| "The Horse" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Cliff Nobles & Co. | |
| A-side | Love is All Right |
| Released | 1968 |
| Genre | Instrumental |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Writer(s) | Jesse James |
| Producer | Jesse James |
| Certification | RIAA Gold |
"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.[1] 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.[2]
"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.[3] 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 bands and pep bands, 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.