| "Goodbye Horses" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Q Lazzarus | |
| Released | 1988 |
| Genre | New Wave, Synthpop |
| Length | 3:12 |
| Writer | William Garvey |
| Producer | William Garvey |
"Goodbye Horses" is a 1988 song sung by Q Lazzarus. It was written and produced by William Garvey. There are three versions of the song, of lengths 3:12, 4:20, and the extended version at 6:28.
According to its writer, "the song is about transcendence over those who see the world as only earthly and finite. The horses represent the five senses from Hindu philosophy (The Bhagavad Gita) and the ability to lift one’s perception above these physical limitations and to see beyond this limited Earthly perspective."[1]
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The song is notably featured in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs during the scene in which serial killer "Buffalo Bill" applies make-up and dances in front of a video camera with his penis tucked between his legs as to give the appearance of a female mons. Originally in the film, Clarice Starling discussed both sheep and horses during the ranch slaughter ordeal; the script was shortened to only include the lambs, but the song remained. The song is not featured on the Silence of the Lambs soundtrack, although it appears on the soundtrack of the 1988 film Married to the Mob, also directed by Jonathan Demme. In 1991, Q Lazzarus released an extended version of Goodbye Horses to capitalize on the success of Silence of the Lambs (and the lack of the song on the motion picture soundtrack).
During Clerks II, the aforementioned Silence of the Lambs scene is parodied by Jay and Silent Bob, when Jay, having bemoaned his boredom while milling around outside the Mooby's restaurant and trying to stay clean of drugs, begins dancing to the song almost exactly as Buffalo Bill did after Silent Bob plays it on their boom box, using chapstick in the same manner as Buffalo Bill's lipstick. Jay quotes Buffalo Bill by saying "Would you fuck me? ... I'd fuck me ... I'd fuck me hard..." When Dante's fiance pulls him out of Mooby's telling him she has a surprise for him, Jay holds his coat (borrowed from Silent Bob) open to reveal himself nude with his penis tucked back in the same manner Buffalo Bill did when he was dancing in front of the video camera. Then Dante says "Is this my surprise?", and his fiance answers "no" while Jay sings "Goodbye Horses". A deleted scene from Clerks II shows an extended version of the "tuck dance", without Goodbye Horses playing. A mock message is shown before the scene, saying that they could not afford the $18,000 needed to use "Goodbye Horses" in the scene, and that the audience should imagine "Goodbye Horses" being played. After the scene, the messages continue with other mock messages, suggesting that the reason for there being no money to license the song was because Jason Mewes spent all of the licensing budget on transsexual prostitutes.
A 2007 release of Lakai Limited Footwear's skateboard team video, titled Fully Flared features the song during Marc Johnson's part, an "in the know" homage to Buffalo Bill..
The underground hit song can be found on LRR 97.8 Liberty Rock Radio in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
The song is featured in the Season 7 Family Guy episode 13 Stew-Roids, with Chris parodying the Buffalo Bill scene from The Silence of the Lambs.
The song is featured in a scene aired on Wed. Nov 25 2009 on FX entitled Alexis Stone II #6.7
The song is featured in the 2010 video game Skate 3.
In 1996, Psyche's cover version of "Goodbye Horses" was released as the b-side to their single "You Ran Away". This recording became popular enough that the band decided to make an extended version and include it on their album Strange Romance at the end of the same year. When the trailer for Clerks 2 appeared promoting the movie, Psyche entered the Top Ten downloads on iTunes Electronic chart. The song is featured on two best of compilations, Misguided Angels (2000) and Legacy (2004), as well as a recent limited Australian tour CD collection entitled Club Salvation, and remains a staple in the band's live repertoire to this day.
Over the last decade the song has been covered by other performers including Gil Mantera's Party Dream. In 2009, The Airborne Toxic Event began performing a cover of the song in their live performances. The Whitest Boy Alive covered the song during Lowlands '09. In October 2009, Brad Sucks released a cover of "Goodbye Horses" on his website. At their NYE 2010/2011 show, Snowden debuted a cover featuring Corinne on lead vocals. However, aside from the original, only Psyche's interpretation has maintained its popularity.
Electronic band Fan Death and garage-revival band Harlem have also covered the song, and it is currently being performed at live shows by Liverpudlian band Lovecraft, recently signed to the Probe Plus label.
In 2010, Island Def Jam artists The Airborne Toxic Event released a live CD/DVD containing a performance of this song, entitled All I've Ever Wanted. In 2011, The Airborne Toxic Event released its second studio album, All At Once, containing a studio remake of this song.
| "Goodbye Horses" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kele from the album The Hunter | |
| Format | Digital download |
| Recorded | 2011 |
| Genre | Alternative dance, electro house, synthpop |
| Length | 4:12 |
| Label | Wichita Recordings |
| Writer | William Garvey |
| Producer | Daniel Lindegren, Fred Falke (add.) |
In 2011, Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of acclaimed indie rock band Bloc Party, released a cover of "Goodbye Horses" on his EP The Hunter. This cover of the song is 4 minutes and 12 seconds long. It was produced by Daniel Lindegren, with additional production by Fred Falke.
A fan made video for the song was uploaded to YouTube on March 25, 2011,[2] many months before the release of the EP. Kele posted the video on his blog.[3]