The Horse

"The Horse" is 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 both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart (in June 1968) and the Black Singles chart.^[1] The song missed the top spot on the Hot 100 because of the success of Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love With You" from 29 June through 13 July 1968.^[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.^[4]

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.

At the time, the record was popular for radio stations carrying into their hourly news segments and the like. 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.

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