shoulder" – 4:04
- 12-inch release (Korova KOW 43T, WEA 248932–0)
- "Bring On the Dancing Horses" – 5:37
- "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" – 3:35
- "Over Your Shoulder" – 4:04
Chart positions
| Chart (1985-6) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 78 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50)[7] | 19 |
| Irish Singles Chart[2] | 15 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] | 45 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] | 31 |
| UK Singles Chart[1] | 21 |
Personnel
- Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar
- Will Sergeant – lead guitar
- Les Pattinson – bass
- Pete de Freitas – drums
- Laurie Latham – producer
- The Bunnymen – producer
References
- ^ a b Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b . IRMA. 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
- ^ "Song Search for "bring on the dancing horses"". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "The Ultimate Echo and the Bunnymen Resource". Villiers Terrace.com. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ^ https://www.setlist.fm/stats/iron-and-wine-and-calexico-43d6db7b.html, setlist.fm. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "ultratop.be". Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl". Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- ^ "charts.nz". Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- "Echo & The Bunnymen at Discogs.com". Discogs. Retrieved 30 April 2008.