Daryl Braithwaite ‘IT REALLY IS A MYSTERY’
It may be 30 years since The Horses was released but not even the award-winning singer can tell you why it’s still so successful
Ask Daryl Braithwaite just what it is about his hit The Horses that makes it such a special song and, well, he can’t tell you.
“My son [Oscar, 35] and
I were talking about this the other day... it really is a mystery why people gravitate towards it,” he says.
“There’s no rhyme or reason why it’s different from any other song, but it does connect with people.
“I’ve tried to fathom what it is. I just don’t know, besides the fact it’s a beautifully-written song,” the 72-year-old adds.
Whatever the secret, it’s a firm Aussie favourite – when it was released in 1991 it reached No. 1 – and as it celebrates its 30th birthday this year, the song has been certified nine-times platinum. What may come as a surprise to the thousands of people who still love – and sing along with – the masterpiece, is that it’s not actually Daryl’s own song at all.
In fact, The Horses was written by American songstress Rickie Lee Jones and Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.
“I heard the song after Dale, my very good friend and pianist-vocalist, suggested I have a listen to the Rickie Lee Jones album Flying Cowboys,” says Daryl. “We ended up recording it and it turned out really good. We released it and it went really well when it came out in 1991. Over the decades it has continued to become a favourite to a lot of people.
It is one of those things that you can’t put your finger on as to
why it’s so popular. The imagery is really important, the uplifting associations people feel when they hear or sing the song.
“I know that I have moments of euphoria when singing it, and I do think it’s something about the lyrics mixed with the melody that you just can’t deny... we still get a great reaction when we play it live and people still seem to like it a lot.”
HOWZAT FOR SUCCESS?!
It’s inconceivable, with the success of that song, to think that in the mid-’90s Daryl almost gave his music career away. After all, he’s a household name and has been since the ’70s – hitting the big time with Aussie pop band Sherbet in 1970.
The band were famous for such hits as Howzat and Summer Love and was named Best Australian Group every year from 1973 to 1978.
Meanwhile, Daryl was also riding high as the TV WEEK King of Pop for 1975, 1976 and 1977.
After going solo and taking some time out with his wife Sarah and the then-newborn Oscar, Daryl had a huge comeback in 1988 with his singles One Summer and As The Days Go By. And in 1990 he recorded The Horses for a new album, Rise.
But then, came drama.
At the end of 1991, Rise became the year’s biggest selling album in Australia, but a 1992 lawsuit saw him sued by his former managers for all the money he made from Rise and his previous album.
“The court case was really sh*tty. It was unexpected and a bit of a soul destroyer in the end, and a lot of money went out to the law fraternity,” he said recently.
As his career spiralled, he was dropped by his record company and didn’t record another album for 12 years.
Luckily for us, Daryl returned to the recording studio in 2005. After a health scare in 2016 – he had a benign tumour removed from his spleen – the music legend continued to perform and has been touring tirelessly ever since. And of course, he’s been playing The Horses to his loyal fans.
“We’re so fortunate we’ve had a few of those songs that have connected with the audience and haven’t dropped off,” he laughs. “It’s absolutely lovely. I don’t think there’s any job that you get that sort of feedback. It’s incredible.”